A serving Special Forces Command SFC Captain has been remanded to Luzira Prison over allegations of obtaining money by false pretence after reportedly taking Sh200,000 from a woman to process an express National Identity Card. The Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court on Tuesday remanded Yonasan Tibenderana, 35, until September 23, 2026, when he is expected to return for mention of the case and possible hearing of his bail application.
Tibenderana, who is also described as a businessman in the charge sheet, is accused of obtaining money by false pretence, contrary to Section 285 of the Penal Code Act. The prosecution alleges that on September 1, 2025, at the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) offices in Kololo, Kampala, Tibenderana obtained Sh200,000 from Juliet Apio after representing to her that he would process an express National Identity Card for her.
The prosecution alleges that Tibenderana made the representation knowing that he would not process the identity card. The charge was sanctioned by the Resident State Attorney at Nakawa under case number NKK-10-1681-26. Tibenderana appeared before Grade One Magistrate Rhoda Acham Ochom, who read the single charge to him. He denied the allegation.
There was no prosecutor in court to update the magistrate on the progress of investigations. His lawyer, Enoch Byaruhanga, told the court that the defence was ready to apply for bail but could not proceed because there was no prosecutor present. The court subsequently remanded Tibenderana to Luzira Prison until September 23.
Tibenderana was arrested last week, and his photograph was placed on NIRA’s “Wall of Shame”, where he was described as a conman and members of the public were warned to deal with him at their own risk. His photograph was displayed alongside that of David Lutasingwa, who has not been charged.
The placement of Tibenderana’s photograph on the wall also triggered public debate about service delivery at NIRA, with some members of the public claiming that people accused of acting as intermediaries had sometimes helped them access services faster than official channels. The concerns come as NIRA faces pressure over delays in the delivery of identity services.
Appearing before Parliament on Monday, NIRA Executive Director Rosemary Kisembo said the authority was facing staffing shortages that had affected service delivery. Kisembo attributed the staffing gap partly to the expiry of a large temporary workforce that had been recruited to support the mass enrolment and renewal of national identity cards.
“The authority’s existing workforce is insufficient for the scale of its statutory responsibilities,” Kisembo said, adding that the workload did not match the authority’s staffing structure. NIRA has an approved establishment of 571 positions, but only 418 are currently filled-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
