A shocking police forensic report has revealed that Ugandan lawyers led by Samuel Ocitti fraudulently used signatures to illegally acquire land belonging to a U.S.-based Ugandan woman Immaculate K Mutumba.
The explosive findings point to a deliberate scheme involving forged documents, misuse of fiduciary trust, and fraudulent company resolutions.
According to the report issued by the Directorate of Forensic Services and signed by Chelangat Sylvia, the Acting Deputy Director of Forensics, a handwriting analysis confirmed that questioned signatures attributed to Immaculate Nakawooya Mutumba were not authored by her. The report, referenced LLK/KI/GEN/2024 and dated September 24, 2024, provides scientific evidence that multiple signatures on land sale agreements and company board resolutions were forged, possibly with the help of artificial intelligence tools.
The forensic examination compared signatures on several documents including a land sale agreement and company resolutions of Organic Empire (U) Ltd. with verified specimens provided by Mutumba. The examiners found significant discrepancies in stroke formation, letter size, slant, and style, concluding that the questioned signatures were likely fabricated.
In a sworn statutory declaration, Ms. Mutumba, a Ugandan national currently residing in Indianapolis, USA, stated that she had entrusted her Ugandan lawyers Ocitti Samuel and Abdul Swabur Marzug of Lwere, Lwanyaga & Co. Advocates with managing her land in Lubowa Estate, measuring approximately 0.28 hectares. The land was intended to be held in trust for her two children.
According to Ms. Mutumba, her lawyers convinced her to sign what she believed were management-related documents to help them collect rent from difficult tenants. Unbeknownst to her, the documents were later used to falsely transfer ownership of the land to lawyer Abdul Swabur Marzug.
“They told me to record videos and write emails saying management had changed,” she stated. “I trusted them because they had even borrowed money from me before. I had no idea they were using my trust to steal my land.”
Records show that Marzug transferred the property into his name on June 2, 2022, under Instrument Number WKY-00307364. Additional payments were allegedly made to another law firm Nalukoola, Kakeeto Advocates in a suspicious transaction that Mutumba claims was never authorized.
Mutumba has since reported the matter to the Law Council and filed a formal complaint against her former lawyers for professional misconduct. She has also lodged a caveat on the land to prevent further illegal transfers.
Legal experts have raised serious concerns about the growing misuse of document forgery and the apparent failure of regulatory oversight in the legal profession.
“This case highlights a disturbing trend where digital tools are being exploited for sophisticated white-collar crimes,” said a Kampala-based legal analyst. “It also underscores the need for better protections for diaspora property owners.”
The Uganda Law Society has yet to comment on the unfolding scandal.
As investigations continue, this case could become a landmark example of abuse in legal documentation and a wake-up call for stricter legal safeguards in land transactions.
Our efforts to speak to the lawyers implicated were futile by press time.