Pastor Sirajje Ssemanda arrested and charged over sh4b theft, remanded in Kitalya Prison.
BY Our Team
Pastor Sirajje Ssemanda of Bombo Revival Ministries was on Monday charged before Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Court with theft and obtaining money by false pretense after he reportedly collected over sh5b for registration for various programs and over sh40b from private schools incurred when he recruited thousands of children promising to pay their fees.
Ssemanda was arrested on Saturday night at Mutukula border point as he attempted to flee the country. He was then brought to Kampala and charged on Monday.
Ssemanda was a lead pastor at Revival Ministries Church, Bombo and by the time he was arrested, he had reportedly defrauded over 400 private school owners and thousands of parents of vulnerable children on promises of getting them scholarships, trips abroad and connecting them to Operation Wealth Creation.
Attempted flight and subsequent capture:
State House Anti-Corruption Unit head Lt Col Edith Nakalema, said their detectives arrested the pastor before he crossed the border to Tanzania on Sunday.
“We will work jointly with Criminal Investigations Directorate to expedite the investigations. He is a thief, whoever is associated with him is risking. Why I am judging like that before investigations is that there is proof of him taking people’s money without giving them anything,” Nakalema said.
Investigators noted that Ssemanda worked with some city lawyers and other pastors including Pastor Mondo Mugisha and mobilised pastors and Christians to form an organisation, Hands Across the World Initiative Uganda. It is through this organisation they paid the money and were fleeced.
Investigations are still ongoing and will continue to be reported.