By Spy Uganda Investigations Desk
Kampala– Trouble continues to deepen for the Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Eswatini to Uganda, Hon. Bamwine Quilino, who is now battling a criminal investigation over allegations of obtaining money by false pretence amounting to USD 372,000 (about Shs1.4 billion) from businessman Mr. Kakira Joel in two aborted land deals in Kololo and Naguru, Kampala.
Documents exclusively obtained by TheSpy Uganda reveal that Hon. Bamwine, who until recently was flying high under the diplomatic banner of the Eswatini Consulate, may have inadvertently handed investigators the very evidence nailing him to the wall.
The Debt Consent Agreement That Became Evidence Against Him
In a self-incriminating document dated 14th September 2024, Hon. Bamwine personally acknowledged receiving USD 372,000 from Mr. Kakira Joel and promised to refund it in instalments after failing to deliver the said land.
“I, Bamwine Quilino, do hereby acknowledge that I owe Mr. Kakira Joel United States dollars three hundred and seventy-two thousand only (USD 372,000),” reads part of the letter signed by Bamwine himself.
In the same document, he committed to pay as follows:
- USD 50,000 by 28th September 2024,
- USD 150,000 by 28th November 2024, and
- USD 172,000 by 28th April 2025.
However, according to sources close to the matter, Bamwine didn’t fulfill the above commitments, effectively breaching his own written agreement.
Police Swoop In
As seen in a Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) summons dated 21st October 2025, police opened a case file KMP GEF 285/2025, accusing Hon. Bamwine of obtaining money by false pretence from Mr. Kakira Joel.
The CID letter, addressed to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, explicitly states that investigations are underway into allegations that Hon. Bamwine received USD 372,000 from Kakira Joel for land transactions that never materialized.
He was summoned to report to the CID Headquarters, Room 75 at CPS Kampala, on Thursday, 30th October 2025 at 10:00am, to record a statement and present any relevant documents to support his side of the story.
The letter, signed by D/SSP Kule Yona, clearly places the diplomat at the center of a fast-tightening legal noose.
How He Nailed Himself
Interestingly, our Chief Spy Andrew Irumba contacted Hon. Bamwine on phone over the allegations, the Consul vehemently denied ever obtaining money by false pretence, insisting that the matter was “a business misunderstanding.”
But in his attempt to defend himself, he sent the very debt acknowledgment letter — now a key piece of evidence in the police file. Ironically, this document confirms he took the money, failed to deliver the land, and still didn’t refund the funds as per his own signed promise.
Still in Office Despite Revocation
Meanwhile, despite reports that the Government of Eswatini has since revoked his diplomatic appointment, TheSpy’s undercover visit to his office at Serena Hotel Kampala on Monday, November 3, 2025, painted a different picture.
Our reporters found him still comfortably operating from his plush office — with large framed portraits of King Mswati III and the Eswatini national emblems still hanging proudly on the walls. Shockingly, armed police guards were still stationed outside his office, a possible sign that he continues to wield influence, at least for now.
Legal Implications
Law experts who spoke to TheSpy explain that Bamwine’s signed admission is a textbook case of obtaining money by false pretence under Section 305 of the Penal Code Act.
The law defines the offence as receiving money or property by deceit — pretending to have something one does not possess.
In this case, Bamwine allegedly claimed to own or control land, collected payment, failed to deliver, and instead issued a refund schedule he didn’t honour — a pattern that squarely fits the crime.
The Bottom Line
With both the CID and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs now formally seized of the matter, and evidence pointing directly at his own admissions, insiders say Hon. Bamwine may soon have to face the full wrath of the law.
For now, as he continues to sit under the shadow of King Mswati’s portraits at Serena, the walls seem to be closing in fast on the man who once wore the diplomatic crown of Eswatini in Uganda.
