Hawa Mbabazi, a 29-year-old Rwandan woman, has been detained at Luzira Prison in Uganda on allegations of theft. She is accused of stealing UGX 77.2 million (approximately RWF 25 million) from the Uganda Central Cooperative Financial Services (UCCFS). Mbabazi appeared before the Buganda court, where she denied five counts of theft. The case is being presided over by Judge Winnie Nankya Jatiko.
According to reports from Ugandan media, Mbabazi was working at the UCCFS branch located on Nkrumah Road in Kampala, where she was responsible for receiving and disbursing funds to members. The alleged thefts include UGX 18 million from John Ssenfuma, UGX 980,000 from Jonathan Turyamureeba, UGX 700,000 from Annet Natono, and UGX 550,000 from Sarah Atwine. Additionally, she is accused of stealing UGX 57.015 million from the UCCFS Community Cooperative Savings fund.
The UCCFS Managing Director, Brian Twesigye, testified in court that Mbabazi started working at the cooperative in April 2018. Her duties included collecting savings from members and disbursing funds to those who requested them. Twesigye explained that the cooperative had a daily monitoring system to ensure that the cash in the till matched the transactions made. The branch manager, Shaina Nayebale, was responsible for overseeing Mbabazi's work.
Nayebale told the court that prior to the discovery of the theft, there were no reports of any discrepancies in the branch. The issue came to light on April 28, 2026, when Mbabazi met with the cooperative's auditor, Jennifer Kyompire. According to Twesigye, Mbabazi admitted to Kyompire that she had withdrawn funds from members' accounts without authorization and had not deposited the funds into their accounts.
The initial amount reported to have been stolen was UGX 46.3 million. The cooperative's management requested Mbabazi to provide a written explanation, including the names of the affected members and the amounts withdrawn from their accounts. After investigating the accounts with Mbabazi's assistance, the management discovered that the funds were missing. When questioned about the use of the funds, Mbabazi reportedly stated that she used them to cover a shortfall in her previous transactions.
The UCCFS management reported the incident to the police after the internal investigation. Mbabazi denied all charges brought against her. Her lawyer requested a short adjournment to prepare a bail application. However, due to the absence of the prosecution representative, the court ordered that she remain in custody until November 12, 2026, when the case will be heard again.
Key points
- A Rwandan woman, Hawa Mbabazi, has been arrested in Uganda for allegedly stealing over UGX 77.2 million from the Uganda Central Cooperative Financial Services.
- Mbabazi denied all charges and her lawyer requested a short adjournment to prepare a bail application.
- The court ordered that she remain in custody until November 12, 2026, when the case will be heard again.
