By Mulengera Reporters
On Thursday, an elderly mother broke down wailing inside the Makindye-based Standards & Utilities Court as Her Worship Adong Molly Alice sentenced her son after he pleaded guilty to charges relating to fraudulent simcard registration.
As an employee of Old Green City Holdings Ltd, an Airtel agent based in Tororo, Patrick Wandera alias Sandra duped a one Joseph Oburu and had a simcard (0747252142) registered in his name without his authority and knowledge.
After providing all his personal details, Oburu was told that his simcard registration hadn’t been successful as what was supposed to be his line had refused/failed to activate. Yet in his absence, Wanyera proceeded to process and produce the simcard registered in his names.
This crime happened on 16th January 2025 at Paita Trading Center in Tororo district. In total breach of the relevant provisions of regulation 28 of the Interception of Communications Regulations 2024, the illegally registered simcard went on to be used to facilitate and enable fraudulent activities and transactions.
For instance, on 13th September 2025, a one Sandra Ayebazibwe became a victim when someone holding himself out to be genuine lured her into sending Shs400,000 on that same simcard ostensibly as facilitation for the processing of a scholarship offer to go and study abroad. A friend of hers Arnold told Ayebazibwe about the opportunity only to end up being defrauded.
Investigations commenced and upon being apprehended, innocent Joseph Oburu explained that he attempted to register the simcard but gave up when Wanyera told him the activation of the intended simcard had been unsuccessful. That is how Wanyera, who has been remanded in Luzira since 16th April this year, got to be arrested and put on trial.
Upon realizing that the UCC prosecutors had strong evidence implicating him, Wanyera through his next of kin recently reached out proposing to plead guilty.
This exactly is what happened and during the Thursday court session at Makindye, UCC prosecutors Kevin Bakulumpagi and Nasim Kagawa took court through the contents of the plea bargaining agreement, which gratefully the trial Magistrate accepted and endorsed under the proposed terms.
In the end, Wanyera, who was accompanied by his very tearful mum who kept wailing inside the court room, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment or the alternative of paying Shs500,000.
Unable to believe that her son, who had been remanded at Luzira since 16th April was finally walking to freedom, the mother broke down sobbing even more loudly the moment the Magistrate directed court staff to show her how and where to pay the money from.
Gratefully, she had moved with the money and was ready to pay the moment court accepted and endorsed the terms of the plea-bargain agreement. She paid up the money and eventually walked away with her beloved son who equally couldn’t hide his joy and excitement.
The UCC lawyers asserted that Wanyera deserved sanctioning because the crime he committed was lately rampant and has potential to facilitate many other crimes.
The prosecutors also told court that illegal simcard registration discredits government as the regulator of telecom services in Uganda, besides creating reputation problems for the telecom companies, which continue to suffer irreparable damage because of fraudulent actions of agents like Patrick Wanyera.
The Magistrate considered the fine of Shs500,000 to be adequate and reasonable because Mr. Wanyera was a first time offender and remorseful of his actions. He is also the sole breadwinner for his young family which comprises of his wife and two twins aged 5 years. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
