Siraje Ssemanda a lead pastor at Revival Ministries Church, Bombo has been arrested along the Mutukula boarder as he tried to escape to Tanzania for allegedly defrauding hundreds of pastors, 400 private school owners and thousands of parents of vulnerable children.

The suspect has been arrested on Sunday evening by the State House Anti Corruption Unit.

Pastor Ssemanda allegedly connived with Pastor Franklin Mugisha Mondo and Presidential Advisor on Kampala Affairs Catherine Kusasira to swindle over 4 billion from the victims by promising them trips abroad and connecting them to income generating schemes under Operation Wealth Creation. They also promised to take them to President Yoweri Museveni for a meeting.

On Saturday, a group of pastors under their umbrella body- Hands Across the World petitioned Lt Col Edith Nakalema, the State House Anti Corruption Unit Head accusing Kusasira, Mondo and Ssemanda of soliciting from them over Shs4 billion.

The accomplices used the President’s name and First Lady Janet Kataha Museveni to allegedly commit the fraud.

 Singer Catherine Kusasira, Pastor Mondo quizzed

“They collected money from us promising to take us to Israel, pay school fees for our children as well as income-generating schemes under Operation Wealth Creation. Each one of us paid more than Shs100, 000 but since then we have never received anything, ” One of the pastors told Col Nakalema during a meeting.

” One time we had a meeting and Catherine Kusasira told us that she was representing the President. She assured us that whatever we were promised was to be fulfilled,”he added.

On her part, Col Nakalema assured the aggrieved pastors that their issue would be investigated and worked upon accordingly.

Pastor Mondo Mugisha with False Prophet Bushiri

“On behalf of the State House we are very sorry for what happened to you. We are going to work with the responsible authorities to ensure that justice is prevailed,” Nakalema asserted.

However, responding to the allegations, Pastor Mondo said that he has never been a director of Hands Across the World organization and that he is just a victim of Pastor Ssemanda.

” Ladies and Gentlemen I’m. Here to make this clear and to clear the Air, I have never been a Director in Hands Across the world organization,, I’m not a Director I have not signature on any Document of this organization..Just to make this clear I’m a Silent Victim like many,”Mondo said in a Facebook post on Sunday morning.

” Pastor,Silajje Invited me like many of his preaching guest he invited after I became a Victim..He has been inviting many high profile people to his church.I find it funny my name on Media…Turnishing my name.I don’t work for Presidents office..I have never written to any body in the name of the president…it’s all blackmail.”

Pastor throws down Museveni soldiers with contagious prayer

Pastor Siraje Ssemanda aka Bombo says his God is so contagious that he would even throw President Museveni’s elite UPDF soldiers to the ground with a powerful prayer.

He indeed proved the feat on July 13 when atleast four soldiers from the national army came to him for blessings.

The soldiers, donning the army uniform, are seen with arms raised in the air and eyes tightly shut to ensure their prayers reach the heavens.

“The Bible says in 1corithans 4:20. For The Kingdom of God is not in Words But in power,” said Pastor Bombo while praying for the soldiers in front of a reasonable congregation.

“May the Lord l serve silence the lips of your enemies with big miracle in Jesus mighty name?” he added, while struggling to strike a miracle.

Pastor Bombo says the God he serves is a contagious God who actually gifted him with a victory night.

“He has fought and won for me battles against my enemies. Only believe! God will fight for you.

In July 2017, the Revival Church Bombo pastor returned from Israel after confirming 200 believers pilgrimage to the holy land.

He had made his journey earlier on 29th June 2017 to the Israel International Ministries for Christ Church after some of his divine challengers started doubting him.

Revival Church Bombo is one of the newest churches, where many a believer has been spiritually comforted by the pastor through the works of Jesus Christ.

The trips organized under the umbrella ‘Hands Across the World Initiative Uganda’ were supposed to take place in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

According to reports, over 160 followers from different churches paid millions but since then, the trips have not materialized.

According to Apostle Edward Masaba of Tororo who is one of the petitioners, 20 people paid Shs 910,000, 15 people paid Shs 950,000 and 15 paid Shs 1 million each.

In a meeting, the representatives of the pastors and school heads told Col Edith Nakalema, the head of the State House Anti-Corruption unit that the pastors in question have been lining up state agents under the disguise of connecting them to meet President Museveni to woo for him voters in the forthcoming 2021 general election.

The petitioners also mentioned that over 600 pastors have lost billions of shillings under this scheme.

“They told us that we were to meet [Lucy] Nakyobe but she also didn’t show up. We saw Catherine Kusasira. We were 3000 pastors,” Steven Naaya of Host Centre Ministry said.

Priscilla Susan Ijoku of Shalom Nursery and Primary School in Soroti said that she has been a supporter of President Museveni and campaigned for him even without meeting him but she was duped by the two pastors into paying to meet the president.

Nakalema pledged to follow this petition to its end and promised to investigate the matter.

“I want to promise you that the purported pastors will be arrested. We will not fear whether they are guarded by which officers,” Nakalema told the petitioners.

Pastor Sirajje Ssemanda who was arrested by the State House Anti corruption Unit (Courtesy photo)

State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU) on Sunday arrested Sirajje Ssemanda a lead Pastor at Revival Ministries Church, Bombo at Mutukula as he attempted to flee the country after he embezzled over sh4b from vulnerable people.

SHACU in a tweet confirmed the arrest.

"Sirajje Ssemanda a lead pastor at Revival Ministries Church, Bombo has been arrested along the Mutukula boarder as he tried to escape to Tanzania for allegedly defrauding over 400 private school owners and thousands of parents of vulnerable children." 

It was not yet clear where Ssemanda had been detained but sources said he would be transferred back to Kampala+er sh4b has been defrauded by him on promises of getting them scholarships, trips abroad and connecting them to Operation Wealth Creation.

How Pastors Ssemanda, Mondo, Singer Kusasira, Defrauded Pastors  Of Shs. 5bn Using M7, First Lady, Gen Saleh’s Names, Lt. Col. Nakalema Vow To Prosecute Them…

 https://www.thegrapevine.co.ug/how-pastors-ssemanda-mondo-singer-kusasira-defrauded-pastors-of-shs-5bn-using-m7-first-lady-gen-salehs-names-lt-col-nakalema-vow-to-prosecute-them/    

November 16, 2020

Lt. Col. Nakalema with the suspects who include pastor Ssemanda (on handcuffs), Kusasira and Mondo

State House Anti Corruption Unit has kicked off investigations into a massive fraud where city pastors, musicians and politicians fraudulently obtained Shs.5bn from fellow pastors using the names of President Museveni, the First Lady Janet Museveni and Operation Wealth Creation boss Gen. Salim Saleh.

On Friday, a group of religious leaders led by Kasangati based pastor Steven Naaya petitioned Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema’s State house Anti Corruption Unit accusing Bombo Revival Church senior pastor Siraje Ssemanda, showy pastor Franklin Mugisha Mondo, singer and also presidential assistant Catherine Kusasira, city lawyer Jimmy Arinaitwe and Dr. Hillary Musoke commonly known as Kisanja, a presidential assistant, of defrauding them of over Shs5bn.

Pastor Naaya told Nakalema’s detectives that in 2017, he met pastor Ssemanda who convinced him to recruit for him over 1000 people to be members in his organisation ‘Hands Across the World Initiative’ which was going to organise trips for them across the world and get benefits from the president.

According to Naaya, they were going to visit Israel and South Africa and each person was supposed to pay Shs1m for transport and accommodation for each trip.

He said that he managed to get 40 people who paid Shs.500,000, 20 people who paid Shs.910,000 each, 15 paid Shs.950,000 and 15 who paid Shs.1m each.

Pastor Edward Masaba who was elected the president of the initiative told Lt. Col. Nakalema that he also mobilized 1,528 people to accompany them to the trip to South Africa but after paying, the trip never took place.

He added that pastor Ssemanda told them that the purpose of both trips was to create friendship with religious leaders in those countries.

He also revealed that pastor Mondo was the Consultant of the initiative and Arinaitwe, being a lawyer organized all the legal documentation.

Pastor Naaya reported that Ssemanda also told him to mobilize over 4000 pastors across the country who were going to be paid to mobilize support for president Museveni and the NRM party in the 2021 General elections.

Naaya said that he mobilized the pastors and promised them that before they start working, they were going to first meet the president.

“When people put me under pressure on when they are meeting the president, Ssemanda told me that the president had assigned Lucy Nakyobe, the State House Comptroller to meet them with other state house officials because he was very busy. We convened at his church in Bombo town in the wee hours and Catherine Kusasira came heavily guarded by armed men who told us that she has been sent by the president to meet us.

She told us that the president knows all our problems and he is going to solve them very fast,” Naaya narrated.

He added that after the meeting, Ssemanda kept promising to take them to the president, one time he even told them that he managed to secure 100 scholarships for them from the first lady Janet Museveni and the beneficiaries were supposed to pay over Shs. 50,000.

Naaya said that when he kept pressurizing Ssemanda, he took him to Okello house and introduced him to a one Robert Rwakandali who introduced himself as an assistant to the president, he was guarded by an SFC officer identified as Magola.

Rwakandali warned Naaya to stop frequenting their offices and accusing their officers of fraud.

He was later promised to be taken to Gen. Salim Saleh to benefit from Operations Wealth Creation.

A few days later, he received a phone call from Ssemanda instructing him to mobilize his colleagues for a meeting with Gen. Salim Saleh.

Unfortunately, they were introduced to Lt. Gen. Charles Angina who promise to give them cows and seedlings which they never received.

He said that when he reported the matter to CID police headquarters in Kibuli, Ssemanda was summoned to record a statement but he was surprised to receive a call from CID detective using Ssemanda’s phone number that he had recorded a statement.

He explained that a few days later, Musoke, Ssemakula and Rwakandali summoned him to Okello house and showed him a brand new motor vehicle which they claimed was from president Museveni to him.

He was however told to first give them Shs. 13m so that they sort out some issues at Uganda Revenue Authority which he paid.

Surprisingly, he never saw the car again.

When COVID-19 pandemic brokeout, he received a phone call from Ssemanda telling him that very soon his car was going to be delivered to him because the president had given him another assignment.

Naaya told Lt. Col. Nakalema that since then, he has been receiving threatening messages from the suspects warning him to stop following them.

SSEMANDA ARRESTED ON TANZANIA BOARD RUNNING OUT OF THE COUNTRY: On Friday evening, detectives from the State house Anti Corruption Unit, arrested Ssemanda while trying to escape out of the country via Mutukula border.

PASTOR MONDO SPEAKS OUT: When contacted, pastor Monda admitted that he was recruited by Ssemanda to his organisation as a consultant and they worked together for a certain period of time.

He however said that upon detecting that Semanda was a fraudster, he resigned and left.

He told us that he was summoned by police and he is going to record a statement on Tuesday this week.

Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema akulira akakiiko akaatekebwawo Pulezidenti Museveni okulwanyisa obuli bw'enguzi olumaze okukwata Omusumba Siraje Ssemanda owa Revival Church e Bombo ku bigambibwa nti yafera abasumba ne bannannyini masomero ssente ezisoba mu buwumbi 4, atandikiddewo okukwata n'abantu abalala abagambibwa okuba nti babadde bakola naye bayambeko mu kunoonyereza okugenda mu maaso mu nsonga zino. 

Abaakwatiddwa kuliko: omuyimbi Nabbi Omukazi ne muganda we Benah Namisinga ng'ono kigambibwa mukyala wa Pasita Siraje. Ku Mmande Siraje baabadde bamukunya mu kkooti ya Buganda Road, ng'eno abaserikale bakunguzza Nabbi omukazi ne Namisinga okubatwala e Kawaala mu Kawaala Zooni 2 okwaza amaka Namisinga ne Siraje mwe basula era ng'eno embeera ebadde ya bunkenke.

Awaka abasirikale bafuuzizza kisenge ku kisenga nga bwe baggyamu ebyo bye balowooza nti biyinza okubayamba mu kunoonyereza kwe baliko era oluvannyuma bano poliisi yazzeeyo nabo.

Bbo abasumba ne bannanyini masomero abagambibwa okuferebwa bakaabidde amaziga mu maaso ga Lt. Col. Edith Nakalema ne Minisita J.C  Muyingo nga batottola engeri gye babbibwamu ssente eziri mu buwumbi 4 nga babasuubizza ssente okuva ewa Pulezidenti Museveni okweggya mu bwavu , okuweerera abaana, okuyamba abakyala abasuulibwawo abaami baabwe, okuddukirira abantu abalina akawuka ka mukenenya ssaako okuyamaba abaana abataliiko mwasiriizi.

Ngayita mu kibiina ekya Hands Across the World Initiative Uganda, Siraje ng'ayambibwako omusumba Mondo Frankline Mugisha, Fred Katugume omuwandiisi ne Jimmy Arinaitwe agambibwa okuba munnamateeka w'ekibiina baatandika okutuukirira abasumba ab'enjawulo ne babayitiramu mu nteekateeka y'ekibiina kino.

Apostle Edward Masaba eyakwasibwa okukulira okukunga abasumba okwenyigira mu kibiina kino yalojjedde abakulu ennaku gye baayitamu okuva lwe beegatta ku kibiina kino ekyabaviirako okufiirizibwa ssente ne batuuka n'okubayita ababbi. Masaba agamba nti mu July 2017, bwe yali ku mirimu gye egyokubuulira enjiri yasisinkana omusumba Siraje eyamutegeeza ku nsonga z'ekibiina kino.

Ono agamba nti Siraje yamulagira okuwandiisa abasumba ku ssente eziri wakati 500,000/- ne 1,000,000/- nga babasuubizza okubayamba okuddaabiriza kkanisa zaabwe ssaako okubawa ssente okwejja mu bwavu. Nga bamaze okwewandiisa, Siraje yabasuubiza okubatwa okulambula mu nsi ya Yisirayiri era n'abasuubiza n'olugenda e South Africa ng'eno baali balinayo olusirika.