Zari fires back over Ivan Semwanga’s ‘mysterious’ death claims

Nearly a decade after Ivan Semwanga’s death, the late tycoon’s final chapter has been dragged back into the spotlight, with journalist Simon Kaggwa Njala asking questions and socialite Zari Hassan wondering whether he has run out of things to do.

The NBS TV journalist recently described Semwanga’s death as a “mystery”, questioning the circumstances surrounding his death in South Africa and pointing to the absence of a publicly available medical report.

But Zari, Semwanga’s former partner and the mother of his three sons, is having none of it.

Speaking to New Vision, she dismissed Njala’s questions, accusing him of being idle and broke, and wondering why a journalist would be chasing medical records of a man who died in 2017.

“I found out that when you are really idle and poor, you start imagining things that don’t exist. Misery loves company,” Zari said.

She questioned how Njala expected to obtain hospital records by simply calling a medical facility in South Africa, pointing out that hospitals operate under patient-confidentiality policies.

Njala insists he is asking questions and not chasing likes.

She also wondered which name he had used to search for Semwanga’s records, arguing that some people use different names when travelling abroad.

“How can you even hunt for a dead man’s records? What for, really?” she fumed.

Zari insisted that the family had no doubts about Semwanga’s death, saying his body was returned to Uganda, where another post-mortem was conducted. She added that his sons washed his body in accordance with Buganda cultural traditions.

“We, the bereaved, know that he died; we confirmed, zipped up the body bag, and worked on the paperwork to return his remains to Uganda,” she said, before asking Njala: “So, old man, what is your concern here?”

Njala, who is not backing down, insists he is asking questions and not chasing likes. The journalist has denied that his comments are a desperate attempt to harvest likes and social media engagement.

He maintains that he merely raised questions about Semwanga’s death and the absence of a publicly available autopsy report, insisting that critics have responded with insults rather than facts.

“I did not give a certain answer. I only provided questions (about Ivan Semwanga’s death). Up to now, I have yet to see anyone counter my question with facts. They are only insulting me,” he said.

Njala also took a swipe at what he described as Ugandans’ gullibility, insisting that he was entitled to express his personal opinions on his social media platforms.

“My problem is that I am not gullible. Ugandans are so gullible; they believe anything they are told. I am not after likes because how many Ugandans have over one million likes?” he asked.

Bad Black: Let the man rest!

Zari is not the only one unimpressed by Njala’s questions. Socialite Bad Black has also entered the debate, delivered her own blunt response and dismissed suggestions that Ugandans did not know Semwanga well enough to discuss his death.

Bad Black said she personally saw the late tycoon’s body lying in a casket, arguing that there was no need to turn his death into an endless public debate.

“Ugandans, they are mad and depressed people. I myself saw the late Ivan Ssemwanga’s body lying peacefully in a casket. You want to fool us all that we did not know him? Idiots, find something to do. Let the man rest,” she said.

Semwanga, who was famous for his flamboyant lifestyle and association with the Rich Gang social group, died in South Africa in May 2017.