We’re Sorry! Daily Monitor Apologizes To Mathias Mpuuga Over Defamatory Story
Uganda’s leading private newspaper Monitor a subsidiary of Nation Media Group has finally apologised to Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament over a defamatory story that the daily published alleging that the latter had been part of the negotiations with the government to release incarcerated NUP MPs Mohamed Ssegirinya and Allan Ssewanyana.
On 15th February 2023, Monitor published a story indicating that Hon. Mpuuga entered into a deal with Uganda’s government officials in a bid to release the two MPs who were detained for allegedly masterminding the Masaka killings.
The publication claimed that Mpuuga first met State prosecutors and Speaker of Parliament, Anita Annet Among, her Deputy, Thomas Tayebwa, and a team of security officials and after a long talk, negotiations were made and the MPs were released.
”Our investigations reveal a complex web of secret talks powered by Parliament’s top leadership and in which the Leader of Opposition played a key role reportedly outside of [NUP President] Bobi Wine’s purview leading to a deal-making meeting last month between the accused lawmakers and a senior government executive, expected to soon result in the freedom of National Unity Platform party supporters being tried by the Army Court,” Monitor allegedly published.
Following the publication, through his lawyers, Lukwago & Co.Advocates, Mpuuga noted that the article published by Monitor newspaper claimed that he was involved in backdoor meetings that resulted in the Bail of National Unity Platform(NUP) Members of Parliament Allan Ssewanyana and Muhammad Ssegirinya, which he said was baseless and meant tarnish his name.
Mpuuga accused Daily monitor of tarnishing his name and labelling him as an incompetent leader through ‘fabricated stories’ against him and wants the paper to retract the story and issue an apology to him and also pay him over UGX 200 million in compensation.
“TAKE NOTICE THAT, by reason of the said defamatory publication, our client who has at all material times been a highly respected person, whose record in public service is beyond reproach, has been greatly injured in his credit, reputation and generally subjected to untold psychological torture,” the notice stated in part adding that ”our Client demands that you apologize to him and retract the said fallacious and malicious publication in your Newspaper and in the same way highlight it as you published the defamatory story and pay damages of UGX. 200 000 000/. (Two hundred Million Shillings) with 10% thereof on account of costs.”
Mpuuga later gave the Newspaper a week to heed his warning or otherwise he institutes legal proceedings against it which the Daily Monitor responded to by apologizing to him.
”We have since established that no such meetings or talks were held” daily monitor said in a statement
