It’s now 18 months (or 1.5years) since Ugandan tycoon and celebrated casino gambler Justus Kashoma was apprehended and detained in Dubai. In what appears a conspiracy by business rivals in Kampala conniving with some powerful people in the security system, Kashoma was initially charged with resisting arrest but was acquitted. He was later slapped with charges relating to overstaying in Dubai which he won too. Thereafter he was charged with harassing someone in public (whatever that means) and his concerned friends and relatives in Kampala are wondering the basis of that charge since the man was in detention at the time he is claimed to have harassed someone. The officials at the Ugandan embassy too have been indifferent never helping Kashoma who is said to have been in possession of $5m at the time of his apprehension.
He was following up a deal that involved the purchase and resale of 100kgs of gold and was passing off as a Ugandan investor in Dubai where he had been several times before on gold trade-related errands. Kashoma was initially married to city socialite Susan Kasingye with whom they separated after having a 7 year old child together. The remainder of his family back home is now in turmoil and they are crying to the President to intervene to help their son. Whereas his elderly mum is grievously ill suffering from high blood pressure which has even worsened because of the son’s continued detention, his only brother William is confined in a wheel chair having narrowly survived a nasty accident sometime back. Kashoma, who used to reside in Ntinda Kigowa with his wife Suzan, was officially involved in trading security systems in Kampala though he got much of his money from gambling. Close pals say the man is a globally-recognized gambler and was always successful. To get the $5m he went with to trade in gold in Dubai, close pals say Kashoma had just successfully brokered a juicy deal in Kampala and got a commission. When he got the money he flew to Dubai not knowing what awaited him there.
Recently friends put together $20,000 for the lawyers thinking once that was paid all would be okay only for the Dubai authorities to slap new charges on him hence his continued stay in jail. In his hey days, Kashoma the prince from Nakasongola rubbed shoulders with the mighty and most especially Amama Mbabazi who then wielded a lot of power in Museveni’s Uganda. His close pals and relatives are now frustrated wondering why Uganda has forgotten their son so fast as if he never existed and did good things for his country. They also think there are guys holding onto some of his money and fear when he returns he will be in up in arms against them. In 2011, Kashoma who was never known to be political, shocked many when he plunged into politics by joining his relative Winnie Byanyima to aggressively campaign for Dr. Kizza Besigye who eventually lost to President YK Museveni. Perhaps having learnt a bitter lesson, in 2016 he wasn’t visible anywhere on the campaign trail but close pals say he was clandestinely behind JPAM’s Go-Forward pressure group that badly trailed in the polls.
