He had also left a locked safe at her home and later allegedly told her it contained counterfeit US dollars, demanding UGX222 million to complete the fake currency operation.
By Denish Ongora
Lira City – 13th July 2026. Lira businesswoman Wengo Nighty says she had already opened a fraud case against Siwa Tonny—the same man with whom she was later arrested over suspected counterfeit US dollar notes.
Nighty says she reported Siwa to Lira Central Police Station for obtaining money by false pretense under SD Reference 33/30/06/2026, before her arrest in the counterfeit currency case.
Addressing journalists yesterday at Valley Resort Hotel in Lira City, Nighty alleged Siwa conned her out of UGX57 million after the two, who met through a friend in January, began doing business together.
She said Siwa first borrowed UGX19 million before requesting another UGX38 million, which she delivered to him in Mbale.
He had also left a locked safe at her home and later allegedly told her it contained counterfeit US dollars, demanding UGX222 million to complete the fake currency operation.
Nighty said she then tricked Siwa into returning to Lira by pretending to raise the money, before confronting him with the help of her sisters.
She said Siwa transferred UGX16 million to her account as partial repayment before she took Siwa to Lira C.P.S by the help of her brother in law who is a soldier, and was detained, though the following day she was also arrested over counterfeit dollar case.
Wengo who was produced in court on 3rd July 2026 and released on bail, denied any involvement in counterfeit currency, insisting she was only trying to recover her money.
Siwa was remanded at the time of Wengo’s release as Police investigations continue.
North Kyoga Regional Police Spokesperson Patrick Jimmy Okema said police arrested four suspects on 1st July after intelligence linked Nighty’s residence to suspected counterfeit US dollars.
Police recovered a safe containing about 100 bundles of suspected 100-dollar notes with a purported face value of 9 million US dollars, about UGX33.75 billion, along with several motor vehicle logbooks. Wengo said the logbooks belong to her.
The suspected notes will undergo forensic examination by the Bank of Uganda as investigations continue, according to Okema.
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