The recent presence in the Ugandan power circles of Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum bin Juma al Maktoum, a man who claims to be a member of the Dubai Royal family, has raised eyebrows, with sections in Uganda and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) contesting his credentials as a member of the powerful and monied royal family.
He also met the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and was reported by the media to have discussed matters of mutual interest and security between the two countries.
“Do you think a Prince from our country can come to your country without a security detail, without any officials from our government, not even from the embassy? Please, crosscheck your information but it’s difficult,” the source said.
The source added: “Furthermore, you expect a Prince to sleep in a lowly hotel where his security is not guaranteed?”
It is said that the “Prince”, who has been to Uganda a number of times, usually stays at Latitude Hotel in Makindye, a city suburb. And, on the recent visit he was accompanied by a four man entourage comprised of Luke Sellwood of the East African Investment Group; Sakhib Waseem of Sock Guys Limited, a Briton born in Wales, appointed to his current job as Chief Technical Officer on 19 May, 2019. The other members on the team included Rahmy Morcos from SKA International Group, an affiliate of the Alpha MBM Investments and Nick Massey.
The nexus between him and the ruling royal family is the Maktoum. Missing this name Rashid makes him a very distant royal family member.
The source affirmed that Mohammed is a fake investor who is being used to lie to President Museveni.
Is this a badly covered case of impersonating the Dubai ruling family? On the deals above, he was awarded the National ID project, a very sensitive and costly venture charged with providing citizenship identification to all Ugandans and the process of mass enrollment is underway.
It is said that in his con adventures, Maktoum works with a man called Abu Mukasa who is always the frontman with K.K Advocates as his legal representatives in the negotiations with the Government.
Interestingly, this law firm belongs to Mr. Kiwanuka Kiryowa, the Ugandan Attorney General. Negotiating with his law firm. Interesting!
The following multimillion deals have since been concluded between K&K Advocates and Government:
1. Digital number plates otherwise known as Intelligent Transport Management System Programme.
2. Intertek Pre inspection (pvoc) . This one does pre-export verification of conformity to standards Programme. Deal was signed between Uganda National Bureau of Standards and the government in 2023.
3. Digital Stamps- SICPA-TRACE. URA pays Shs1 billion every day for their services.
4. Global Voices Group-This one does the monitoring of telecom companies to detect tax evasion. Government pays them 62 million USD every five years.
5. Vitol; This one will be procuring all fuel for Uganda on behalf of UNOC.
6. Alpha MBM Investments LLC from UAE. This is a 4.5 billion USD deal that will build the refinery. Negotiations are in the final stages for the final agreements to be signed.
7. Kampala Fuel Terminal to be built at Namwabula in Mpigi. This will be a mega fuel storage facility which will store 320 litres at a cost of Shs578 billion. It will be the largest in East Africa.
While the decision-making process in awarding these deals may have undergone a level of due diligence, it’s clear that Abu has been lying to the President and corrupting the whole government system, especially through the Attorney General’s chambers.
Maktoum isn’t a member of the UAE royal family, has no money and is only going to vend the contracts to third parties. This puts at risk very sensitive Government investments and money as individuals build personal financial empires at the expense of the public.
