Editorial Team/Staff Writers
🔴 Claim
Celebrity Patrol, a Facebook page with more than 200,000 followers, claimed that General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, was in a romantic relationship with Susan Nampijja, the former Lubaga South MP and daughter of Conservative Party president John Ken Lukyamuzi.
A similar claim was also published by Hello Uganda, a now-defunct newspaper formerly published by Red Pepper. Although the publication did not name General Kainerugaba directly, it made the same allegation.
The claim has circulated for years and is widely believed by many people in Kampala.
🔴 Background
The claim first gained traction through social media and tabloid reporting before spreading by word of mouth. Despite its longevity, little evidence has ever been produced publicly to support it.
OJ-UGANDA examined the evidence available, including a court judgment arising from a defamation case brought by Mr Lukyamuzi and Ms Nampijja.
🔴 What OJ-UGANDA checked
- The 2024 High Court judgment in the defamation case brought by John Ken Lukyamuzi and Susan Nampijja against Hello Uganda and Red Pepper, together with an interview with Mr Lukyamuzi.
🔴 What we found
- The High Court found that the allegation published by Hello Uganda was false and defamatory.
- In its judgment, the court ruled:
On a balance of probabilities, the plaintiffs have satisfied the court that the publication by the first defendant was false and injurious to the plaintiffs 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 in general damages, together with interest at 10% per annum.
- OJ-UGANDA also contacted Mr Lukyamuzi, who rejected the allegation and said it had been spread by his political opponents to portray him as being aligned with the Museveni family, thereby undermining his political support in Lubaga South.
🔴 Verdict
- The claim is false.
🔴 Conclusion
OJ-UGANDA found no credible evidence to support the claim that Gen Kainerugaba and Susan Nampijja were in a romantic relationship.
Instead, the available evidence points in the opposite direction. A Ugandan court found that the allegation published by Hello Uganda was false and defamatory and awarded damages to both Mr Lukyamuzi and Ms Nampijja.
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