By Our Reporters
Until very recently when a group of MPs and Ministers came up saying enough was enough, a mafia squad coordinated by MTN manager Nasser Kigenyi has been on rampage using technology and electronic devices to con Ugandans of their hard-earned money. Kigenyi is the MTN manager in charge of the whole of oil-rich Bunyoro sub region where fraudsters (closely working with insiders at MTN headquarters) have been menacing the population for years. Closely working with MTN Mubende area sales supervisor Henry Magembe, Kigenyi’s squad members have for years been criminally duplicating and swapping sim cards of economically well off Ugandans mostly MPs and Ministers.
Western region youth MP Mpaka Mwine, a public spirited legislator who has since taken MTN to court, confirmed to Mulengera news website that Kigenyi indeed is the man who swapped his sim card resulting into loss of colossal sums of money. Gratefully, these MTN guys have had their luck run out resulting into their remand in Luzira having been apprehended recently by security forces that appear to be on a general overhaul and clean up of the Ugandan society that has lately been crime-infested. Some of the Ministers and MPs whose sim cards have been cloned by the two deeply entrenched MTN fraudsters include (but not limited to) Mpaka Mwine Rwamirama, Parsis Namuganza (Lands Minister/MP Bukono County), Agriculture Minister Christopher Kibazanga (Bughendera County), Kazo MP Gordon Bafaki, Kasilo County MP Elijah Okupa, eastern youth region MP Ishma Mafabi, Namayingo MP Hope Mukisa, and Kyaka County MP Jackson Kafuzi. There are many more politicians still reluctant to come out fearing to be scorned for their perceived naivety. The MTN fraudsters are expected back at Buganda Road Court on Monday 12th March at 10am.
Using their positions in MTN, of course working with others in higher echelons at the company headquarters, the duo and their henchmen would cause their prime target’s sim card/MTN line to be abruptly blocked/de-activated. As the lawful owner struggles to fix the problem, the fraudsters would be operating another sim card with exactly the same number. That fictitious number would be used to reach contacts close to the victim to fundraise money-in some cases as much as Shs200m. As soon as the fundraising is accomplished, the fraudsters’ godfathers in MTN headquarters would ensure the victim’s genuine line or sim card is immediately re-activated. This is how many of our ever very busy VIPs became victims and in his case, Mwine, as stated in his court papers was on a working trip to Kuala Lumpur/Malaysia when the MTN mischief was occasioned on him. He could only communicate (with maximum restrictions) via whatsapp as his sim card had clearly been de-activated for voice calls, internet and sms system modes of communication. The fraudsters used the backup system to access all the contacts and freely communicated to the targeted victims, asking for money, as if it was Mpaka himself communicating.
This criminal mischief occasioned by people in authority positions at MTN has politically cost many NRM politicians (including some who are quiet fearing to appear naïve in case they speak out) as good Samaritans who sent in money thinking it was Honorable or Minister so & so seeking financial rescue, have failed to get them pay back. The politicians have rightly been insisting that they have never made the said phone calls asking for money but could rarely be believed. In some cases in order to save face and avoid losing political capital to their adversaries back home in the Constituencies, some of the MPs and Ministers have had to pay back the money they actually never borrowed. “I accepted to repay because I didn’t want to escalate things as that may politically cost one’s seat at the next election. The newspapers will rush to write and by the time you fight back, you are already damaged and your opponent will keep such newspaper cuttings and unleash it at campaign time. This is why in my case I said ‘okay let me pay’ after all it was just Shs5m even when I knew I never borrowed that money,” said one MP victim. The MP says the fraudsters were so sophisticated; sometimes they would call the very people from whom the victim (MP or Minister) regularly borrows. “That way it will appear like maybe you borrowed and had forgotten about that particular transaction.” Contrary to what many may think, this isn’t the first time the well shielded and rarely scrutinized giant telecom from South Africa is getting involved into such scandalous situations. Watch out for our upcoming story profiling the real other scandals MTN bosses don’t want you to know. We shall also reflect on some of the public figures who have always very contemptuous of this giant telecom and shunned its services even during peace time.
