Family Jinx: How EAC Candidate and City Lawyer Phiona Rwandarugali is Facing a USD2400 Debt Quagmire

Despite her comprehensive willingness to pay up, Kampala Lawyer and East African Parliamentary hopeful Phiona Rwandarugali, is on spot for what her faultfinders are labelling as failing to clear what she owes them, a cool USD2,400 debt. The said debt is just balances of USD10,000 that was advanced to her to purchase a piece of land.

It is alleged that Phiona, in 2020, whilst on a visit to Washington DC, in the United States of America, in a letter dated 12th August 2022, and written by Okecha Baranyanga & Co Advocates and Solicitors, received USD 10,000 (Ten thousand United States Dollars) from one Dalton Manzi, on behalf of Ms. Reza Butrea to purchase a piece of land in Namulanda Wakiso district. This money was channeled through Phiona in her capacity as Counsel in a bid to guide and draft necessary documents for the said purchase.

Having been advised by Phiona, who is related to the principal party (Reza) that she was due to enter into partnership with the duo and was in the process of acquiring funds to seal the deal, they opted to wait for confirmation of sealing her commitment in form of copies of remittance advise. However, at about that time, Covid 19 struck the World and it is claimed that Phiona, prayed for more time to find the said funds.

Dogged by nearly 2 years minus any foreseeable materialization of the project and little or no contact from Phiona, Ms. Reza then sought the services of her sister, one Mariam, since she was on the ground to follow up the matter. Indeed, Phiona in the company of Mariam later inspected a piece of land in Garuga, off Entebbe Road, which Mariam found irregular as Ms. Reza had clearly stated that the land that she was interested in was premised in Namulanda. This forced her to opt out of the deal and demanded for a refund of her USD10,000.

After some time of dilly dallying with pressure being pounced on her person by relatives and Lawyers, Phiona, on 22^nd July 2022, paid USD7600 (Seven Thousand Six Hundred dollars) to Mariam on behalf of Ms. Reza and promised to pay the balance of USD2400 on 12^thAugust 2022. Having failed to meet the deadline, when contacted, Phiona is alleged to have claimed that the said monies had been ‘loaned’ to Elevated Soft Ware Technologies LTD and that they were entitled to a refund of the said disbursements on condition that they requisition for the money.

When contacted by this website, Phiona, indeed affirmed that she had entered into the said deal and that she had advanced the USD7600 and that she willingly promised to pay the last batch of money. She also confirmed that no one has failed to pay the balance but that Ms. Reza had bluntly refused to write a requisition to the same effect and stubbornly involved Mr. Dalton, who was just an emissary at the time.

“It is Ms. Reza who is privy to our dealings with Elevated Soft Ware Technologies LTD though she now claims ignorance,” said Phiona. Phiona, then advised Ms. Reza not to try and tarnish her name because she is into an election but do the honorable thing and requisition for the money if at all she wants it to be paid.