Business director remanded over plot to oust partner using fake resignation
Forgery suspect Nelson Habasa, 48, the managing director of Utukulu Limited in the dock at Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court on May 14, 2025. PHOTO/JULIET KIGONGO.
What you need to know:
- State prosecutor Ivan Kyazze told court that investigations are ongoing and requested more time to conclude inquiries.
A Ugandan businessman has been charged with forgery and uttering false documents in a dramatic corporate dispute over control of Utukulu Limited, a local firm allegedly hijacked through fake paperwork.
Nelson Habasa, 48, the managing director of Utukulu Limited, appeared before Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, accused of conspiring to forge his business partner’s resignation in order to unlawfully seize full control of the company.
Court documents allege that Habasa, together with lawyer and former director Siraj Ali, who did not appear in court, created forged documents in 2020 and 2021 to remove Collins Latigo, another director and shareholder, from the company’s leadership.
Prosecution says the forged documents were submitted to the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) and later used to change the company’s directorship and bank account signatories, giving Habasa control of the firm’s operations and finances.
According to the charge sheet, on September 11, 2020, the accused allegedly forged a special resolution purporting to bear Latigo’s signature.
A second document, a resignation letter dated February 2, 2021, was also fabricated to appear as if Latigo had willingly stepped down from the company.
Latigo later filed a complaint at Kampala Central Police Station in September 2022, accusing Habasa, Ali, and another director, Yasin Kiyemba, of orchestrating a fraudulent takeover.
A forensic report cited by the prosecution confirmed that the contested signatures on both documents were not Latigo’s.
Appearing before Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi, Habasa pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Robert Lutaro, asked the court to allow for an out-of-court reconciliation, arguing, “They were former directors in the same company. Now they have harmonized and want to settle.”
But the magistrate pressed for clarity: “Why didn’t you close the file from CPS? Let the accused take plea. The reconciliation can come later.”
Habasa, who had no sureties present, was remanded to Luzira Prison until May 16, when his bail application will be heard.
“You have a right to apply for bail,” the magistrate told him. “We can hand the client bail and give him time to take the file back to the DPP for a possible withdrawal.”
The court directed that letters from local councils introducing the accused and his sureties be uploaded to the Judiciary’s ECCMIS system and served to the state for verification.
State prosecutor Ivan Kyazze told court that investigations are ongoing and requested more time to conclude inquiries.
The case has stirred interest in corporate governance and legal ethics in Uganda’s business sector, with many observers calling for stronger regulatory safeguards.
