A 53-year-old salesman was on Friday charged before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court over allegedly defrauding a senior government official of Shs218 million under the guise of selling her land in Buikwe District.
John Kaddu, a resident of Zone 8, Nakulabye in Kampala’s Rubaga Division appeared before Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi who read to him a charge of obtaining money by false pretence contrary to Section 285 of the Penal Code Act. Kaddu denied the charge.
According to the charge sheet, Kaddu and others, still at large, between 2018 and 2025 at Crested Towers in Kampala, allegedly obtained Shs218 million from Lucy Nakyobe, the Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, by falsely claiming they were selling her 23 acres of land in Lugazi, Buikwe District.
Prosecution, led by Ms Grace Amy, informed the court that inquiries into the matter are still ongoing.
‘Your worship, we seek a mention date,’ Amy told court.
Magistrate Kayizzi remanded Kaddu until December 15 for the hearing of his bail application.
This followed Kaddu’s request for more time, explaining that he had been brought to court abruptly without an opportunity to contact his sureties.
‘I was brought from the police cells so fast that I did not communicate to them,’ Kaddu said.
Documents before court indicate that between 2018 and 2025, Nakyobe allegedly paid a total of Shs218 million to Kaddu and two others identified as Mayambala and Juuko for the said land.
It is alleged that the suspects later began giving excuses for failing to hand over the land.
The complaint states that the parties later agreed that the suspects would refund the money, but no refund was ever made.
According to police, the suspects eventually switched off communication with the complainant. Investigations later revealed that the purported land does not exist for sale, leading to the institution of charges for obtaining money by false pretence.
In her statement to police, Nakyobe said that in 2018 she interacted with a man identified to her as Richard Bukenya, who had previously assisted her in opening boundaries for her land.
‘Bukenya introduced the matter of land to me and told me that he had people who had contacted him to survey, open boundaries, and obtain letters of administration for land in Buikwe District,’ Ms Nakyobe said in her statement.
She added that Bukenya claimed the group lacked funds for these activities and needed someone to support them.
‘He went ahead and told me that they had an offer of 20 acres,’ she stated, noting that this introduction led to her dealings with Kaddu and the others.
Kaddu is expected back in court on December 15 as investigations continue.