In a wide-range interview with The Investigator last night, Brig. Gen. Henry Isoke, the head of SHACU, rejects suggestions that the unit has been inactive or that ministers are taking over its mandate. He says the current crackdown is the product of cooperation between government institutions, with SHACU providing intelligence, investigations and follow-up while ministers exercise their administrative and political mandates.

The interview comes against the backdrop of a nationwide anti-corruption campaign led by Minister Barugahara and his deputy Justine Nameere, which has seen inspections of local government institutions, investigations ordered against officials, and a growing number of interdictions.

The campaign has so far covered districts including Moyo, Maracha, Pakwach, Mbale, Namisindwa, Bulambuli, Isingiro, Sembabule, Mitooma, Mbarara, Fort Portal, Rakai and Masaka. By August 18^th, reports indicated that 110 local government employees were facing disciplinary action over allegations ranging from ghost beneficiaries and procurement irregularities, to misuse of public funds, absenteeism and poorly implemented projects.

In Jinja, Barugahara ordered the Chief Administrative Officer, Lilian Nakamatte, to step aside and directed SHACU and the Inspectorate of Government to investigate allegations of financial mismanagement, procurement concerns and maladministration.

The campaign has also resulted in interdictions in Mitooma, Isingiro, Buhweju and other districts. In Ankole alone, at least 26 officials were reported to be facing interdiction following recommendations for SHACU to facilitate investigations. At Buhweju, SHACU conducted investigations into several senior officials, while separate inquiries were ordered into alleged misuse of road funds. The two ministers have repeatedly insisted that the campaign is intended to restore accountability and improve service delivery.

The Ministry of Local Government says their inspections, follow-ups and interventions are part of President Yoweri Museveni’s renewed anti-corruption drive. However, the campaign has also attracted calls for caution. The Deputy Inspector General of Government, Dr Patricia Achan Okiria, recently advised the ministers to ensure that their operations remain within the law and respect due process.

Against this background, Brig Gen Isoke spoke to The Investigator about the origins and mandate of SHACU, its record, the role of ministers in the current crackdown, allegations of selective arrests and the money the unit says it has saved for the government.

The Investigator: Gen Isoke, elaborate on the mandate of the State House Anti-Corruption Unit since its creation in 2018.

Brig Gen Henery Isoke: As you may be aware, it is the executive duty and responsibility of the President of Uganda, Gen Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, to ensure that the State is running efficiently. Corruption has been a great concern of the President right from the five-year protracted bush war. Fighting corruption is among the top priorities of the NRM government. In fact, it is Point number seven of the ten-point programme.

After the war, it was not a bed of roses because other parts of the country were not fully liberated. Northern Uganda, Eastern Uganda, West Nile and some parts of Western Uganda remained volatile. Because the President and his government were preoccupied with many other issues, including uniting and liberating the other parts of the country, vices such as corruption received less attention.

When the country was finally liberated, the President turned his attention to other challenges, corruption being one of the diseases for which he sought mechanisms to combat. Institutions such as the Criminal Investigations Directorate, the institutions responsible for ethics and integrity, and the Inspectorate of Government became more visible after the NRA had fully liberated the country.

These anti-corruption agencies converge under the Inter-Agency Forum. Our operations are coordinated to avoid duplication of roles. We meet, plan our work and consult each other. Uganda has made significant efforts in fighting corruption through institutional and legal frameworks, government policies and the commitment of the President towards zero tolerance to corruption.

Despite these efforts, Uganda continues to feature in global and regional reports as a country affected by corruption. It is against this background that the President, acting under Article 99(4) of the Constitution, established the State House Anti-Corruption Unit on December 10th 2018. The unit was created to coordinate citizens’ corruption complaints to the Presidency with the population and constitutionally mandated agencies, with a view to obtaining speedy resolution of those complaints. Therefore, our core mandate is to help the President fight all forms of corruption and corruption tendencies.

The Investigator: What is the strength of SHACU and how do your officers execute their work?

Gen Henery Isoke: Our human resource is very minimal. We are not more than 30. To be precise, we are 25 and all of us are housed here at headquarters. We do not have regional offices. What we do is consult with sister agencies that have regional presence.

We receive a lot of communication from Resident District Commissioners, District Police Commanders and regional officers of the Inspectorate of Government. The fact that we are limited in numbers does not mean we have fallen short of our mandate. The team I lead is highly motivated. They are cadres and patriots motivated by the desire to serve Uganda. Our budget is also very small, but we have not failed to execute our mandate.

We have a 24-hour call center programmed in all languages of Uganda. Our officers are always available to receive queries from all parts of the country, from Kabale to Kotido. Besides the call center, we have a clients’ relations desk here. As you have witnessed, our front desk is one of the busiest in Kampala. Our front desk manager receives everyone who walks in with a complaint or any other issue. Indeed, we are more agile, faster and swifter.

The Investigator: Give us some figures. How many corruption cases has SHACU handled since its inception?

Gen Henery Isoke: The cases are so many. This is my fourth year here. Since this unit was formed, it has handled more than 800,000 cases. We have arraigned about 900 suspects in court and secured 165 convictions. Those arraigned include public servants, who represent about 55 per cent, while private-sector workers, mostly engineers and lawyers, represent about 45 per cent. Most of the cases we have handled are land-related, accounting for about 31 per cent.

The Investigator: Why is Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara doing something that your unit should have done long ago? Some members of the public think SHACU is doing nothing.

Gen Henery Isoke: It is not correct to say that Hon Balaam is doing our job. As I have said before, we are working as a team. Following a directive by the President, Balaam responded very fast because the Local Government Ministry has a lot of corruption tendencies. Balaam is moving swiftly to clean the ministry, and that is a very big action. He is using our intelligence. Indeed, he moves where we have already conducted intelligence. We have strategized this with him and we are not complaining. It is us who make the arrests and follow up on the cases.

Hon Balaam is like any other Ugandan mandated to remain vigilant. He is acting within his mandate, and we give him all the support required. That ministry is too rotten, and most of the cases are perpetuated by technocrats. The current operation has therefore not been a competition between SHACU and the Ministry of Local Government. It is a coordinated effort.

The Investigator: People claim you have not done anything tangible since your appointment. How do you respond to Ugandans who say they have not felt your ‘tsunami’?

Gen Henery Isoke: I am not a media person. I am more comfortable working in the background. Given the nature of my training, most people may not see my face. We work very tirelessly in the background. We do not show off while executing our duties. That is how we were prepared for the job. Many people have different methods of work. I don’t subscribe to the culture of showing off. I prefer my actions to speak for my work.

For example, SHACU under my leadership did great work during the infamous mabaati investigations, arrests and eventual prosecutions. We looked at the files one by one and, based on our recommendations, action was taken, including arrests and prosecutions. In government, personal assistants can do a lot of the donkey work. That is one reason you may not see a ministers arrested. These ministers and the so-called `big fish` are sharp. Many of them do not leave behind trails of their wrongdoing. They use other people. That is why in many cases the small fish is the one that gets hooked because everything can be traced to them.

The Investigator: We have been approached by our readers complaining about selective arrests. What is your response?

Gen Henery Isoke: No one is big. We do not leave any stone unturned. In fact, we have arrested several top officials. But as I explained earlier, most top officials, including ministers, do not necessarily leave a trail showing their personal involvement in wrongdoing. They use their subordinates. Most personal assistants are therefore not safe. Our work is to follow the evidence. Whoever is implicated by the evidence must answer.

The Investigator: Brig Gen Moses Lukyamuzi, the head of the State House Land Protection Unit, has recently come under scrutiny, with some readers alleging that he abets land grabbing. Does SHACU have the mandate to bring him and his associates to book?

Gen Henery Isoke: No one is above the law, me inclusive. Anyone who has involved themselves in wrongdoing must answer for their crimes. We follow leads. If anyone has a trace of corruption, they are free to visit our offices and report. The principle is simple: nobody should be protected because of their position. However, our cause of action is always prompted by evidence, not assumptions.

The Investigator: In figures, how much money has SHACU helped to save for the country since you started your mission?

Gen Henery Isoke: We have so far recovered or saved UGX700 billion. Of this amount, under my tenure, we have saved over UGX500 billion. We have also managed to save UGX9 billion since the nationwide Local Government operation by Hon Balaam started, and we are seeing more money being saved.

The Investigator: Finally, what should Ugandans expect from SHACU as the Local Government crackdown continues?

Gen Henery Isoke: Ugandans should expect more action. The fight against corruption cannot be won by one institution. SHACU, the Inspectorate of Government, police, ministries, local governments and other accountability institutions have different responsibilities. But we must work together. The President’s message has been very clear; public resources must serve the people.

Our role is to receive complaints, gather intelligence, investigate and coordinate with the relevant agencies so that cases are resolved. We may not always be visible, but that does not mean we are not working. The work is continuous. And where there is evidence of wrongdoing, nobody should expect to be protected because of their office, rank or connections.

In the same vein, Her Worship Marriam Wangadya, the current Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, was whispered to have been the best candidate for the post of the Deputy Chief Justice. She even became most suitable when she exposed to the president, the politicians who had allegedly approached her with a proposal of having her budget supplementary passed as is, only if she would cough some billions in return.

However, we have landed on a missive, suggesting possibilities as to why the towering lady judge was eventually, not considered for either of the two above positions. From deep into her office corners, a dossier snakes out, accusing her of gross maladministration, corruption and abuse of office. If they test positive, the allegations leave no room for Wangadya at any top government office.

The Preamble

For starters, the Uganda Human Rights Commission was established in November 1996 to protect and promote human rights in Uganda. According to Article 51 of the Constitution, the UHRC is legally comprised of a chairperson and at least three other persons appointed by the President, with the approval of Parliament.

The Constitution envisages the Chairperson and Members of the Commission to be persons of high moral character and proven integrity. However, going by the missive under review, the behavior and conduct by the current Chair, Mariam Wangadya, falls short of the said constitutional requirement.

The current situation at the UHRC is suggested as being characterized by gross maladministration, corruption, abuse of office, impunity, arrogance, intimidation and bullying! All the above, reveals the dossier, is being orchestrated by none other than the Chairperson herself, Ms. Wangadya.

“Staff are living in a state of fear and helplessness since the constitution of the Republic of Uganda gives the Commission powers to appoint staff under Article 57. Even some Members of the Commission have not been spared by her conduct. She runs the Commission like a private outfit and therefore, not subjected to any internal controls and she is not held accountable for anything,” reads the twelve-page missive sourced from deep into the Commission`s corridors.

The authors of the carefully penned complaint suggests that the situation is getting out of hand and requires urgent intervention by the relevant authorities, as well as the appointing authority. Indeed, we have confirmed receipt of the same, by the Inspector General of Government (IGG) office, the Speaker of Parliament and CID. When contacted, the known UHRC mouthpiece Alex Bukumunhe confirmed knowledge of the dossier but requested for a “few days” to allow him prepare for a rebuttal. However, he did not pick our calls anymore, when the “few days” elapsed.

The Dossier in Part I

Corruption/abuse of office: For starters, Wangadya joined the Commission in September 2021 when she was 56 years old. Therefore, she was ineligible to contribute to NSSF. However, she supposedly forced the Human Resource Manager and the Secretary to the Commission to continue making a 10% Government NSSF contribution for her until March 2025, when she heeled to the pressure from the Ministry of Public Service. Hence, for a period of over three years, she earned that money illegally while knowing what she was doing was illegal.

Her accusers further allege that starting with Financial Year 2024/2025, 2025/2026 and the current budgeting process for 2026/2027 financial year which started with the preparation of the budget framework paper, Wangadya is alleged to have taken over the budgeting process. “The Management Committee, the Finance Committee and the Commission have all been sidelined! The real budgeting is done by her, Commissioner [Crispin Kugiza] Kaheru and Director Pauline Nansamba,” reads the dossier.

“Because she followed up with the Attorney General and the Ministry of Finance for increased funding through a supplementary budget in, she declared that the additional funding to the Commission of UGX10.4bn was and remains her personal money! It is that money she wants spent on her as much as possible without any form of internal controls, no accountability and she should get it for anything she wants.”

The authors further digs deep thus; “For instance, out of the UGX10.4bn, UGX2bn was set aside for salary enhancement as a block for Chairperson, Members and Staff. Instead of following a proper methodology to seek approvals from Cabinet and Parliament, the Chairperson unilaterally determined her salary and that of Commissioners. She simply informed Members of the Commission what they would earn without informing them of hers in a meeting of December 18^th 2024. The difference between her salary and Members is UGX20 million!”

It should be noted that Wangadya supposedly usurped powers of Parliament to determine her own salary and that of Members. She did not care about staff whose long pay target was determined by Cabinet and being the lowly paid. In the last two financial years and the next coming financial year, a new budget line, which had never existed in the history of the Commission for the Office of the Chairperson is said to have been introduced under supposed duress!

Ideally, the Office of the Chairperson coordinates all functions of the Commission and therefore it is the technical directorates and or departments that budget for execution of the mandate of the Commission. “But what is happening now, the Office of the Chairperson is allocated a budget even bigger than some departments! It is through this arrangement that she gets money to `hold` stakeholder engagements which never take place!” Instead, writes the complainants, the money is channeled through her Personal Assistants private bank accounts! “At first, it was through Ms. Pauline Nansamba and now, Ms. Doreen Mukunyu Nabatte. In fact, these two ladies personal accounts should be investigated to explain why they receive that money and how they spend it.”

The dossier, which will run in three articles in these pages, cites Commissioner Crispin Kugiza Kaheru as Wangadya`s blue-eyed boy and with whom, she commits most of the alleged misappropriation of funds and other malpractices. “Again, in the current financial year, instead of beefing up funding for the core mandate of the Commission, the Chairperson and Commissioner Kaheru budgeted for the latest models of vehicles for themselves and generators for their private residences.” Watch this space

Already facing charges of operating a TV without a valid license from the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), and now under the blaring reality of sustained surfacing of legal cases mounting over the person of incarcerated Dean Saava Lubowa, the Chief of Strategies of the now frozen TV 10 Gano Mazima from several  persons, he is left with no option, save for exposing those that fed him with the contested information that has led to his impasse and literally fed him to the ‘dogs’.

Boxed into a corner of despair, save for the argument of the regulator and the statements made against some of the persons that head it, the rest of the cases that Dean faces can journalistically be traced to his sources and informers. It initially begun as a formal due process on 2nd October 2025 at Standard Utilities and Wildlife Court in Makindye via three criminal charges related to illegal broadcasting and defamation.

The court is presided over by Her Worship Gladys Kamasanyu. It originally zeroed on operating an online television station without a license, defied regulatory directives, and allegedly used his platform to insult and defame prominent Ugandans. It has since culminated into a manna of cases with the latest under another magistrate being on claims that Lubowa Dean Saava, between the month of July 2025 and August 2025, in the areas of Kampala City or thereabout, using a computer via TikTok account named `TV 10 Gano Mazima` sent or transmitted information about, or relating to Kakooza Savio Ntesibe, the Director Ombudsman Affairs at the Inspectorate of Government.

The charges before court suggests that Lubowa alleged that Kakooza received a bribe of UGX200M on behalf of Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe, the Deputy Inspector General of Government, in order for her not to close a road construction project, whereas not. This is contrary to section 28 (1) and (2) of the computer misuse Act, Cap 96, culminating into malicious information.

This same file includes other eight offenses that are too, derived or are related to the earlier mentioned, plus hate speech and thus, he was remanded to prison until 23rd December 2025. This is against the backdrop derived by axel of professionalism that dictates he protects his sources.

In the glaring looming of unsolicited fate characterized by the aforementioned peddlers of the now trouble-causing files, he is left with no choice but to play against the rules to regain his freedom. Gifted with a motor-mouthed sensational style of presentation, one would be ‘bufooned’ to believe that Dean, superficially cultivated that information by himself without being fed by others in the same circles as his accusers. These are the same people that must come out and avail Dean’s lawyers with crucial and detailed information that would trade his freedom, lest he exposes them. Watch this space

The emerging profitable and job creating social media industry in Uganda is under threat from several fronts. These include, but not limited to; the traditional media gurus, regulatory bodies and security, especially police being used as a bait for settling inner players` mini squabbles.

Whereas the official regulatory body, Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) might have all the good intensions of trying to streamline the fast-growing new media space, others like the police cyber-crime department desks at various police stations, are being used by many to settle personal scores.

This has nothing to do with players like Dean Saava Lubowa of TV 10 Gano Mazima, but rather a chicken ego fight between Tamale Mirundi Jr and Shalom Kaweesa of Shalom 256, a YouTube channel. For starters, it is public knowledge that the once best of friends turned foes, have had a long history of orchestrating hallucinated bickering in order to secure a following using crude localized guerrilla marketing strategies.

Initially ignored as pranks by many in the industry and the thousands that follow them, this trend has since taken an ugly twist with the emergency of the Cyber Harassment Desks, most especially, allegedly, that of Katwe Police Station.

The sacred torn but ‘prestigious’ white paper is embroiled with Ref; Katwe Police SD; Ref :70.04.12.2025. Cyber Harassment, Hate Speech and M-Information are the supposed charges.  The suspect, Kaweesa Shalom, the young and ‘powerful’ lad, ran a Shalom finding maze, which zeroed on a location on Kulambiro ring road.

Gone are the sane legal days in which a suspect is summoned to any relevant authority to make a statement in regard to any issue at hand. It’s now official that people like Tamale Junior, have taken over the role of CID, IO’s, commanders and now, use self-styled clout of ‘money’ and throwing around names to hoodwink officers into pursuing suspects under an illegal command.

Cry for the overseers of these once cleaned up agencies that even president Museveni said had been penetrated by ‘Kawukuumi’ aka bean weevil! Sad as it is, reality is that some unscrupulous ‘celebrities’, ‘socialites’ have turned running with security personnel as their bag ‘boys’ and ‘girls’.

Do you remember Brian White’s SFC fellows, Sipapa’s camouflaged party, the Gashumba’s detail or that of today’s lost pastors complete with lead cars? These are the same fellows who now are bogged on using both the security agencies and police to conduct illicit businesses and also settle scores. It’s high time that the IGP and Command 1 reigned on these errant officers while others like the Police Standards Unit (PSU) must act on the same like yesterday.

The late Prince Kijjangoma and his elder sister, Princes Elizabeth Bagaya had reportedly filed a case in a Fort Portal Court, centered on mismanagement of the kingdom’s properties and reportedly cited Katuramu as one of the defendants. It was also alleged that Princess Bagaya and Prince Kijjangoma had spearheaded a move intended to  remove Katuramu from the post of Omuhikirwa (Prime Minister) of Tooro Kingdom. And that, was the bad blood that prompted Katuramu to hire the hitmen who eliminated the late Prince Kijjangoma.

In one of the shocking incriminating pieces of evidence tabled by the prosecution, it was alleged that planning meetings related to the murder were held in Katuramu’s residence in Muyenga, and that after the murder, the hitmen went and hid at his Rwenkuba Farm, where he reportedly roasted a bull for them in appreciation of their unlawful services.

Upon his arrest, Katuramu, a wealthy man, hired a team of defense lawyers that comprised of some of the most expensive and sharpest criminal lawyers in town, who included a former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Macdusman Kabega. Kabega is currently representing Molly Katanga, a businesswoman undergoing a high-profile trial centered on the murder of her husband, the late Henry Katanga.

One of the hitmen suspects, Bob Swart, hired a soft-spoken and extremely humble lawyer, Edward Ddaamulira Muguluma, whom very few people gave a chance to successfully defend his client. Muguluma was a very tough defence criminal lawyer in the league of the  late Henry Kayondo, even as he was a shy old man whose demeanor was just a facade that concealed his razor-sharp intelligence.

For a long time, Muguluma, who studied in Namilyango College, studied as a Barrister in London and obtained a masters degree from Belgium, was the Principal Lawyer for the Democratic Party (DP) even though majority of Ugandans never got to know about it since he was not a proud man but preferred operating  silently.

Muguluma was an Attorney General in Botswana before President Yoweri Museveni personally invited him back to Uganda to conduct his law practice from his motherland. Returning to the murder case of Katuramu, his expensive lawyers did everything humanely and legally possible to convince the courts, all the way to the Supreme Court. But despite their frantic efforts, they failed to rescue their client as his fate was finally sealed by the Supreme Court.

Treated by many as a weak criminal defence lawyer, Muguluma shocked Katuramu, his expensive team of lawyers and everyone else when he expertly cross examined the prosecution witnesses, filed water tight submissions and ultimately saved his client Bob Swart from the gallows. After securing an acquittal, Muguluma got his client aside and advised him to leave for Dubai, because the police was certainly going to kill him.

Bob Swart did as counseled but clandestinely came back to the country to check on his girlfriend. Here, the police got to know of his presence. One day, the police arrested Bob Swart’s girlfriend and used her to trick his boyfriend that she had a big problem and urgently wanted to meet him. Bob Swart, who loved expensive and fast motorbikes, jumped on his motorcycle and sped off to somewhere in Nakulabye to meet her girlfriend whom, he believed that actually had a pressing problem. Where he expected to meet his girlfriend, Bob Swart was instead met by a hail of bullets that tragically cut him down.

Ironically, Bob Swart did not live long enough to treat his dependable lawyer during the time of his illness, nor was able to burry him when he finally died. President Museveni subsequently pardoned Katuramu after reconciling with the relatives of the late Prince Kijjangoma and he has since laid low like an envelope.

]]> https://theinvestigatornews.com/2025/11/breaking-be-very-worried-drake-twebaze-the-notorious-scammer-and-chief-govt-impersonator-is-back-in-town-leaving-gold-investor-in-tears-upon-his-wake/#utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=breaking-be-very-worried-drake-twebaze-the-notorious-scammer-and-chief-govt-impersonator-is-back-in-town-leaving-gold-investor-in-tears-upon-his-wake Wed, 26 Nov 2025 17:30:03 +0000 https://theinvestigatornews.com/?p=7929 In the early 2000, a notorious scammer, Drake Twebaze rocked Kampala and it’s environs like an earthquake. In one of his alleged scams, Twebaze, who at the time slept in his personal bungalow located in Zzana along Kampala-Entebbe Highway, posed as a government Permanent Secretary, whereas not.

Under the cover of the said false identity, the deceptive Twebaze drafted a phony tender bid attributed to a government ministry, seeking for the purchase of motor vehicle tyres on behalf of that ministry. Done with the drafting of the fake tender bid documents, Twebaze dispatched the same to his victims who, unfortunately, surrendered the motor vehicle tyres under the mistaken belief that they were dealing with a genuine government Permanent Secretary, whereas not.

Fortunately enough, the Uganda Police laid a dragnet, harvested, charged and arraigned Twebaze before court, over charges of impersonation, forgery and obtaining money by false pretenses. During the subsequent trial conducted by Buganda Road Chief Magistrate then, Betty Munaaba, the suspect stunned court when he expertly cross-examined prosecution witnesses, just like a seasoned defence lawyer.

Be that as it may, Munaaba ultimately convicted Twebaze after she memorably remarked that though he acted cleverly, he committed the charges which the State slapped against him. Now, following a considerable period of time which he had spent lying as low as an envelope, after being arrested several times in the past, Twebaze recently stepped out of his underworld and resumed his fraudulent activities from where he had previously stopped.

His latest victim was an investor whom he allegedly defrauded of USD146,000 woth, based on an impure gold transaction misrepresented as a pure one. Fortunately, the security agencies, led by the State House Anti-corruption Unit (SHACU) headed by Maj. Gen Henry Isoke, swung into action and rounded up Twebaze and his accomplices.

Right now, the suspects are in the safe hands of the prison services after a magistrate in town rejected to admit them to bail and instead remanded them for a fortnight. The latest criminal charges is a warning that Twebaze’s criminal cartel is still alive and kicking, and just waiting for an opportunist time to conduct more fraudulent activities.

The latest round of charges serve as a wake-up call to the members of public to be on the look out going forward, short of which Twebaze’s cartel will potentially catch them unaware. From his earlier criminal exploits and court experiences, Twebaze likely learnt lessons and now returns as a more sophisticated scammer than he was in the past, to once more conduct his fraudulent activities.

His return calls for extra vigilance from the relevant government security agencies to curb his potential criminal activities. Finally, the security agencies will need going forward to get to the bottom of Twebaze’s cartel once and for all to save his potential innocent victims  psychological torture triggered by loss of their hard-earned funds.

Ndugu’s earlier efforts to speak to Dean’s closet associate, a one Scovia, had ended in what he termed as a cold shoulder and uncouth exchange. Matters were not eased when he met the same fate upon contacting Dean’s lawyers. Left with no option, Ndugu, against all odds made it a few days later to Makindye court, in a bid to understand the legal dynamics of Dean’s case.

Spirited by the personal show of solidarity with the man he terms his young brother in the Ugandan journalism sphere, he encountered the same aforementioned attitude issues. Boxed into fix, but not one to give up, the only humane way of trying to send a message to Dean and his ‘family’ plus close ‘friends’, Ndugu and the investigator team of Samuel Kasozi aka Philosopher, counsel Gideon Tugume aka Omuwejere and this writer, embarked on a sustained media activation, all in a bid to bring sanity to the legal impasse facing Dean.

Therefore, information of a call having come in from Nalongo, was nothing short of a surprise. The Nobel and at least very cordial and respective Nalongo, finally picked Ndugu’s return call and like what he says, the rest is history. Having agreed to meet the next morning at 10am to embark on the unpredictable road to Luzira Murchison Bay prison, we all did the needful.

God’s ways aren’t man’s ways, for by 8am, Philosopher was already at the Yaya Xtra Residence meeting point. Next was Yours truly, while Tugume, the man with a prison freight joined the fray. To sum up our team, Ndugu also pulled up with his swag and signature sleeveless shirt.

A while later, Nalongo in the company of Mukwaaba Katende, also pulled into the rendezvous. We later in our separate cars, headed to Luzira prison. What transpired between Nalongo and Katende in their car will forever remain their secret – your guess is as good as mine – the unbelievable, yet reality of the whole investigator team enroute to meet Dean, that had befallen them.

Inside Luzira

The professionalism exhibited by the squad at the first quarter guard is strict on cue but polite. However, that is the tip of the search story, for the cars were treated to a diplomatic non immunity check that revealed how we had indeed, left some stuff that was prohibited and had to be left at the gate.

Those without a national ID like our producer Bbuule Josh, had to run back to pick one from Kisasi, just in order to be part of history, while the others had their initials taken by a candid lady prison warder, who completed the drill by issuing us with the first entry card. The second search was carried out in the confines of a room just before the general gate entry.

The Katende and Nalongo car then sought engine leave, and thus had to hike a ride in ours. The third check was at the canteen, visitors waiting room section. Here, no checks – just registration, then a chit is given to the visitor with the prisoner`s name that you hand to another warder who, disappears with it into the now visible Murchison Bay prison where Dean is confined.

Fifteen minutes later, another came shouting the name Dean Saava Lubowa loudly, kumbe it was the alert that he was waiting for us. Entering the section was as tricky as entering a pin hole to raw ecstasy. Registration, and, oh yes, the final but more sophisticated check. It’s an experience that Tugume mentioned was why he has a phobia for jail.

With a prominent visitor` card, we were ushered into the private holding area, with the OC sitting still, smart, smiling, polite and fresh. God!! She is a fine lady. Seated next to the OC was Dean Saava Lubowa who beckoned in the aura of hope with jaw dripping drops of ego settled down.

Dropped in a yellow shirt and matching shorts, looking well kempt (shaven), complete with black socks and crocks, Dean looked as healthy as manna. Dean initially had feigned ignorance of our presence which was given away by the fact that anyone one seated in the OC’s office had a vintage view of what is happening – a birds view away.

In his usual style, Dean begun by lecturing the team about media rights and how he is fighting for them. As our host, we listened to him. But midway, Ndugu chipped in and informed him that he, and the others hadn’t come to beg him to bargain, but rather to try and secure his freedom through common sense and not pride.

The legal muwejere, Tugume also made is maiden speech. He told Dean that though he offended him, it was in the past and that he was here for a common good of striving to get him out of jail. With Dean throwing out the ego bath water, and gawking at reality, he agreed that Ndugu lead the road to regaining his freedom.

Dean, also instructed that Nalongo and Katende furnish any relevant contacts to the team in seeking his freedom. This is the first part of an amicable meeting with incarcerated TV 10 Chief of Strategies (COS) Mr. Dean Saava Lubowa… Watch this space

During his presence at the helm of Mugaino’a office, Bigira controversially cancelled a Certificate of Title to a sizeable parcel of land worth of billions of shillings, comprised in Busiro, Block 855 located in Bussi, Wakiso district. The subject land belonged to an eminent lawyer, Godfrey Lule Sserunkuma and others. Sserunkuuma once served as an Attorney General.

Aged approximately 90 years, the veteran lawyer and another former eminent lawyer, the late Paulo Sebalu, jointly co-founded the prestigious law firm of Sebalu, Lule and Company Advocates. They named it after themselves and now, it continues to flourish, under the stewardship of Counsels Ssebugenyi Mukasa, Joseph Luswata and Barnabas Tumusingize.

The soft-spoken and deeply humble legal mind, Sserunkuuma served under the Kabaka’s administration at Mengo for a long time before resigning on his own. And, after resigning from the law firm that he helped to co-found, Lule formed his own law firm known as Godfrey Lule Sserunkuma and Company Advocates. The same is located along Bukoto Street in Kololo, where he continues to practice law.

While he is deeply humble, Lule is not necessarily a pushover, especially where his rights and freedoms have been messed up with, by whomsoever. Consequently, following what he describes as the fraudulent switching of the above-mentioned land where he holds a big stake, Lule has demanded for disciplinary action against the Ag commissioner of land registration, Johnson Bigira.

To this end, the old man of the law, on November 4th 2025, formally wrote to the Lands Minister, Hon. Judith Nabakooba, demanding for an investigation into the saga. He cites serious charges of abuse of office, unprofessional conduct and irrational administrative action. He asserts those are more than adequate for Nabakooba to base on and penalize the errant Bigira.

The Story

At the center of the purported land bonanza allegedly presided over by Bigira, is Rose Nansubuga. An old lady, Nansubuga stands accused of fraudulently depriving Mzee Lule and others of their right to the subject land. On the way to depriving the Lules of their land, Nansubuga reportedly and fraudulently claimed that their Certificate of Title had overlapped on a separate parcel of land.

She claims the land purportedly belongs to  the estate of Adonia Kaaya Sembuya Mukasa, to which she is purportedly an administrator. But Lule asserts that Nansubuga is merely telling lies and that she is merely a pawn in the grand scam intended to grab their land with the curious collusion of Bigira.

As stated earlier, and now repeated as a necessary reminder, this instant  scandal unfolded while Bigira served as an acting Commissioner in the absence of the substantive one, Hajj Baker Mugaino who, had been suspended based on the illegal orders issued by the former IGG, Betty Kamya.

Curiously, before Mugaino’s suspension, Bagiire had relied on Section 88 of the Land Act Cap 236 (as amended) and declined to handle Nansubuga’s dispute. The said piece of law strictly forbids a Commissioner of Land Registration from cancelling a certificate of Title based on the ground of fraud.

The same piece of law was cited with approval by the Supreme Court in the case number 15 of 2017, involving Hilda Wilson Namusoke, on one hand, and 3 others and Owalla’s Home Investment Trust, on the other hand. In line with his ruling, Bigira advised Nansubuga to proceed to the High Court, which is vested with jurisdiction, to hear her case and secure redress.

Pursuant to Bigira’s ruling, Lule and his joint proprietors to the subject land asked him to remove the caveats that Nansubuga had placed on their Certificate of Title, for, it had forbidden them from dealing into the same. The Lules’ view was that since the caveats had been issued by Bigira based on fraud raised by Nansubuga and yet the law prohibited him from doing so, the same had abated by virtue of his  ruling and were therefore, no longer lawful and needed to be done away with.

But Bigira declined to vacate the impugned caveats and stated that he needed to conduct an investigation first, and inform an opinion as to whether to remove the caveats or not. As the Lules waited for the way forward, in August, 2025, Bigira revisited the issue of cancelling their Certificate of Title, based on fraud!

The above stance, even when in his own ruling he delivered on February 20th 2025, had unambiguously stated that he lacked jurisdiction to cancel the Certificate of Title on the ground of fraud. Therefore, Bigira’s new position was a departure from his earlier ruling issued in black and white for ease of reference, and for posterity, which was counseling Nansubuga to refer his dispute to the High Court that is vested with jurisdiction to handle her dispute.

Possibly, by revisiting the dispute, Bigira turned himself into a judge of the High Court which, he is factually not. He even proceeded to offer redress but in a matter where, in truth, he lacked and still lacks powers to do so. Potentially, Bigira’s second actions were taken outside the scope of his jurisdiction and were dead on arrival. Keep watching this space in relation to these matters.

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From a rough count, approximately six innocent people have died already and yet more are expected to die as the result of floods currently wrecking havoc in a nation’s capital city. The floods follows controversial  works conducted over Nakivubo channel by Hamis Kiggundu, popularly known as Ham, backed  by his godfather, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

Museveni’s authorization is contentious especially in light of the absence of prior authorization of the works issued by National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA). Impliedly,  the ongoing works were illegal right from the word go and remains so even as Ham,  who is, incidentally a lawyer by training, continues to conduct them.

No wonder, in absence of an impact assessment duly issued by NEMA, highlighting measures against potential environmental hazards, Ham’s illegal works have since deepened the challenge of floods, leaving the business community counting heavy losses as the result of stocks soaked in the running rain water.

To compound matters, apart from loss of business stock with unquantified amount of shillings but believed to be massive, the floods have been claiming lives of innocent people and still counting. Puzzlingly, as the concerning state of affairs unfold, Gen. Museveni, who personally authorized Ham to conduct the illegal works,  remains conspicuously silent, highlighting a disturbing lack of leadership amidst a challenge of catastrophic proportions.

Yet from  the time Museveni and Ham first contemplated interference with the natural flow of the critical eco-system to the present time, people of a good sense of judgement have prudently been urging for utmost caution. Alarmingly, a nation’s leader and his blue-eyed private investor,  on the other hand, have been recklessly throwing all caution to the wind, compromising a country’s capital city’s critical drainage system, opening floodgates, culminating into unnecessary human deaths and a massive  loss of business stocks.

Incredulously, all authority in this silly republic is vested in one mortal man called Museveni whose other name is Tibuhaburwa, which connotes a man who cannot be advised. For that matter, all of the government institutions mandated to bring sanity to the current chaotic state of affairs all the way from parliament, the police, the city authorities and NEMA, are currently tight-lipped and absolutely lost for what to do in the circumstances.

Just one single man, Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has been consistently pinpointing the great danger the city and it’s inhabitants are doomed to face should Ham and his illegal works be left alone and yet without Gen. Museveni  giving any attention to his counsel. Seeking not to antagonize their jobs, the leaders and staff of the public institutions mandated to rein in Ham and his chaos, have since switched off as they pray and hope against  hope that the Alpha and Omega in this silly republic finally comes in, putting a  stop to the madness unfolding before our own eyes.

As the ongoing madness continues unabated, one question quickly come to mind – how  many lives must be lost before the Powers-that-be can intervene and end the same? Unfortunately so, those who are mandated to stop the unfolding madness are busy campaigning for re-election to their individual political office. Yet as if upon succeeding in their campaigns they would not need people to preside over and to tax to sustain their luxurious livestlyes! Honestly, the mind boggles.

Fortunately, the timing of the madness offers a rarest opportunity to the masses to use and vote out leaders who have exhibited a concerning lack of care and vote into power only those leaders who will be going forward, honestly and diligently to champion their interests and concerns.

For context, the first and foremost article of the 1995 Uganda Constitution bestows all power to the people who simply delegates their power to their leaders during elections, and who are constitutionally obliged to exercise that power in the name and interest of the people. Crucially, it is now upon us to stop the abuse of our power by those we delegate to exercise the same, by wisely applying that power during the voting period not lying very far from us. Finally, short of that, the people to whom we delegate our power will continue to act with condescension towards us, our concerns, needs and interests. Stay very warned.

For God and our Country. 

KAMPALA, Uganda: Dark clouds, thick with suspicion, deceit, and death have rolled over the once flamboyant, self-styled tycoon Bryan White, born Brian Kirumira. The man, who strutted Kampala’s nightlife as a “philanthropic socialite” now stands at the center of a chilling mystery that has jolted the city’s elite and shaken the very foundations of his glittering empire.