MP Rukaari’s arrest was uncalled for – Mao

Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Nobert Mao has decried the manner in which Mbarara City North MP, Robert Mwesigwa Rukaari was illegally detained on Wednesday evening. Mao represented Speaker of Parliament Anita Among at the launch of a fundraising drive for Uganda Martyrs Catholic Parish Church in Mbarara on Saturday, where he said the dubious action was meant to disorganize the function which Rukaari had organized as a flagship project for his term as the area representative in Parliament.

Narrating the circumstances under which the MP ended up in LUzira, Mao said that on Wedensday he was contacted by the lawyers of a one Gerald Kalungi, a controversial money lender. Rukaari borrowed money from Kalungi in 2019 and according to Mao, he invested it in his business which was hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. When he was contacted, Rukaari willingly went to meet the lawyers, but unkown to him the lawyers had planned with court bailiffs and had a court official sign an undue order committing Rukaari to Luzira.

“This was absolutely unnecessary. The same money lender has Rukaari’s land title of property worth billions and a duly signed transfer form. So if it was about recovering the money, all he had to do was sell the property,” Mao explained to the gathering in Mbarara. He added that the intention was to humiliate Rukaari and disrupt the church fundraising function. Mao further explained that Rukaari is owed more than Shs40 billion by the government for various undertakings which the business tycoon, who is also the NRM party national chairman for the Entrepreneurs League, has with government. “The papers for this money owed to Rukaari are with us and it is only Ministry of Finance holding his money,” Mao, who is a long time friend of the MP said.

Earlier, a press statement issued by the management of Mwesigwa Resorts, one of the companies owned  by the  MP indicates that the MP is going to challenge the circumstances of his arrest and committal to Luzira. “Mwesigwa Resorts Ltd. wishes to state categorically that it’s Chairman Hon. Dr. Mwesigwa Rukaari, who also serves at the Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Morocco in Uganda, is not only a Member of Parliament but also a businessman of high repute who has interests in Real Estate, Tourism, Resorts, Agriculture, Forestry, Procurement Consultancy and various other business interests employing hundreds of Ugandans.  He has secured and serviced facilities in millions of dollars over the years to carry out his businesses.  We therefore denounce the unethical conduct of the creditor’s lawyer Stanley Omwony of M/S Omwony&Co Advocates whose motive seems to be only to humiliate the Hon. Dr. Mwesigwa Rukaari and to sully his character,” the statement reads in part.

See full statement below…….

STATEMENT ON THE MALICIOUS ARREST OF OUR MANAGING DIRECTOR HON. DR. ROBERT MWESIGWA RUKAARI, MP

The Management of Mwesigwa Resorts wishes to take this opportunity to clarify the circumstances under which our Chairman, Hon. Dr. Robert Mwesigwa Rukaari was arrested and committed into prison under the pretext of a civil debt.

On the fateful day Hon. Dr. Mwesigwa Rukaari contacted the lawyer of Kalungi Gerald ( The person he owes money) and told him that he wanted to meet him in order to agree on a new payment schedule.

When Hon. Dr. Mwesigwa Rukaari reached the meeting venue the latter instead insisted that the new payment schedule should be agreed before Court.

Hon. Dr. Mwesigwa Rukaari agreed and accordingly they went to the Commercial Court. Unknown to him the creditor’s lawyer in collusion with some unscrupulous bailiffs and court officials connived to get a court registrar to sign a committal to civil prison!

Mwesigwa Resorts Ltd. wishes to state categorically that it’s Chairman Hon. Dr. Mwesigwa Rukaari, who also serves at the Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Morocco in Uganda, is not only a Member of Parliament but also a businessman of high repute who has interests in Real Estate, Tourism, Resorts, Agriculture, Forestry, Procurement Consultancy and various other business interests employing hundreds of Ugandans.

He has secured and serviced facilities in millions of dollars over the years to carry out his businesses.  We therefore denounce the unethical conduct of the creditor’s lawyer Stanley Omwony of M/S Omwony&Co Advocates whose motive seems to be only to humiliate the Hon. Dr. Mwesigwa Rukaari and to sully his character.

The Hon. Dr. Mwesigwa Rukaari  is also a renowned philanthropist who is currently at the centre of efforts to raise funds for the building of the Uganda Martyrs Cathedral in Mbarara City. The launch of the fundraising is scheduled to kick off this coming Saturday with the Rt. Hon. Speaker as Guest of Honour. The timing of the malicious and diabolical actions of the creditor is therefore suspect as it seems motivated to interfere with one of the flagship activities of the Hon. Dr. Mwesigwa Rukaari.

The creditor is not after money. Instead he has become a rallying point for the political and personal enemies of the Hon. Dr. Mwesigwa Rukaari who are seething with jealous because of his rising star.

We have instructed lawyers to vacate the malicious court order and are committed to make the necessary arrangements to settle the debt once and for all.

For the record, out of a debt of 600 million shillings the Hon. Dr. Mwesigwa Rukaari has already paid a total of 792 million shillings being the principal and usurious interests.

We also intend to file a complaint against the unscrupulous bailiffs whose illegal actions led to the unfortunate arrest and incarceration of the Hon. Dr. Mwesigwa Rukaari. We will leave no stone unturned to ensure Justice and to expose all those involved in this dubious saga.

MWESIGWA RESORTS LTD.