Parents conned UGX 1Bn in school fees scam

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Criminal Investigations Directorate-CID has arrested a woman suspected to be the ringleader of fraudsters who reportedly defrauded parents more than one Billion Shillings in a school fees scam.

Charles Twine, the CID spokesperson identified the suspect as Edith Nasoozi, a teacher and a resident of Nakawuka village, Kasanje in Wakiso district. She was arrested following several complaints of fraud from Kampala, Wakiso, and Eastern districts of Iganga and Mayuge.

Preliminary investigations indicate that Nasoozi, together with others still at large, was operating a savings organization, Waivico Alliance for Africa. They allegedly mobilized several parents to save school fees for their children with a promise of a top-up of 50 percent.

The group reportedly mobilized parents to save last year in August, however, in January at the resumption of schools, Nasoozi’s phone was switched off and her whereabouts remained unknown until she was arrested on Monday.

“They mobilized several parents to save with them. The convinced and excited parents started depositing money on the account of Waivico Alliance of Africa, thereby falling prey to the unscrupulous fraudsters,” Twine said.

He said Nasoozi and her colleagues switched off their phones and disappeared when parents started asking for the refunds and top-ups promised to them.

“The victims reported to the police, we found out that they were other several cases that were registered in different police stations over same suspects in Eastern and Central regions of the country, the case file was transferred to CID headquarters and the hunt for the suspects has been ongoing until the arrest, as we look for the remaining others. Twine noted.”

According to Twine, at the time of her arrest, the group had cheated parents more than One Billion Shillings.

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