Kampala, Uganda – Renowned Ugandan lawyer Twebaze Drake has been remanded to Luzira Prison on charges of obtaining money by false pretenses, conspiracy to defraud, and forgery.
The charges stem from a complex scam involving forged government procurement documents that targeted a US-based firm, KG Unlimited LLC.
According to the charges, Twebaze and his accomplices allegedly obtained $553,500 from Talib Antonio McDowell, a representative of KG Unlimited LLC, by falsely claiming that the money was necessary for a statutory compliance fee.
The alleged scam involved a non-existent single-source bidding process for supplying a water plant to the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries, and Fisheries.
Investigators revealed that the alleged bidding process never existed, and Twebaze, a partner at Nzige, Jamero & Co. Advocates (also known as Wilberforce Kabatsi), is implicated in the scam.
The court heard that Twebaze and his co-conspirators forged official documents, including a letter purportedly authored by the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA), to legitimize their claims and gain the victim’s trust.
Twebaze was formally charged alongside four others: David Balondemu, Chairperson of the Kampala District Land Board; Joseph Ibona, an unlicensed accountant at Bloom Advocates; Geoffrey Mkwe alias Ivan Muhiire, a lawyer at the same firm; and Martin Kasenge, alias Dr. Alfred Musinguzi, a businessman.
The case, which is a joint operation between the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), and the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), highlights the government’s efforts to crack down on corruption and white-collar crime.
Twebaze has been remanded to Luzira Prison until June 13, 2025, for a court mention, pending further proceedings in the case involving allegations of obtaining money by false pretenses, conspiracy to defraud, and forgery.