For several months, Makerere University School of Public Health has been targeted by a sophisticated and escalating email impersonation scheme, one that has since spread beyond the School to implicate several officers across the wider university. Fraudsters, using email addresses carefully crafted to resemble those of senior institutional leadership and profile photographs harvested directly from official websites, have been systematically fleecing unsuspecting staff, students, and members of the public. Demands have ranged from laptop deliveries to fictitious research fees, with solicitations running into millions of shillings. Formal complaints have since been filed with the Police.
This is not a distant or hypothetical threat. It is an active, organised fraud targeting our community and it is growing.
In response, MakSPH is convening a focused community webinar to address this threat directly, drawing on real, documented cases from within our own institution.
Date and Time: 14 May 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EAT
Register here: https://bit.ly/EmailImpersonation
What the session will cover:
▸ How to identify fraudulent and impersonation emails
▸ How to verify sender identities before acting on any request
▸ How to report suspicious communication through the right channels
▸ How to protect your personal and institutional information online
Moderator: Davidson Ndyabahika, Communications Officer, MakSPH.
Panelists
- Arthur Moses Opio, End User Support Administrator, Directorate for ICT Support (DICTS), Makerere University.
- Diana Michelle Kisakye, IT Officer, MakSPH
- Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze, Dean, Makerere University School of Public Health
- Prof. David Guwatudde, Professor at Makerere University School of Public Health
This session is directly relevant to every member of the Makerere community, staff, students, and partners alike. The scammers are becoming more sophisticated, and their reach is widening. Awareness is our strongest defence.
Your participation could protect you, your colleagues, and this institution.