By Spy Uganda
Police in Mbarara City, working jointly with the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), have rescued 823 youths who had fallen victim to a fraudulent recruitment scheme allegedly orchestrated by AIM Global Alliance. The youths are now being transported back to their respective homes following a comprehensive documentation and verification exercise.
According to Rwizi Region Police spokesperson, SP Samson Kasasira, many of the victims reported that they were coerced into paying between UGX 1.2 million and UGX 1.5 million after being promised lucrative job opportunities in Kampala.
“The youths reported that they were misled with false job promises and were made to pay significant sums upfront,” SP Kasasira said. He confirmed that investigations to identify and apprehend the organizers of the scheme are underway.
Authorities have urged young people to be vigilant when approached with job offers that require advance payments and called on communities to promptly report any suspicious recruitment activities.
The rescue operation followed an early morning interception at the Biharwe checkpoint in Mbarara City, where police and UPDF personnel stopped ten buses transporting the 823 youths. The passengers, mobilized from several districts across Western Uganda, were en route to Kampala under unclear circumstances. Each bus operator had reportedly been paid UGX 2.5 million for the trip.
The youths were subsequently taken to the Mbarara Police playground for screening before arrangements were made for their safe return home.
AIM Global Alliance has, for several years, been linked to a string of recruitment-related scams across Uganda. The organization has frequently targeted vulnerable young people with enticing but false employment promises. Similar incidents have been reported in districts such as Mukono, Wakiso, and Kampala, where hundreds of youths were pressured into paying large sums for jobs that never materialized.
Authorities have continuously warned the public against engaging with the scheme and have encouraged Ugandans to remain alert and report suspicious recruitment ventures to the police.
