Police in Jinja City have arrested a 41-year-old man accused of impersonating a freelance journalist with Nation Media Group (NMG), the parent company of Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda, among others.
The suspect, identified as Edwin Mayende, a resident of Buyanja B Village, Bukungu Town Council in Buyende District, was arrested in the Golf Course area of Jinja City on Monday.
Among the documents found on him was a curriculum vitae (CV) indicating that he studied at Elgon View Primary School, Seeta College Mukono and Tororo Progressive Academy. He later attended the Uganda Institute of Business and Media Studies in Kampala, where he obtained a diploma in Business, Media and Journalism.
Kiira Regional Police spokesperson James Mubi said Mr Mayende was found in possession of forged documents.
‘He has forged documents, including a national ID and a workers’ ID. He has been masquerading as a freelance journalist working with Daily Monitor,’ Mr. Mubi said.
Police said they moved to verify his claims with both the local bureau and NMG headquarters.
‘We engaged the bureau chief of Jinja City, Daily Monitor, to verify whether he was a staff member, but he had never been part of the organisation. We also went ahead to verify with the headquarters in Kampala, and he was not in the database,’ Mr Mubi said.
A backpack containing several items was also recovered and is being examined as part of the investigation.
‘Our Crime Intelligence team is thoroughly interrogating him because we have to establish other criminal activities he may have been involved in,’ Mr Mubi said.
Mr Mubi warned against impersonating journalists or using forged documents to commit crimes.
‘These are the people who snatch mobile phones and can even go ahead to rape our people. These are the people involved in criminal activities,’ he said.
He said the suspect will be arraigned once investigations are complete.
‘When our inquiry is complete, he is going to be taken to court and remanded to Kitalya,’ Mr. Mubi said.
He also appealed to young people to shun crime. ‘This is an appeal especially to the youth: be productive and do lawful activities. You will not succeed if your aim is to commit crime,’ he said.
Mr. Mubi said police are committed to keeping Jinja safe for residents and visitors.
‘Our aim is to make Jinja the number one tourist destination in Africa. That is why we do not treat any case as minor. Whether a case is minor or major, to us it is major,’ he said.