By Samuel Opio
Mr Nowomugisha Sedrack Nzaire Kaguta, a brother to President Yoweri K. Museveni has dragged Daily Monitor and its editor in chief to the High Court for allegedly using his photograph on a wrong story.
In a suit filed in the High court on October 18, Nowomugisha claims that the paper published malicious allegations that he had helped businessman Simpson Birungi, popularly known as Movit, grab the ministry of Trade land in Jinja.
“On August 2, 2017, with intent to defame, ridicule, and or demean the person of the plaintiff, Daily monitor wrote, printed, published and distributed a defamatory article of the plaintiff. The defendants indicated that a one Simpson Birungi had appeared before the Land Commission of Inquiry and pinned President Yoweri Museveni’s young brother Michael Nuwagira, aka Toyota for having helped him fraudulently grab government land,” Nowomugisha’s plaint reads in part. It is filed on his behalf by Nabukenya Associated Advocates.
He asserts that the picture attached to the article and said to be one of Nuwagira was his and to that effect he wrote a letter to the defendants on August 2, 2017demanding for an apology but they turned a deaf ear to the same.
“The statements in the article were highly defamatory arising from untruthfulness, deliberate mispresentation and distortion of facts, bizarre connotations and malice with clear intention to damage the good name, fame, business and other social reputations the plaintiff (Nowomugisha) has had to build for many years,” reads in part the court documents.
Court documents further indicate that the words that were used in the article were understood to mean that Nowomugisha is a low-class person, delinquent, trickster, dishonest, fraudster and untrustworthy yet he is a person of high esteem, the chairman NRM Kiruhura District, a family man and businessman.
He contends that due to the defamatory effect of the defendant’s article, his status and financial earnings have been negatively affected, he has lost business income as people are shunning him and his endorsement deals with different individuals and corporations have stalled as a result.
Nowomugisha wants court to force Daily Monitor publications pay him general, punitive and exemplary damages for their actions against him.
