A 24-year-old man, Kenneth Niwamanya, is facing charges of forging the signature of Education and Sports Minister Janet Museveni. Prosecutors allege Niwamanya created counterfeit letters bearing the minister’s signature to appoint her as the patron of his organization, UMOJA Youth Initiative Development Uganda, and used them to solicit funding for an event at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
The accused, who denies the charges, was arrested on August 22, 2024, at the Ministry of Education offices in Kampala with the alleged forged documents. Despite his plea for bail, the court remanded him due to a lack of suitable sureties.
On Wednesday, Lillian Kyobutungi, the minister’s personal secretary of seven years, testified before Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi at Buganda Road Court. She described her responsibilities, including processing documents addressed to the minister and handling official correspondence.
Kyobutungi recounted her first encounter with Niwamanya on October 31, 2023, when he submitted a letter requesting that his book, The Hidden Agenda to NRM, be forwarded to the president. She complied with his request, and the book was delivered to the Office of the President.
Months later, on May 30, 2024, Niwamanya submitted another letter seeking the minister’s endorsement as patron of his organization. Subsequently, on July 5, he delivered two letters—one inviting the minister and another inviting the president to a youth conference slated for October 25 at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
On August 5, Niwamanya returned to follow up on his requests and was told to await a response. However, the office later received a warning from a colleague, Grace, from the Uganda Women’s Efforts to Save Orphans (UWESO), regarding a forged letter purportedly linked to the minister’s office. The forgery came to light when Niwamanya revisited the office on August 22.
“I questioned him about the letter and its origin,” Kyobutungi told the court. “He admitted using a scanned signature, though I couldn’t determine its source. At that point, I handed him over to security personnel for further investigation.”
Kyobutungi highlighted irregularities in the letter, such as it being addressed generically “To Whom It May Concern,” a format not associated with the minister’s office. Furthermore, the signature was incomplete and did not match the authentic one.
Under cross-examination, Kyobutungi admitted that there was no record of the letter being officially delivered to their office either electronically or physically.
The hearing has been adjourned until January 3, 2025, to allow the prosecution to present additional witnesses. Niwamanya remains in custody, where he has been held for over a year.
