Police warns of notorious fraudster conning school fees money from parents

By Siem van Eck

Police has warned Ugandans to be wary of fraudsters who con parents of their hard earned money with promises of enrolling their children in non-existent schools.

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga issued the warning on Tuesday following the activities of a notorious fraudster identified as Sabil Sarai.

He said that police had information Sarai had managed to defraud at least 40 parents of money by promising to enroll their children in a non-existent school.

Enanga said that Sarai, who was out on bail, charged over 40 parents at least shillings 20,000 per child to register them in his non existent schools in Bombo. He claimed he could secure scholarships for the children in primary and secondary army schools in Bombo for this fee.

Enanga said that Sarai had targeted parents in West Nile with many of his victims hailing from Arua, Maracha and Nebbi districts.

He said this was not Sarai’s first brush with the law as he had been arrested in 2021 for defrauding victims through a “fake” NGO called Machora youth centre. The NGO would purport to lend money to persons looking for capital to start a business.

On this occasion, Enanga said that the suspect together with his wife identified as Geria Salma allegedly mobilised over 300 children whose parents they charged shillings 230,000 for primary and shillings 315,000 for secondary students for scholarships at another non existent school called Al- Gamal in Kiwenda Zirobwe road.

After obtaining about 70 million shillings, they vanished in Nebbi district but Sabil was tracked down, arrested and arraigned before courts of law.

Unfortunately he managed to secure bail which he also jumped and continued with his crime spree.

He was recently arrested while committing the same offences and this time, the police spox said that they are going to ensure the magistrate knows how notorious the suspect is and save the public.