Uganda Police have recently confirmed the arrest of four suspects accused of impersonating Natasha Museveni Karugire, the First Daughter, in a sophisticated social media and telecom fraud scheme.
The arrests followed a public alert issued by Natasha herself in late January 2026, warning the public about fake accounts using her name and image to solicit money.
On February 9, 2026, Police Spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma announced that the suspects were apprehended over the weekend in Iganga. The four individuals identified are:
Ashraf Isabirye
Rahman Mulondo
Zubair Kakaire
Sharif Egesa
The group allegedly operated fake accounts on platforms like TikTok and WhatsApp. Their tactics included:
Financial Assistance Traps: They targeted vulnerable individuals by promising financial aid or government grants in Natasha’s name.
Registration Fees: Victims were asked to pay “processing” or “registration” fees to access the promised funds.
Recovered Evidence: During the raid, police recovered multiple mobile phones and a large cache of SIM cards believed to have been used to coordinate the scam and receive mobile money payments.
Authorities used this case to highlight a sharp rise in “celebrity impersonation” fraud. ACP Kituuma questioned why citizens continue to seek official services—like visas or state-level financial aid—through social media individuals rather than official institutional channels.
The suspects are currently being processed and are expected to be charged with Cyber Fraud and Impersonation under the Computer Misuse Act.
