Parents of Makerere University students have been warned to be on high alert after a forged letter began circulating, demanding money for a bogus academic trip to Nairobi.
The document, dated August 22, 2025, and marked with the university’s letterhead, claimed to come from the Department of Literature under the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. It requested parents to contribute UGX 2 million per child to cover “travel, accommodation, and registration fees” for an International Literature Convention in Kenya.
The fake letter, which bore an imitation of the Dean of Students’ signature and stamp, urged parents to pay up quickly to ensure their children would not “miss out” on the event. Students were even encouraged to cite specific literature courses as grounds for attendance.
But Makerere University has come out strongly to expose the scam. In a statement posted on official university accounts including @MakLiterature, @MakerereCHUSS, and @DOS_Makerere, management declared the letter “FAKE and should be disregarded.”
“Please do not be hoodwinked,” the university cautioned parents and guardians, insisting it had not sanctioned any such trip or fundraising drive.
The embarrassing revelation suggests that students may be resorting to desperate – and highly deceptive – schemes to squeeze money out of unsuspecting parents under the guise of academic opportunities.
The forgery is particularly brazen, mimicking the university’s crest, format, and official tone, with promises of scholarly exposure and professional growth. However, the large red “FAKE” stamps plastered across the exposed document have now put the matter to rest.
University officials are urging parents to double-check any financial requests linked to Makerere with official university channels before parting with their money.
For now, it seems some opportunistic students have learned the hard way that literature isn’t the only thing under scrutiny – their creative scams are, too.
