UGANDA, Kampala | Real Muloodi News | Police have arrested two journalists for attempting to extort money from Real Muloodi Hamis Kiggundu through coercion and blackmail over made-up false allegations against his building, Ham Towers.
The arrested journalists are Javira Sssebwami, the public editor and co-founder of ugstandard.com and Remmy Asiteza, founder of dailyexpress.co.ug., two prominent online news sites in Uganda.
How it all Began
Last week, on Thursday and Friday, the two journalists published stories on their websites claiming that traders at the Ham Towers Building on Makerere Hill had requested the intervention of the National Building Review Board (NBRB) and the Kampala City Authority (KCCA) over questions of the integrity of Hamis’ building.
In their blackmail articles, they falsely alleged that: “Tenants at Ham Towers building, located at Makerere Hill Rd want the National Building Review Board (NBRB) to immediately conduct structural integrity of the mall— alleging concerns of the multiple compression failures of reinforced Concrete Columns of the entire structure.”
They falsely claimed fears of several compression failures of reinforced concrete columns across the building to extort money from Hamis and sabotage his business, despite the several structural integrity tests on file, some of which were carried out by KCCA itself.
FALSE ALLEGATIONS:
FALSE ALLEGATIONS:
When Mr Isaac Newton, the public relations manager for Ham Enterprises (U) Ltd called them to demand that they retract their maliciously defamatory fabricated stories, the duo attempted to extort money from Hamis through blackmail and keeping him at ransom, demanding UGX4 million to remove their fake stories.
Furthermore, the journalists admitted to fabricating the reports to receive money from Ham, and that the managers of the company should pay them if they wanted the their false published stories to be retracted.
Mr Newton eventually consented to meet with the journalists and deliver the UGX4 million ransom to remove the false Ham Tower building articles that could have otherwise damaged both his business and reputation.
The manager then made contact with the Police, who secretly went with him to the predetermined locations for money payout. After the agreed-upon ransom was paid, the police arrested the two journalists.
They were booked under reference number: SD REF 53/29/8/2022 VIDE KIRA DIVISION POLICE STATION.
At the Police Station
Ssebwami was verified to be in trouble at the police station, according to one of his close friends, who spoke to him on Monday.
“I last saw him in the noon hours of Monday, but he told me, that he was supposed to me meet some people only to call me in the evening that he is at the police station,” Ssebwami’s friend confirmed.
Mr Newton stated that the two were arrested over charges of Obtaining Money by Menace, Extortion, Malice, Defamation and Spreading Falsehood against Ham Towers and Blackmail.
When the two journalists arrived at the Kira Division Police Station, they remorsefully confessed to the crimes of blackmail and malice and began appealing to be pardoned.
Mr Newton stated that he recovered the UGX 4 million which the two journalists had received from him as blackmail trophies.
Mr Isaac Newton said, “It is so common for the youth of today looking for money through soft fraudulent deals and acts like these instead of honestly working for a living. It is advisable for the youth to stop looking for money through dishonest means but rather transform their mindset and do productive activities that can add value to their lives, communities and the country at large.”
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