By Spy Uganda Investigations Desk
An Eyewitness Account
In the lush hills of Mpigi District lies Nsangi Magistrate’s Court—a place that should ordinarily serve as a temple of justice. But for one woman, Joyce Nambajwe, it became a stage for systemic humiliation, frustration, and witch-hunt maneuvers.
I didn’t hear this story—I saw it unfold with my own eyes.
FAMILY LAND TURNS TO FAMILY TROUBLE
Joyce Nambajwe is the appointed administrator of her family’s ancestral land in Mpigi, part of which is traversed by the Mpigi Express Highway (their troubles with Unra in compensation is for another day, it’s another hig-hag I have been investigating for 2 yrs now, and it’s the reason we followed this matter in Nsangi and Makindye courts).
Her brother, Harold, had a share of the land given to him officially. He sold it—without consulting Joyce, because it was his portion anyway, she narrated to us.
But the buyer—a well-known flamboyant and controversial land broker in Mpigi with suspiciously close ties to Nsangi Police and Nsangi Court—soon had disagreements with Harold. Harold was arrested, jailed for two months, and later released on bail after realizing even if they jail him he didn’t have the money to pay yet the buyer was interested in the land or refund, not jail.
THE SET-UP: ROPE IN THE ADMINISTRATOR
When it became clear Harold couldn’t pay the buyer, a new plot was hatched—to involve Joyce, the land administrator. According to Joyce, her signature was forged on the land sale agreement. A forensic report later confirmed this. As a result, she was initially struck off the charge sheet, after results showed they forged her signature.
However, still, Joyce kept attending court—for her brother’s sake. Nobody ever informed her she had been added back to the case.
THE ILLEGAL ARREST: EXPIRED WARRANT WITH NO PRIOR SUMMONS
On Saturday, March 22, 2025, while Joyce was working at her shop in Kampala, a group of plain clothed men and one police officer appeared at her shop and arrested her. They claimed they had an arrest warrant, which they refused to let her read. They bundled her into a private car and drove her to Nsangi Police Station. Our team of investigators later obtained the warrant. It had expired on January 15, 2025, the very reason they couldn’t allow Joce to see it.
A CALL TO POLICE HEADQUARTERS
I contacted Afande Rusoke Kituuma, the Uganda Police Force PRO, who referred me to Regional CID Nsangi, Afande Kule Yona. It turned out that Joyce’s case file wasn’t even at Nsangi. It was at Nateete.
The investigating officer at Nateete, when contacted, said bluntly: “According to my file, I don’t need her. Her matter was resolved. Whoever arrested her should explain.”
Clearly, a different group of officers—unfamiliar with the case—had been used. The complainant, armed with influence and resources, exploited the system.
MONDAY MADNESS: A COURT WITHOUT AN RSA
Knowing that the Resident State Attorney (RSA) doesn’t work on Mondays and Tuesdays, Nsangi Police hurried her to court on Monday, hoping to silence questions about her illegal detention. Earlier on Sunday Joyce had intimated to us a very rude and arrogant female OC at Nsangi (names withheld), who was apparently in close communication with the complainant. According to Joyce the lady was so arrogant that she even judged her already without listening to the full account of the matter. “She was in his pockets,you would think she is actual complainant the way she was talking to me” Joyce told our Spy.
The magistrate—realizing the RSA was absent—still went ahead and read her charges, then ordered her remanded until Wednesday.
Joyce Pleads With The Magistrate For Mercy
Upon the remand order by the magistrate,Joyce rose her had and pleaded that she was requesting for bail on the following reasons;
- That she was arrested from her work using an expired arrest warrant.
- That she was never summoned. Even on the file there were no summons issued, only the arrest warrant
- That she had consistently attended court for her brother and no one ever told her that she had been re-instated on the file and she failed to appear. She even told the magistrate that she would some times visit her chambers and talk to her on other matters whenever she was around, and no such a time was she informed or summoned and she she failed to turn up
- That she has two young children at home with no caretaker and they are Nursing kids who would miss school,she she takes them herself everyday
- That she is pregnant and suffers from diabetes, ulcers, and high blood pressure.
She even carried her medicine to court.
Nevertheless, still, the magistrate remanded her.
WEDNESDAY’S CRUEL TWIST
When Joyce returned to court on Wednesday, she was remanded again—this time until April 16, 2025 citing still that the RSA wasn’t around, although bail is a descretion of the magistrate not RSA.
The magistrate advised her to “talk to the complainant and see how she could settle him.”! Compensate him? For a transaction she wasn’t part of? She wondered.
Meanwhile, Harold, the original accused—was free. He was speaking to both the complainant and the court orderly by phone,claiming he was in isolation after he suffered from Mpox.
THE FINAL SLAP: POWER, MONEY AND THREATS
As Joyce was being led out of court, the complainant shouted to her; “I’ll torture you in jail. I’m a billionaire.”
To seal the abuse of power, Joyce was transported to prison in a vehicle with a suspected URA number plate,paid and brought by the complainant.
From an expired warrant to no summons, from forged signatures to intimidation—everything about this arrest stinks of abuse of power and corruption.
Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done.
What I witnessed at Nsangi Magistrate’s Court was not justice—it was a farce.
If Jesus is truly coming back, I hope he starts with Uganda. We are tired of waiting.
