Unveiling the legal proceedings of Ritah Namalwa: A tale of alleged deception and fraud

In a significant turn of events, the Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court has ordered the remand of 33-year-old Ritah Namalwa to Luzira Prison until October 21, following accusations of forgery, impersonation, and the misappropriation of Shs700 million from a pastor.

During a recent court session under the jurisdiction of Magistrate Andrew Katurubuki, Namalwa, a resident of Nsasa Bulindo in Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, was formally arraigned and charged with the alleged offenses.

Per court records, spanning from 2020 to 2024, Ritah Namalwa, in collusion with unidentified partners who remain at large, purportedly siphoned $86,000 (about 315 million shillings) and Shs374 million from Dunamis Media and Prayer Palace Ministry situated in Nakawa Division, Kampala.

The pastor’s report

Bishop Grivas Musisi Kiwanuka, the prominent figure behind Prayer Palace Ministries and director of Dunamis Broadcasting Services, which oversees Dunamis Radio, lodged the complaint. Details from court filings indicate that Kiwanuka sought a television broadcast license on April 3, 2024, adhering to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) Act.

Namalwa, alongside her husband Daniel Jed Kabanda, currently at large, stands accused of masquerading as UCC personnel. The couple purportedly duped the bishop into releasing Shs700 million under false pretenses of securing two television station licenses.

Further charges against Namalwa include misrepresenting herself as an engineer and the personal aide to the UCC executive director. Moreover, she faces accusations of utilizing counterfeit documents, such as fabricated UCC tax invoices, receipts, and business cards, all falsely portraying her as an engineer and aide to the UCC executive director

Despite maintaining her innocence on all counts, Namalwa found the state attorney conspicuously absent from the court proceedings, leaving a void in the updates regarding the ongoing investigation.