Muhangi Andrew on Tenterhooks Over Suspected Money Laundering

By Our Reporter

Bushenyi – Concerns are mounting over the unexplained wealth and lavish lifestyle of Andrew Muhangi, a Senior Licensing Officer at the Ministry of Works and Transport, with growing suspicions that he could be at the center of a sophisticated money laundering scheme.

In a dramatic turn of events, Muhangi has come under scrutiny after acquiring 75 acres of prime farmland in Kakanju, Bushenyi District, at a reported cost of UGX 800 million. The land, formerly owned by the family of the late renowned farmer Ntobotobo, has since been rapidly transformed into a multi-billion-shilling agricultural estate.

Some of the projects by Muhangi

Within just three months, sources indicate that Muhangi has sunk over UGX 1 billion into various projects, including a modern cattle ranch, a large-scale goat-rearing enterprise, and an expansive banana plantation. He is reportedly planning to stock the farm with 250 dairy cows, 250 beef cattle, and over 1,000 goats — a massive undertaking that has left residents and observers questioning the source of his financial muscle.

Investigations reveal that the farm is heavily secured with military personnel and encircled by a high-grade chain-link fence, with no public access — an unusual level of secrecy for what appears to be a private farming venture.

One of the multi-million farms bought by Muhangi & is fenced

Alarmed locals and watchdogs alike are raising red flags over how a mid-level public officer has amassed such wealth, with suggestions that he may be using his position in the Ministry to engage in illicit financial activity.

“He’s been operating like a ghost investor — using proxies to buy land and channel money through third parties,” said a source close to the ongoing investigations. “Some of the people he has used as conduits are now willing to testify and expose how he’s been laundering stolen funds under the guise of bank loans and SACCO borrowings.”

Our investigations further uncovered that Muhangi often borrows large sums from local SACCOs and pays them back in record time — well before loan terms elapse — another factor that has stirred suspicion among financial analysts and anti-corruption bodies.

Muhangi’s unexplained wealth puts him squarely in the crosshairs of Uganda’s Anti-Money Laundering Act, which states under Section 3(1)(a) that “a person commits the offence of money laundering if that person acquires, possesses or uses property knowing, or having reason to believe, that it is the proceeds of crime.”

The developments have also reignited calls to implement the Lifestyle Audit Campaign proposed by the Inspector General of Government (IGG), Hon. Beti Kamya. The campaign seeks to hold public officials accountable by compelling them to explain the source of their wealth in relation to their income.

A structure housing a poultry project

“If this lifestyle audit proposal had been fully operationalized, people like Muhangi would have long been flagged,” said a local anti-corruption advocate. “He must explain how, on a civil servant’s salary, he is able to pump billions into private projects while living like a tycoon.”

Repeated efforts by our reporter to reach Muhangi for comment were futile. His known phone numbers were switched off, and he could not be located at his known places of residence or work.

As authorities dig deeper, Ugandans await answers. For now, the question remains: Where is Andrew Muhangi getting all this money?