Two lawyers remanded over Shs 900m land lease fraud

Two Ugandan lawyers have been remanded over their alleged involvement in a Shs 917 million land fraud case used in a fake investment scheme.

It is alleged that Bob Mwanjuzi and Lawrence Kalamu conspired with two Ethiopian nationals, Tigist Ayalew Melkamu and Sisay Bekure Melkamu, in the well-orchestrated scam to forge a lease agreement allegedly used to fraudulently extract money from a private investor under the guise of a legitimate land transaction.

Mwanjuzi and Kalamu appeared before Buganda Road court chief magistrate Ronald Kayizzi on Wednesday, where they were charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, forgery, uttering false documents, and obtaining money by false pretences.

Prosecutors from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), led by chief state attorney Jonathan Muwaganya and Joan Keko, informed the court that Ayalew Melkamu and Sisay Bekure Melkamu had failed to appear in court.

The prosecution requested that arrest warrants be issued to compel their appearance in the next court session. The state also requested that Mwanjuzi and Kalamu be remanded as investigations continue as more efforts are made to trace the missing suspects.

Mwanjuzi and Kalamu’s defence lawyers told the court that they intended to apply for bail but needed more time to complete and upload the required documents onto the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS).

The prosecution reiterated its request for arrest warrants against the Ethiopian suspects, citing their foreign nationality and continued absence from proceedings. Chief magistrate Kayizzi granted the request, issuing the warrants and scheduling the case to return on August 13, 2025, for a bail hearing.

Mwanjuzi and Kalamu were accordingly remanded until that date. According to the charge sheet, the accused allegedly forged a lease agreement dated April 20, 2023, between two companies, SEMA Holding Limited and Ephrata Investments Group Limited. The forged document was used to deceive investor Kalpana Abe, who paid Shs 917 million between January and August 2023, believing the funds were for a legitimate 10-year land lease.

Additional allegations indicate that Tigist has been conducting business in Uganda illegally. Between 2021 and May 2025, she reportedly operated as a director of Ephrata Investments and ran two Kampala nightclubs, Hide Out Lounge and Circuit Lounge, without a valid work permit.

The complainant, who had returned to Uganda with a colleague after living abroad, reportedly aimed to invest in youth-focused initiatives. However, their efforts were derailed after discovering the land deal was fraudulent, leading to legal action against those implicated.