Kenneth Niwamanya in the dock

First Lady's personal secretary pins man in forgery case

by · The Observer

Lillian Kyobutungi, the personal secretary to the minister of Education and Sports Janet Museveni has testified in a case in which a 24-year-old man is accused of forging her signature.  

The court was informed that Kenneth Niwamanya allegedly forged letters bearing the scanned signature of Ms Museveni in an attempt to appoint her as the patron of his organization, UMOJA Youth Initiative Development Uganda.

Niwamanya is accused of using the forged letters to solicit funds from various offices for a function at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds. Despite denying the charges, Niwamanya was unable to secure bail due to a lack of sureties. His troubles began on August 22, 2024, when he was arrested at the ministry of Education offices in Kampala with forged documents. 

Kyobutungi told Buganda Road court presided over by chief magistrate Ronald Kayizzi on Wednesday that she has been working as a personal secretary for Ms Museveni for seven years. The court heard that Kyobutungi’s duties involve receiving mail for the minister and handling documents daily, which are later delivered to the minister for further action.

Kyobutungi told the court that she initially met Niwamanya on October 31, 2023, when he visited their office with a letter addressed to the minister of Education and Sports. In the letter, Niwamanya requested the minister to forward his book, titled "The Hidden Agenda to NRM," to the president.  

Kyobutungi said, she received the book, which was subsequently forwarded to the president's office. She testified that later, on May 30, 2024, Niwamanya brought a letter requesting the minister's patronage for his organization, UMOJA Youth Development Initiative Uganda. 

“Furthermore, on July 5, Niwamanya submitted two letters to our office: one addressed to the president and the other to the minister, inviting them to officiate at the NRM Treachery and Youth conference scheduled for October 25 at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds," said Kyobutungi.  

According to Kyobutungi, Niwamanya returned to the minister's office on August 5 to follow up on his previous requests and was instructed to wait for further communication, which would be provided once a response was received. She noted that their office received a notification from one of their colleagues, Grace from UWESO regarding the said forged letter and upon receiving the information, they decided to wait for Niwamanya to return. 

The court heard that on August 22, when Niwamanya came back to their office to follow up on the letter that requested the minister's patronage, she asked him about the letter, to which he was surprised and admitted knowing about it.

"I questioned Niwamanya about the origin of the minister's signature on the letter. He claimed to have used a scanned signature, which I failed to know its source, and after admitting to the crime, it was now out of my hands, and I handed him over to the security team to handle," Kyobutungi testified.  

The court heard that upon examining the printed letter, several discrepancies became apparent. Firstly, the letter was addressed "To Whom It May Concern," which is not a typical format used by the first lady. Additionally, it was discovered that she had not accepted the patronage, and the signature appeared incomplete, lacking certain features present in her authentic signature.

However, during cross-examination, regarding whether she had evidence that the letter was served electronically or physically to their office, Kyobutungi said that the letter wasn't served. Justice Kayizzi, adjourned the case to January 3, 2025, for further hearing of the prosecution witnesses and accordingly remanded Niwamanya who has been in prison for over a year until then.  

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