Journalist Solomon Serwanjja’s financial activities have attracted the attention of security agencies after it was discovered that he has been accumulating staggering amounts of money in his bank accounts.
With over Ugx 800 million pouring in every three months, Serwanjja’s income far surpasses that of ordinary journalists in the industry.
Serwanjja has come under state scrutiny for being an agent for foreign entities that have used him and others to spread misleading information about the government and undermine Uganda’s socioeconomic progress. According to sources, this is the source of his massive influx of cash.
Following his resignation from NBS TV, Serwanjja founded the African Institute for Investigative Journalism (AIIJ) in 2020, months after winning the prestigious BBC’s Komlar Dumor Award for Investigative Journalism in 2019 in the UK.
While the BBC typically trains and retains journalists who win prestigious awards, Serwanjja was an exception. Instead of keeping him on staff, the company provided him with the necessary support to establish his own institute in Uganda following several months of training in the UK.
However, despite the establishment of the institute, its operations seem minimal compared to the substantial amounts of money flowing into Serwanjja’s accounts.
During the first three months of 2023, large sums of money, totaling over UGX 800 M, were deposited into Serwanjja’s accounts. Sources indicate that these funds mainly originated from foreign NGOs, foreign private companies, and certain embassies operating in the country. The reason behind these transactions remains unclear.
In subsequent months of the same year, Serwanjja received nearly UGX 600 M from “human rights” organizations, some of which have close ties to LGBTQ+ rights advocacy. The purpose of these transactions remains undisclosed.
In an astonishing revelation, it was found that Serwanjja received over 300 million UGX from CIPESA, an ICT hub funded by the British government. Additionally, the British High Commission provided him with UGX 76.3 M in November 2023. Most shockingly, between November and December 2023, Serwanjja obtained a staggering USD 1 million in funding from the U.S. Embassy through Equity Bank. The purposes behind these substantial funds remain undisclosed.
Several NGOs and organizations have been identified as contributors to Serwanjja’s bank accounts. These include the AFYA NA HAKI Institute (AHAKI), PR-COM SENDLINGER (based in Germany), DANIDA (based in Denmark), the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and CEHURD, a local NGO fighting against discrimination and the criminalization of homosexuality in Uganda.
Further investigation into the various NGOs linked to Serwanjja’s income reveals allegations of some being fronts for foreign spies posing as NGOs. It is believed that these spies operate to recruit individuals and gather crucial information from their host countries.
Some countries have even banned certain NGOs following the deportation or detention of their staff members.
Solomon Serwanjja’s financial activities have raised serious concerns about the sources of his enormous income. The substantial amounts being deposited in his bank accounts, particularly from foreign NGOs and institutions, demand further investigation. Whether the money is being used for noble causes such as training journalists or whether there are hidden motives behind these transactions remains a mystery.
