🔴 Claim

Celebrity Patrol, a Facebook page with more than 200,000 followers, alleged that General Kainerugaba, the head of the Ugandan military, has had a romantic relationship with Susan Nampijja, former Lubaga South MP and daughter of Conservative Party president John Ken Lukyamuzi. The same allegation was made by Hello Uganda, a defunct newspaper that was published by Red Pepper, although the paper did not name General Kainerugaba. Since the allegation was made, many people in Kampala have believed this claim.

🔴 Verdict

🔴 False

What we found

• We asked Mr Lukyamuzi to comment about the claim. He categorically stated that it is not true.
• He said his political enemies started the rumour to make it hard for the people of Lubaga South to vote for him as he was being viewed as part of the Museveni family.
• He referred OJ-UGANDA to a 2024 court ruling delivered after Mr Lukyamuzi and his daughter sued Hello Uganda and Red Pepper for defamation.
• We reviewed the ruling, and here is what it says: “On a balance of probabilities, the plaintiffs have satisfied the court that the publication by the first defendant [Hello Uganda] was false and injurious to the plaintiffs [Mr Lukyamuzi and Ms Nampijja] in that it lowered their reputation in the eyes of right-thinking members of society. With no defence being available to the defendants, the plaintiffs have established a case of defamation against the defendant.”
• The court awarded Mr Lukyamuzi shs77m and Ms Nampijja shs50m respectively in general damages.
• The court also awarded interest on the general damages at the rate of 10% per annum.

🔴 Conclusion

There is no evidence to support this claim, although it has been bandied about for years and is widely believed in and around Kampala.

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