A Congolese national working for a money remittance company in Kampala has been committed to the High Court for trial over allegations of bringing $1.6 million (about Shs5.9 billion) into Uganda without declaring the cash to authorities.
Samuel Muhindo Musyenene, a cashier employed by MK Cash Express Limited, which operates as MK-Cash Point at Nakasero Complex in Kampala, is accused of entering Uganda with the money on July 4, 2026.
Muhindo was committed to the High Court on Monday after Chief State Attorney Jonathan Muwaganya told Grade One Magistrate Esther Asiimwe that investigations into the case had been completed.
According to the indictment filed by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Muhindo entered Uganda through Kikorongo-Mpondwe in Kasese District carrying $1,596,250.
Prosecutors allege that he failed to declare the cash to the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), despite the amount exceeding the statutory reporting threshold of 1,500 currency points.
The prosecution told court that MK Cash Express facilitates the transfer and transportation of money between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), mainly for business clients from the neighbouring country.
According to the prosecution, Muhindo was arrested after security agencies stopped a bus carrying several Congolese nationals in the Kikorongo-Mpondwe area as part of an operation aimed at preventing some of them from travelling further into Uganda.
The passengers were taken to Kikorongo Police Station as arrangements were made for their return to the DRC.
It was at the police station, prosecutors said, that Muhindo revealed that two bags in his possession contained $1,596,250.
The money was subsequently verified and taken into custody as an exhibit. Investigators then questioned Muhindo about how the cash had entered Uganda, but he allegedly failed to provide evidence that it had been declared at the border.
Prosecutors consequently accused him of breaching mandatory currency reporting requirements.
The case later widened when Muhindo’s supervisor and co-worker, Joachim Kakule Kagheri, travelled from Kampala to Kasese on July 5 to follow up on his colleague.
Kakule was also arrested, and the two men were later transferred to Kampala as investigators continued probing the source and intended use of the money.
A joint team of investigators from several security agencies was formed to establish how the cash had been brought into Uganda, where it came from and who it belonged to.
According to the prosecution, investigations established that Muhindo had allegedly been used by MK Cash Express to transport money into Uganda on behalf of several Congolese business people, with the assistance of unidentified colleagues in the DRC.
Investigators further alleged that neither Muhindo nor his colleagues declared the money despite its value exceeding the mandatory reporting threshold.
However, the prosecution’s case summary states that investigators found no link between Muhindo, the money or MK Cash Express and any subversive activities in Uganda.
Prosecutors also said they had verified the identities of several business people who claimed ownership of the cash.
Despite these findings, the prosecution maintains that Muhindo’s alleged failure to declare the money amounted to a breach of Uganda’s anti-money laundering laws.
The prosecution said it will present evidence before the High Court to prove the charge against Muhindo and maintains that the accused has no valid defence to the allegations.
