Ugandan MP Accused of Stealing Curtains Worth Shs3.7 Billion

A Kampala textile trader has accused Kalungu East Member of Parliament-elect Yusuf Kiruluuta Junior Nkeretanyi of orchestrating the theft of curtain materials worth Shs3.7 billion from his home and business, allegedly with the help of his own wife and close associates.

Nkeretanyi, who defeated State Minister Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja in the recent elections, has been jointly charged with six others including the complainant’s wife, Shamira Nakachwa, along with Ivan Zziwa, John Tamale, and the trader’s brother-in-law, Hamza Mugumya. The group faces charges of theft and handling stolen property belonging to Hajj Sulaiman Lwabuuka Kasule.

The accused appeared before Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court, where Hajj Lwabuuka took the stand for the second time and told the court that Nkeretanyi had been a regular visitor at his home and gradually built a close relationship with his wife, which he believes was later used to carry out the thefts.

“They would switch off CCTV cameras, open the store and steal bales of clothes,” he testified, adding that the whole operation appeared carefully planned from inside the house.

His daughter Hilda Mbabazi backed up the account, telling court that her mother would position herself in the master bedroom where the CCTV controls were located, disable the cameras, then pass the store keys to Nkeretanyi through their daughter.

“She would give our daughter the keys to take to Nkeretanyi so that he could access the store,” Lwabuuka told the court.

Some of the stolen materials were later recovered from Nkeretanyi’s shop in Kampala and have since been entered as exhibits in the case. This led to an additional charge of handling stolen property against the MP-elect.

The hearing took a tense turn when Nkeretanyi chose to cross-examine Lwabuuka himself, suggesting the case might be driven by a personal grudge rather than actual criminal conduct.

“Do you have any grudge against me?” he asked.

Lwabuuka denied it, saying he was in court purely to seek justice and recover his property. He also made a pointed remark, telling the MP-elect: “Even your bosses asked you if you could pay me so that everything comes to an end.”

Nkeretanyi then pushed further, arguing that since Lwabuuka had never personally witnessed him taking anything, it should be his wife and brother-in-law pressing charges, not him.

Lwabuuka was unmoved. “You opened the store. You are a thief, my friend,” he told the MP-elect directly.

At one point Nkeretanyi hinted the whole dispute might come down to a broken relationship, but Lwabuuka turned that argument around, blaming the MP-elect for the collapse of his marriage.

“You are the one who broke us up. She wants to come back, but I told her to first return my stolen property,” he said.

The trader also explained that he had given his wife full authority to manage the home and oversee goods, an arrangement he now believes made the alleged theft easier to pull off.

Lwabuuka also raised fears about his personal safety, telling the court he had been stabbed by his wife’s aunt, Janat Naiga, in an incident he said was reported to police.

Chief Magistrate Ritah Neube Kidasa adjourned the matter to May 11 for further hearing.