Uganda Police Arrest Owen Godfrey Membe Over Sham Dog Shelters Scam

Police in Mityana, Uganda arrested Owen Godfrey Membe after a BBC investigation into sham dog shelters that allegedly used injured dogs to solicit donations online from international donors.

“- Published Dozens of dogs kept in sham animal shelters and used for online scamming have been rescued by police and animal rights organisations in Uganda following a BBC investigation”

BBC

In the case described by PEOPLE, social media accounts in Mityana raised hundreds of thousands of dollars by posting videos of injured dogs, but the claims about the dogs’ conditions were often false, and some animals may even have been intentionally injured to receive donations.

BBC

BBC News Africa reported that undercover filming found shelters in the area were rented out to multiple content creators who charged an entrance fee to film with the owner’s dogs, and the videos were then linked to GoFundMe and PayPal campaigns.

Membe pleaded not guilty to a charge of animal cruelty and was remanded in custody until May 27, with the accusation that he was involved in “killing an animal in an unnecessarily cruel manner” under Uganda’s Prevention of animal cruelty act.

BBC said police raided two adjacent shelters and rescued dozens of dogs, while animal rights organisations took custody and set up an emergency shelter on land secured by the Animal Welfare Alliance Uganda.

BBC also said Membe’s dogs and those belonging to a nearby operation remain at the raided shelters but are now in the care of the Animal Welfare Alliance Uganda, which includes qualified veterinarians.

BBC

The BBC account described the case as a private prosecution by the Animal Justice Center, with funding from We Won’t Be Scammed, and said We Won’t Be Scammed was working to receive the dogs from the raided shelters in its existing partner facilities in Uganda.

In PEOPLE’s reporting, the case against Membe is being brought as a private prosecution by the Animal Justice Center and funded by We Won’t Be Scammed, and PEOPLE quoted We Won’t Be Scammed founder Nicola Baird confirming her organization is funding the prosecution.

PEOPLE said BBC Africa Eye data analysis found that social media videos from sham shelters elicited hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations, and that in the past five years more than $730,000 has been raised for animal shelters in Uganda through hundreds of fundraisers posted on GoFundMe.

“BBC News Africa produced a documentary probing supposed dog shelters getting thousands in donations Shutterstock / Martens Coyotes An investigation has uncovered an online scam that tricked animal lovers out of thousands of dollars”

People

The BBC investigation traced the story of Russet, a dog with severe leg injuries posted across dozens of social media accounts with requests for funding for treatment, to a veterinary clinic in Kampala where a veterinary surgeon assessed his injuries might have been intentionally inflicted, and Russet did not survive.

Nilepost News reported that Membe was arrested in the early hours of Sunday, May 10, 2026, during an operation by officers from Mityana Police, following a warrant issued under Criminal Case No. MIT: 328 of 2025 and signed by Grade One Magistrate Mugezi Amon.

Nilepost also said the arrest came days after the airing of the BBC documentary titled “Save Our Dogs: Inside Uganda’s Rescue Scam,” released on May 4, 2026, and quoted Counsel Ambrose Kibuuka saying, “This is an important step in addressing organised animal exploitation and online fraud.”