KABALA, UGANDA – Kabale Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Michael Muramira Kyakashari has ordered Kabale-based journalist Vanansio Mbabazi Kakogoso to publicly apologize and retract a story that accused Parish Chief Blessing Mugabi Agaba of demanding bribes from Parish Development Model (PDM) beneficiaries.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The directive follows a thorough investigation prompted by a publication on the online website (thesource.ug), authored by Kakogoso, which claimed that Mugabi, the Parish Chief of Bushuuro Parish, was soliciting bribes from PDM beneficiaries.
The article, published last week on March 28, alleged that the Parish Chief had been soliciting bribes ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 shillings from each beneficiary.
According to Deputy RDC Michael Muramira, his office investigated the story and found that the locals allegedly quoted in the article had not spoken to Kakogoso about the PDM bribe.
The investigation found Mrs. Agaba to be a good parish chief, stating that Kakogoso had personal issues with her stemming from his wife not receiving PDM funds, and that he had sought to tarnish Agaba’s reputation.
Muramira ordered Kakogoso to apologize to Agaba and withdraw the story, calling him a “negative journalist” and banning him from covering the RDC’s office.
The Deputy RDC further called upon the Uganda Media Council to take disciplinary action against Kakogoso, arguing that publishing false information not only tarnishes individual reputations but also undermines public trust in the media.
Kakogoso has apologized to Agaba, but she wants the story retracted and an apology issued on the same platforms where the original story was published threatening to sue him upon failure to comply.
About the Author
