The Bushenyi Chief Magistrate’s Court has convicted Mutungisa Longino over the theft and illegal tampering of nine smartphones financed by Watu Credit Uganda Ltd.
Mutungisa was convicted on September 9, 2026, on three counts of theft, unauthorised access to a computer device and unauthorised modification of a computer device, offences under the Computer Misuse Act.
The charges arose from the disappearance and tampering of nine smartphones that had been financed by Watu and assigned to Mutungisa for sale through the Watu Simu network.
In May 2025, Watu’s monitoring systems detected that the nine devices had gone offline. A field officer working within the company’s sales network was unable to account for them.
Investigators from Bushenyi Central Police Station later established that the phones had been switched off and tampered with. Mutungisa was subsequently arrested and charged.
During the trial, the prosecution presented several witnesses, including a tracking officer and investigating officers. Mutungisa argued that he was not a Watu employee and that there was no documentation directly linking him to the phones.
However, he admitted that the devices had been given to him for sale and that they had been financed by Watu on loan.
The court found that the prosecution had proved all three charges beyond reasonable doubt and convicted Mutungisa on each count.
Sentence
For the theft charge, the court ordered Mutungisa to pay a fine of Shs2 million to the government and Shs8 million in compensation to Watu Credit Uganda Ltd. He will serve two years in prison if he fails to pay the fines and compensation.
For unauthorised access and unauthorised modification of a computer device, he was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment on each count, with the sentences running concurrently.
Watu said the conviction should serve as a warning to people who steal, tamper with or attempt to reprogram devices financed by the company.
“Watu will pursue anyone who tampers with or steals financed devices, whatever their role or title. These phones are financed on loan, which gives thousands of Ugandans access to a smartphone, and fraud against it harms every honest customer,” said Viola Musiimire, Legal Manager at Watu Credit Uganda Ltd.
Phone flashing involves altering or replacing a device’s software, which can make it possible to resell a phone, conceal its identity or use it for illegal activities.
The risk is growing as smartphones become increasingly important for communication, financial transactions and storing personal information. According to the Uganda Communications Commission’s first-quarter 2026 report, Uganda had 58.7 million registered mobile money accounts, of which 36.7 million were active during the 90-day measurement period.
The regulator’s second-quarter report also estimated the number of smartphones in Uganda at about 20.5 million.
Mykyta Batenko, Head of Watu Simu Uganda, said the company would continue investing in tracking and investigations to protect customers.
“Every flashed phone is a risk to its next owner’s identity, money and data. We will keep investing in tracking, investigation and prosecution, and we encourage the public to report anyone offering to unlock or reprogramme a financed device,” Batenko said.
Interfering with a financed device is a criminal offence. Anyone who suspects that a financed phone has been tampered with or is being sold after being flashed can report it to Watu on 0800 702 200.
