BREAKING NEWS!! Nine Officials Arrested In 53 Billion Shillings “Ghost Payroll” Scandal, See How They Added Names Of People That Never Existed On Payroll

Uganda’s Police Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) has arrested nine government officials over an alleged payroll fraud scheme that has shocked the country.

The suspects—drawn from various agencies, including the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority—are accused of helping divert more than 53 billion shillings from public coffers.

According to investigators, the money was funneled to “ghost” beneficiaries—nonexistent employees whose names were covertly inserted into the government payroll. These fake workers never existed, yet their salaries were regularly paid out and pocketed by the real perpetrators.

Police say over 40 of these alleged “ghosts” remain unaccounted for, and a manhunt is underway alongside efforts to gather evidence and identify all those involved.

The scale of the theft—and the apparent years it went undetected—has fueled public outrage and raised serious questions about how such a scam could operate within official systems.

The case has exposed glaring weaknesses in payroll oversight across government institutions. Investigators believe dismantling the network will require uncovering who created it, who authorized the fraudulent payments, and where the stolen billions were hidden.

For now, the arrests mark a significant first step. But for many taxpayers, justice will only be served if the culprits are punished and the loopholes that enabled the fraud are permanently closed.