By Ivan Mwine
Controversial Kampala pastor Mondo Mugisha, who fled the country early this year to evade arrest over Shs5Bn fraud has finally been smoked out in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, where he has been hiding for months.
Mondo fled Uganda in January via South Africa after musician Catherine Kusasira, pastor Siraje Ssemanda and his other accomplices, among them singer Maggie Kayima aka Nabbi Omukazi, had been arrested by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, which is led by Col. Edith Nakalema.
The trio was arrested over allegations that they had conned over Shs5Bn from unsuspecting believers at various churches around the country after they promised to secure them scholarships abroad and school fees bursaries at several schools.
However, although his accomplices, especially Nabbi Omukazi and Ssemanda were arrested and later remanded to prison, Mondo managed to evade arrest and later fled the country.
Earlier on he had been said to be hiding in South Africa but latest information indicates that he is currently in Georgia, where he is seeking asylum.
However, Moles who have spotted him lately reveal that Mondo is living large and perhaps chopping some of the dime that he is alleged to have fleeced with poor Ugandans together with his Kusasira (was later released on bail), Nabbi Omukazi and Ssemanda.
However, it is not yet clear whether the government of Uganda shall work with that of the USA such that Mondo can be arrested and deported back to Uganda such that he can face the charges he is hiding from.
According to sources privy to the matter, the suspects committed the said crimes between 2018 and 2020, whereby they went to different churches collecting money from pastors and unsuspecting believers, promising to arrange meetings between them and President Yoweri Museveni.
They also lied to their victims that they would secure them jobs abroad and scholarships to study at prestigious educational institutions in Europe, America and South Africa, which they never did.
After the police receiving several complaints about pastor Ssemanda they arrested him last year as he tried to flee the country via Tanzania.
Following his arrest, Ssemanda confessed before his interrogators that he had been working with Mondo, Kusasira and others still at large.
On hearing that Kusasira, Nabbi Omukazi and Ssemanda had been arrested and that an arrest warrant had been sanctioned for him, Mondo quickly hatched a plan to escape from Uganda, which he executed meticulously, without being detected by immigration officials at Uganda’s borders.
