Get-rich-quick schemes are the latest trendiest ways to earn a fortune in Uganda. Most people, after failing to start an income generating activity, resort to ways they can “easy money”.

Last year, residents of Jinja were left in tears after Dutch International, a money saving scheme conned them of Shs11.4 billion. With promises of interest earnings of 30 per cent per month, many deposited as much as Shs2.5 million.

These pyramid schemes where a person pays a membership fee for enrolling other people into the scheme, often without any product or service being delivered, are allover the country with no sign of ever being stopped by the authorities. There is even one that is enrolling a lot of people in the city centre, with the full knowledge of the authorities, but nobody willing to stop it.

Citizens have accused the Government of siding with criminals and they could be right. Until reports emerge that so many people have lost billions of money, nobody will bother to warn all these ignorant people the dangers of get-rich-quick scams. The worst of which is stealing even the little income you can put together, further pushing you deeper in the jaws of absolute poverty!