A Kampala businessman was on Tuesday charged in Buganda Road Magistrates Court for allegedly defrauding Sasha Barbra Rukundo, the wife of Pastor Isaac Kiwewesi of Kansanga Miracle Center, of over 7.4 million shillings.
The accused, 39-year-old Kalega Billy Solomon, is alleged to have promised to delete slanderous information about her from Google but failed to fulfill his promise.
Prosecution records indicate that on two occasions May 19 and May 25, 2022 at Nkurumah Road in Kampala Central Division, Kalega solicited funds from Rukundo under the pretense of providing a service to clean up her online presence.
According to the lead prosecutor, Ivan Kyazze, Kalega allegedly presented himself as someone capable of manipulating the Google search engine to remove potentially damaging information linked to her.
Kalega, a resident of Kitebi, Bunamwaya in Kampala’s Makindye Division, appeared in court before Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi.
He denied the charge of obtaining money by false pretenses, an offense that carries significant penalties under Ugandan law if proven.
The accused has since been remanded to Luzira Prison, with further proceedings scheduled for tomorrow, October 30, when his bail application will be considered.
Magistrate Kayizzi noted the severity of the charge and the need to carefully examine the evidence before deciding on bail.
The prosecution is expected to present evidence to substantiate claims that Kalega misled Rukundo into believing he had the power to remove negative information from search results a task that is both legally and technically challenging, even for authorized professionals.Should the court find Kalega guilty, he could face substantial penalties, as Ugandan law takes a firm stance against schemes that exploit individuals financially through deceit. Bycapitalfm