By Our Reporters
Details have emerged detailing the secrets behind the flamboyant lifestyle lived by the high-flying city celebrity and social media icon Janette Mugisha. Estimated to be in her 40s (though she looks a teenager), Janette is highly connected in powerful circles and never misses lavish parties Kampala’s A-listers often hold in the upmarket Kampala neighborhoods. The party animal, who controversially likes to comment on contentious issues regarding politics and energy sector, is always rubbing shoulders with the rich and mighty who know how to make and generously chop money. Her social media presence and following exponentially grew at the height of the 2014-2016 political battles President Museveni (aided by Gen Kayihura) had with Amama Mbabazi to whose camp Janette Mugisha actively belonged. She was very active on social media ever posting very provocative comments and pictures aimed at illustrating why Uganda deserved better than what President Museveni was offering. Consequently, she paid the price occasionally having her confrontational moments with Museveni’s security operatives working for the Ugandan state. It’s widely believed that, because of her deep friendship with Mbabazi’s eldest daughter Racheal Kiconco, Janette is one of the few trusted confidants who were trusted with huge sums of money to go and do mobilization in places like Mbale which were initially considered to be JPAM’s strongholds. But somewhere along the way, she bitterly fell out with Racheal Kiconco over domestic issues that we don’t intend to go into at this point in time. She gradually became detached and kept her distance from directly getting in JPAM campaign effort though she remained active on social media. It appears she quickly revived her old social (not necessarily political) contacts including friends (like Toy) who were thickly involved in the Museveni camp. Within no time she was back on her feet with all the financial capabilities to resume partying like never before. Despite not being formally employed, Janette Mugisha rubs shoulders and executes lucrative deals with top guys mostly from the corporate world (banking & energy sectors).
BUT WHO IS SHE?
This news website has established that not many years ago, Janette Mugisha worked with Jazville Bar in Bugolobi owned by two brothers one of whom is Dick Karugaba (a manager at UAP Insurance). Those days, this modestly educated styled up babe from Bushenyi was materially needy and struggling to make ends meet. Unable to afford rent, like often happens to people in such lowly jobs, she sometimes would sleep in the bar or the chairs at her boss’ residence. Close childhood friends say Janette Mugisha is a go-getter and hates self pity. One night as she worked in the bar, she came into contact with some old friends from whom she obtained Shs3m. Using this money, she quit the bar job and went to Juba for business. Those days Juba was very lucrative for especially nice-looking go-getters like herself. In Juba business went so well and her outgoing character ensured she got connections with powerful SPLA Generals in Salva Kiir’s government and these began giving her good contracts to supply stuff to government entities. This enviable connection to South Sudan Generals, who were those days wealthy and synonymous with splashing dollars on Ugandans who pleased them, boosted the very enterprising Janette Mugisha not only in Juba but also back home in Kampala. This is how it worked: The Sudanese Generals had many powerful godfathers in Kampala with whom they did lots of business. So it were these Sudanese Generals that shared their deeply entrenched contacts with Janette Mugisha back home in Kampala. As expected, the self-made young lady efficiently made use of these new contacts to further deepen her commercial interests and transactions in Uganda. Having won trust of the mighty and powerful both in Uganda and South Sudan, Janette Mugisha turned herself into a very successful power broker ever brokering very lucrative deals from which she was often paid very generous commissions. One time in around 2015, reliable close friends say, she made a kill of Shs200m and this had to do with her close association with the Mbabazi family. On hitting the Shs200m jackpot, Janette Mugisha raided Mutungo looking for the best residential properties for renting. On getting one, she told the land lord she was paying for 2 years upfront as opposed to the 3 months the land lord was demanding. She discarded all the old furniture and other house hold items she was previously using and stuffed the new Mutungo residence with totally new stuff. “She likes pomp and you can’t expect her to improvise and live in a bad place when the money is there,” a close friend told this news website adding that on the same Shs200m jackpot, Janette also bought a Rav4. Being very strategic, the mother of one boy (aged 7)
knew this being campaign season many people, including agents from President Museveni, would be visiting trying to woo her to abandon JPAM. “It was important such people find that she lives in a powerful mansion as that is important in determining how seriously the state would take such potential defectors from JPAM’s camp. Janette wasn’t a fool to invest so much pimping her new residence,” explained a close friend. This news website has further established that Janette originally was married in a very lavish wedding ceremony but quit the union and moved on after just three months often telling friends “guys it’s a free world and why would anybody hang in there insisting on something that is clearly not working out?” She one time dated a wealthy Mzungu guy who fell out with her very bitterly and had her locked up in jail for some time. Some friends suspect that this jail experience fermented feelings of political resentment that pushed her to embrace JPAM’s Go-Forward message which she currently appears not to be very enthusiastic about anymore.
MEETING CURRENT LOVER
While crusading for JPAM on social media she came into contact with many future friends including the wealthy energy-informed guy with whom she currently stays in a posh home in Ntinda. One of the politically-sensitive whatsapp groups she joined was called “The Uganda we want” whose membership mostly comprised of guys who occasionally discuss politics but without being actively involved in the Besigye-Museveni battles. They occasionally comment on events in the news and remain on the fence. Socially, many of the members on this group hold regular parties to the extent that there is almost a partying event every weekend hosted by one of them on rotational basis. It could be a member’s birth day, a spouse’s or for the children. They always attend in big numbers as an act of solidarity. Being the outgoing lady she is, Janette (on becoming a member) never missed such parties. And it was on one of those outings that she met the wealthy 46 year old Patrick with whom she eventually moved in. Patrick is knowledgeable and softly/persuasively very argumentative just like Janette and this explains the convenient meeting of minds the two eventual lover birds had at one of those outings. Patrick grew up in Kololo (dad is a Rtd powerful civil servant from Kabale) and he is vastly connected to powerful centers. And gratefully he was living single life just like Janette. This commonality too enabled them to connect very fast, according to a friend. “Patrick has the money, the connection and power. All he wanted was someone to have fun with and Janette gradually took note of that and being the go-getter she is, she literally forced herself on him and the rest is history. Patrick doesn’t seem to regret or complain just like Janette,” a source close to the couple told this news website. The couple’s best friends include Edgar Tabaro, Karl Marx Makooha (a KB enthusiast), Pride Microfinance manager Deo Katabazi, Teckla Kinalwa’s son (was even best man on Patrick’s wedding), city socialite Prof Venenscias Baryamureeba, a one Aisha who is a real estate dealer and a lawyer babe famously known as Princess Mutesi.
THE RWANDAN INCIDENT:
It was at Patrick’s Ntinda home that Janette was months ago abandoned in the dead of the night after surviving a very traumatizing incident involving the Rwandan authorities. According to social media reports, she was accused of espionage and things like that. But she was eventually freed (who wouldn’t let her go given the pressure her social media friends mounted?). Notwithstanding her modest education, the much followed Janette (has close to 30,000 followers on FB) is these days into writing very insightful articles on FB especially regarding the Energy sector. Close friends say it’s Patrick (an enthusiast on Energy issues) who has infused her with such ideas resulting into all these well articulated opinions on what has exactly gone wrong in the Energy/electricity sector. On his part Patrick, who is personally well known and regarded by President Museveni and General Saleh, has nothing to regret investing time in understanding dynamics in the energy sector as its said he lives on lucrative commissions from energy deals-sometimes making as much as $1m on one deal. So let nobody amongst her friends be surprised if Janette one of these days turns into a Bad Black-like billionaire over night. That will simply be proof that it pays to read widely and make oneself knowledgeable on Energy/electricity sector issues. She has grown to the level of sometimes being the lone voice challenging and taking on the mighty Andrew Mwenda on Energy issues. Patrick grew up in Kololo and he is someone who has seen it all meaning Janette has most likely finally found a permanent companion. To comment on this & other Mulengera news stories, call/text/whatsapp us on 0703164755!
