Reported by Kerry Howard Mwesigwa
In a defamation lawsuit settlement, Uganda’s Daily Monitor newspaper has conceded to pay 300 million Ugandan shillings to President Yoweri Museveni. The lawsuit was filed after the Daily Monitor published an article supposedly sourced from the “The Wall Street Journal” based in the United States, alleging that Museveni and his close associates received the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine before front line health workers and vulnerable groups.
The President argued that the story was false and had tarnished his reputation. The Daily Monitor had initially refused to settle out of court but has now admitted to the falsity of the story and apologized to the President. The newspaper’s acknowledgment marks a significant departure from its previous stance of defending its stories at all costs and highlights the importance of media forums and platforms applying wariness and assiduity in their reporting to avoid legal action with costly consequences.
