National Unity Platform (NUP) leadership has warned Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) vice chairperson in charge of Buganda and also the Sisimuka Uganda civic organisation Frank Gashumba to stop claiming that he has a close relationship with Barbra Itungo Kyagulanyi the wife to their party president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine)

Speaking to theGrapevine, Alex Mufumbiro the NUP deputy spokesperson cleared the air confirming that Itungo has no relationship with Gashumba.

Mufumbiro advised their supporters locally and internationally to discard the allegation which have been widely spread by Gashumba for his personal benefit.

“I have been receiving several phone calls from our people who want to know if it is true that Gashumba is a relative to our first lady Babie Itungo, the answer is no. I’m giving the last warning to Gashumba through you people, he should stop making such claims because he will pay for it through legal means,” Mufumbiro said.

He explained that Itungo’s background can be widely traced in entire Ankole but Gashumba can only be traced in his home village in Villa Maria in Kalungu district that is why he wants to glue himself on the already established Itungo to secure a name and recognition.

Mufumbiro further revealed that Ali Bukeni alias Nubian Li’s wife is also not a relative to Gashumba as alleged by the man himself.

Mufumbiro made the statements after Gashumba’s warning to Bobi Wine and entire NUP leadership when he stopped them from insulting and attacking the Banyarwanda (Bavandimwe) community in Uganda.

Gashumba warned NUP that they will lose the battle they declared on the Abavandimwe because they have penetrated all the families in Uganda including that of Bobi Wine and all his friends.

“That Barbie is my sister, she is Omuvandimwe and Kyagulanyi is our brother-in-law, the same story as Nubian Li,” Gashumba boasted on Radio 4.

He advised Bobi Wine to carefully handle Bavandimwe because they have the numbers that can help any politician take over the country’s leadership.

Gashumba on several occasions has been fighting for the rights of Abavandimwe arguing that it is illegal for government to deny them some services like giving them National Identity cards, passports and other forms of discrimination.

Gashumba insists that Abavandimwe are also 100% Ugandans.

By Grapevine Reporter

Family Division of the High Court judge Celia Nagawa has dissolved the marriage of Radio One and Akaboozi ku biiri boss and his wife as top UPDF Officer and witchcraft are cited to have caused troubles for the love birds.

The judge agreed with Brian Mochorwa Mariaria, an accountant working with Radio One and also a farmer that his marriage with his wife Fortunate Komugisha could no longer stand and dissolution was the only option to save the petitioner and defendant’s lives.

“Therefore, I will not hesitate to release whoever wants to leave for a justified cause than to keep a shell house. In the instant case, the Petitioner testified that during the subsistence of the marriage, it was marred with domestic violence, cruelty and he lived on the edge,” the judge stated.

She added that in divorce proceedings, court deals with people who are often feel chaotic emotions and powerful passions.

She acknowledged the feelings of damage, failure, guilt and anger that divorce typically creates, noting that if there is to be divorce, the law should not exacerbate the bitterness between the parties.

The judge states that to expect a legal system to enable the parties to separate happily and then have a good post-divorce relationship is pure idealism.

She further stated that while for some divorce is a tragedy, for others, it can be the start of a happy new future.

In his petition through his lawyers led by Denis Akanyijuka,  Mochorwa told court that he lawfully married Komugisha on 28^th December, 2012 at Our Lady of Africa Church in Mbuya, Kampala District.

He added that during the subsistence of their marriage, they cohabited in Naalya and Luzira in Kampala and they produced two children.

He told court that unfortunately one of the child died and they remained with one.

He further told court that since they legally started staying together, their marriage was marred with misunderstandings which at a later stage developed into domestic violence and that the wife deserted their matrimonial home without reasonable excuse to live with other men.

He produced three witnesses who have vast knowledge of their marriage situation to back up his case.

These included; Andrew Mutumba who was his best man at their wedding, Joshua Kisozi and Annet Moraa who all pleaded with the presiding judge to resolve the marriage.

In his testimony, the petitioner also told court about a certain UPDF officer who his wife had introduced to him as her father before their wedding yet in fact he was her sister’s husband.

He added that because he is a Seventh Day Adventist, and goes to church every Saturday to pray, the wife used that opportunity to engage with the UPDF officer at their matrimonial home.

He noted that he got suspicious that the said Afande was having an affair with his wife because he always visited their home on Saturday knowing when he was away.

His suspension was deepened when the said officer started giving his wife large sums of money for no work done.

The petitioner further revealed that because of their misunderstanding, they separated between 2014 and 2017.

After he involved his church leadership, they reconciled.

However, he learnt that in his absence, the wife had gotten other boyfriends, got pregnant and aborted.

He added that when he was away in Tanzania, he was called by their house maid informing him that his wife had chased her away from their home and did not allow her to access her belongings because she feared that she was going to disclose to him the witchcraft ceremonies that she was performing in their house targeting him.

He testified to court that since that day, he stopped going back home and instead instituted a Divorce case against his wife which was dismissed after his former lawyers failed to do enough due diligence.

He decided to file another suit which was allowed by court.

He testified that their marriage has been slippery, narrating how on their wedding day, his wife abused and insulted him in church in the presence of the presiding priest and on their honeymoon, she fumed, abused him and became violent.

He stated that when his wife sent him for something on his way back home from work, she would warn him not to return home if he did not have it.

“One day the Respondent told him to buy a baby carrier and cautioned him not to return home if he failed to get it. The Petitioner failed to get the baby carrier and when he reached home, the Respondent started quarreling and eventually slapped him,” the judge quoted the petitioner in her judgment.

She added that the petitioner narrated to court how his wife went ahead to grab a knife from the kitchen and charged it towards him; they fought for the knife until he managed to take it away from her after breaking several valuable household property.

The petitioner told court that the wife even vowed to steal a gun from the UPDF officer friend to kill him and on several occasions she threatened to poison him that is why he stopped eating any food prepared at home.

She further pined the wife of neglecting their only child stating that between 2019 and 2021, he did not know the whereabouts of her and his son until he came to learn that she had abandoned the child at her cousin brother’s home, a one Otterans Tayebwa.

He testified that Tayebwa called him and informed him that his son was sick and the wife had disappeared.

On getting this information, he immediately left radio offices in Kampala along Duster Street to look for his son who he found at  Tayebwa’s home.

The Petitioner stated that he found his son very sick, in pain and was in a very bad state dressed in tattered clothes.  He stated that he took the child to hospital and also got him clothing.

He told court that the said minor now stays with him.

Even though Komugisha was served with the petition through her WhatApp number which shows that she received the court documents, and was also served through daily monitor newspaper, she didn’t file a defense and the judge based on the petitioner’s evidence to dissolve their marriage.

She allowed the petitioner to stay with their only son who is 11 years old and the wife was only allowed to visit the son once in the month until she turns 18 years old.

Even though the petitioner told court that he owned a home in Kajjansi, farmland in Wobulenzi Luwero district, he informed court in his affidavit that they don’t have any immovable property together so no order was issued on the issue of sharing of the properties.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

During one of his last appearance on Gw’ensonga talk show on radio4 hosted by Al-Mahadi Kungu, Joseph Tamale Mirundi revealed that he will never forget the day he accepted President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s offer of appointing him as his Senior Presidential Press Secretary.

Mirundi first explained how he first turned down an offer which was presented to him by Amelia Kyambadde the then Principal Private Secretary to President Museveni before being convinced to accept the job.

Mirundi admitted that even though he learnt a lot from President Museveni, to the extent that he even declined to take a scholarship offer to go for further studies abroad, arguing that being closer to the President was better than anything universities were going to teach him, he later cursed this decision saying his dreams were shuttered.

He disclosed that in his book titled ‘Inside the Palace’, he revealed shocking secretes inside State House including the several times he survived being poisoned.

He also disclosed how they planted women to accuse him of rape and fabricated malicious propaganda against him before his boss with the aim of kicking him out of the job.

Mirundi claimed that he was eventually poisoned and has been receiving medication from his brother Dr. Ssali who advised him every morning to take a full cup of water mixed with charcoal powder if he wants to survive for a long time.

He also revealed that his medical experts in Kenya told him that he is lucky to be alive because he was supposed to die five years back.

He also boasted that he survived because he believed in witchcraft.

He further explained that the poison he swallowed was extracted from a deadly poisonous snake from the Democratic Republic of Congo and it is the same poison which Asuman Lukwago the former Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary was given when people he accused of being mafias were fighting for his job.

Mirundi narrated that in another incident, he survived being embarrassed and imprisoned on charges of rape and sexual harassment.

He divulged that on the fateful day, while going about his duties at Okello House, a woman entered his office and told him that she had a private issue she wanted to share with him so that he can help her deliver it to the President.

The woman asked him to order his bodyguard to excuse them.

When he insisted that she should speak in the presence of the bodyguard, the woman jumped from her chair crying. Mirundi narrated that he realised that she had already unbuttoned her clothes and she had plans of undressing to implicate him of rape.

Mirundi recounted that this entire plan was orchestrated by his enemies who wanted his State House job.

FAKE AUDIO RECORDING THAT SEALED HIS STATE HOUSE EXIT

Mirundi further explained that in early 2015, he realized that his days in State House were numbered and he started packing his useful belongings and taking them to his home.

He disclosed that President Museveni was put under pressure to fire him from his job after his accusers reported him for abusing important figures in the country including Ronald Muwenda Mutebi the Kabaka of Buganda.

He explained that one day, when he was at his Zana home, he received a phone call from one of his juniors at State House informing him that Museveni had directed Maj. Gen. Stephen Sabiiti Muzeeyi to look for him and deliver him in his presence urgently.

A few minutes after the call, Maj Gen Sabiiti was at his home.

Sabiiti informed Mirundi that he had orders from the President to take him to State House immediately.

However, Mirundi pleaded with Sabiiti to allow him to put on a suit and remove the casual clothes he had on since he was going to meet the Head of State.

“That boy is very understanding, he loved me even when others were fighting me in State House, he is much disciplined,” Mirundi said.

He added that they reached State House when it was already dark.

He was escorted directly to a room where he found his longtime enemy Andrew Mwenda seated.

Others in attendance included: Col. Edith Nakalema and Lt. Gen. Proscovia Nalweyiso.

A few minutes upon his arrival, the president also entered the room.

He disclosed that Museveni started with asking him whether he was sober and not drunk and whether he was in his right mental state which he answered in affirmative.

He then asked him whether he was sick because he looked like he had lost weight.

When he answered that he was not sick, the president asked him why he was abusing his wife.

The president further asked him whether he had any problem with her.

When Mirundi denied having any problem with Maama, Musveni then asked him why he was abusing her.

Mirundi denied the allegation and the President directed his people to play the audio recording, in the presence of everyone, of Mirundi abusing the First Lady.

Mirundi narrated that Museveni was very bitter to the extent that when the recording started playing, Museveni closed his eyes.

Mirundi then realized that he was going to be imprisoned because he knew what it means to attack Museveni’s family.

He listened to the entire recording without any interruption and after asked him whether the voice in the recording was his or not.

Mirundi disclosed that he admitted with explanation that the recording was doctored by his accusers who cut clips from the different talk shows he held and joined them with those where he talked about the First Lady.

Mirundi explained that before completing his statement, Mwenda jumped in and told the President how Mirundi embarrasses him by abusing powerful people in the country yet many think that he speaks on Museveni’s behalf.

Mirundi disclosed that he jumped from his seat to kill Mwenda who ran behind Museveni’s chair shouting, “the man is mad”.

Mirundi explained that since Mwenda and his elite friends joined journalism, they thought that people like Mirundi who didn’t have a journalism background should not be close to the corridors of power. That is why they fought to make sure that he stops practicing journalism in Uganda claiming that he had no degree.

Mirundi’s explanation caught Museveni’ eye and he asked Mwenda why the audio recording he brought to him had no voice of the moderator.

Museveni told Mwenda that he usually listens to Mirundi’s talk shows and he is always with a moderator.

Museveni then informed Mirundi that even though he is very strong like a cobra, he had been defeated by squirrels. He them dismissed them.

Mirundi revealed that Museveni embarrassed him when he asked him whether he knows how to write. He responded that he knows, that is why he has been his spokesperson.

Mirundi disclosed that as Mwenda and his team were exiting State House in jubilation, Museveni ask him for a one on one meeting where he told him to write a letter of apology to the First Lady which he did under his watch.

Mirundi explained that after the penning of the letter, Museveni himself took it to the First Lady in Mirundi’s handwriting.

He later returned with a smile on his face and informed him that Maama had accepted his apology.

He then asked him to name the person he wished to replace him as his Senior Presidential Press Secretary.

Mirundi recommended his deputy Lindah Nabusaayi.

Mirundi was then appointed Senior presidential adviser in charge of media which he termed as a demotion.

Mirundi maintained that if it was not because of the fake audio recording from Mwenda and a friends, that shuttered his career, he had plans to either join International diplomacy or politics and retire like a king.

By the time of his death, Mirundi always thanked Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba the Chief of Defense Forces.

Mirundi  had also forgiven Mwenda.

Both John Ssali, Mirundi’s elder brother and Frank Gashumba, Mirundi’s friend, agreed that depression might have caused Mirundi’s death.

According to his brother Ssali, when Mirundi left State House, his life changed drastically.

Mirundi recently disclosed said that he has been surviving on the good will of his friends because the little monthly salary he has been receiving from the State House was too small to care for his three homes.

By Sengooba Alirabaki