Uganda woke up to another public fight this week.
Not about policy. Not about service delivery. About character.
Nation Media Group Uganda Managing Director Susan Nsibirwa and State Minister for Trade Justine Nameere traded accusations online. What started as a question about an MP election quickly became a fight about police records, alcohol, surety, and integrity. Former bosses jumped in. Classmates jumped in. And within hours, two senior women became the country’s main spectacle.
This isn’t just gossip. When people who run media and government fight in public, the damage spreads. Here’s the deeper picture.
THE SPARK AND THE EXPLOSION
It began with credentials and ended with court threats.
Nameere posted her academic and political timeline — primary school prefect, Budo house prefect, advisor, MP after a court recount, now minister. Nsibirwa replied with a question about that MP election. She said the law was broken to declare a winner. That was about process, not person.
Nameere responded by going personal. She claimed she stood surety for Nsibirwa in 2015, said fellow managers refused to help her from police, and referenced alcohol and “njaga” cocaine problems. The message was clear: “I saved you then, so don’t question my victory now.”
Nsibirwa fired back with defamation threats. “Lies lies and more lies… this can land you in court. Let’s go!!”
Then the past walked in. Robert Kabushenga, her former supervisor at Vision Group from 2011-2019, defended her record. He said he supervised her in marketing, she was never arrested or charged, she left with high integrity, and her current employer would have done due diligence. Adonia Ayebare, Foreign Affairs Minister, added that they were Makerere classmates for 5 years, she was a disciplined born-again Christian, and reputations shouldn’t be damaged by insults.
Two women. Two public offices. One ugly fight. And now lawyers are on standby.
THE REAL WAR ISN’T BETWEEN TWO WOMEN
Let’s be critical, because Uganda deserves more than sides.
We fight with the past, not the issue
Nsibirwa raised a question about an election process. That’s a public issue. Votes, recounts, court decisions — those belong to citizens. But Nameere answered with personal allegations from 2015. Instantly, the debate shifted from “was the law followed?” to “who is the better woman?”
That’s a Ugandan pattern. When arguments get hot, we abandon the issue and attack the person. We dig up old files. We weaponize shame. And we forget that a minister’s victory and a CEO’s police record are two different debates. Conflating them kills accountability. Gender makes the knives sharper.
Women in public life in Uganda carry a double burden. You must perform, and you must be morally spotless. One accusation about behavior follows you for life. Men get “he’s tough.” Women get “she’s reckless.” That’s why Nameere’s allegations landed like a bomb, and why Kabushenga + Ayebare felt compelled to defend “character” not just “competence.”
Defamation is now our debate tool
Nsibirwa threatened court. Nameere threw down a “so when the Law gives you bond” line. Courts are good. Law is good. But when every disagreement ends with “I’ll sue you,” debate dies.
Uganda has real defamation laws. They protect people from false harm. But they’re also used to silence questions. If asking about an election gets you accused of personal crimes, next time nobody will ask. If defending yourself means dragging your former boss to Twitter, truth becomes noise.
We need courts. But we also need maturity. Not every fight needs a judge. Some need facts, apologies, or silence.
Institutions get dragged into personal wars.
Kabushenga defended Nsibirwa’s Vision Group record. Ayebare defended her Makerere record. That’s loyalty. But it’s also a problem. When institutions become character witnesses in Twitter fights, they lose neutrality.
Vision Group, NMG, Makerere, Government — these should be bigger than one person’s feud. Yet once a CEO says “I supervised her, she was clean,” and a Minister says “we were classmates, she was disciplined,” the institutions are now part of the story. If Nsibirwa wins in court, Nameere looks reckless. If Nameere produces proof, Kabushenga and Ayebare look misled. Nobody wins.
WHAT THIS FIGHT REVEALS ABOUT UGANDA 2026
Power without boundaries: Both women have power. One runs a major media house. One is a state minister. Power should mean restraint. Instead, it became ammunition. When people with platforms fight dirty, citizens lose faith in both media and government.
Masaka politics is personal: The MP seat Nameere holds came after a court recount and controversy. That wound hasn’t healed. Nsibirwa’s question touched it. Nameere’s response bled from it. Masaka’s elections have been violent and litigious for years. Until that history is addressed, every public comment will feel like war.
Reputation is Uganda’s currency: In countries with strong institutions, records speak. In Uganda, reputation is built person-to-person. “I worked with her.” “I was her classmate.” That’s why Kabushenga and Ayebare mattered. Their words carried weight because systems don’t. But that’s dangerous. We shouldn’t need a former CEO to vouch for a CEO. We should have records, processes, and trust in due diligence.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
If allegations are true, prove them in court: Defamation threats are fine. But Uganda is tired of threats. File the case. Present evidence. Let a judge decide. Twitter is not a courtroom. Silence after threats looks like bluff.
If the election question matters, separate it: Nsibirwa raised a public interest issue. Answer that issue with documents, not dredged history. Citizens deserve to know if the law was followed in Masaka. That’s bigger than both women.
Protect women in public life: We can disagree fiercely with female leaders without weaponizing gendered shame. “You’re wrong on policy” is debate. “You drink, you’re immoral” is destruction. Uganda must decide which one we want.
Leaders, log off when it’s personal: Kabushenga and Ayebare meant well. But sometimes the best defense is letting institutions speak. A statement from NMG HR. A statement from Parliament. Not former bosses on social media. Institutions build trust. Personal endorsements build camps.
Final Word
Susan Nsibirwa and Justine Nameere are both accomplished. One built a career in corporate media and marketing. One built a career in broadcasting then politics. Uganda needs both skill sets.
But this week, they reminded us of something ugly: In Uganda, when powerful women fight, the country watches for blood, not solutions.
The real loser here isn’t Nsibirwa or Nameere. It’s public discourse. It’s the young girl in Masaka who now thinks leadership means surviving character assassination. It’s the citizen who wanted answers about an election and got a fight about alcohol instead.
Reputations take years to build and minutes to burn. Uganda has burned too many already.
If this ends in court, let it be about facts. If it ends with an apology, let it be about maturity. But if it ends with more insults, then we all lose — because tomorrow, another woman will think twice before taking a public role.
And a country that scares its best women from leadership will never grow.
May wisdom prevail over rage. May facts prevail over rumors. May Uganda prevail over ego.
