By Spy Uganda
The Ministry of Health has dismissed allegations that it paid socialite Shanita Namuyimbwa aka Bad Black alias Masolo Queen via an extension of regime apologists-‘The NRM diehards’, for an advert she did in April this year, urging sex workers to stay away from truck drivers as a way of preventing the spread of Coronavirus.
Over the weekend, self confessed sex worker, Masolo Queen, who claimed the Health Ministry owed her over Shs500M for a 40 second advert, shared a video on social media, in which she is seen signing papers to acknowledge receipt of shs500m from National Resistance Movement (NRM) supporters led by businessman Balaam Barugahara, as payment for the COVID-19 advert she did for the Ministry of Health.
However, during Ministry of Health national address about the accountability for COVID-19 funds, the Permanent Secretary Dr Diana Atwine refuted claims that the Ministry had paid Bad Black for the COVID-19 advert.
Dr Atwine and the Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng maintained their position that Bad Black’s services were voluntary and they never signed any contract with her.
Dr Atwine said the money that was paid to Bad Black did not come from the Ministry of Health but rather from “friends” of the NRM party.
“I can’t really comment about the money because Ministry of Health did not participate in paying the money but what I saw on social media is that friends of NRM came together and contributed the money,” Dr Atwine said.
“I think it would not be proper for us to pay someone we do not have a contract with. That is not allowed in Government. You don’t handle Government resources like that. So it was not possible. That’s why Ministry of Health was not involved. The people who contacted her assumed that she was like any other Ugandan who would want to contribute her voice to call upon Ugandans to be responsible,” Dr Atwine added.
Meanwhile, other pundits have since come out and rubbished claims that Bad Black was actually ever paid any money as she claims in the video widely shared. According to them, it was just a stunt to salvage her image so that she does not ‘die in her own movie’. She didn’t want to look like she lost the fight before her foes, they added.
“Balaam and Masolo Queen had the energy to swing the signed ‘acknowledgement’ papers before the public but the the seals of the seemingly empty, very light, re-usable box remained intact! The Bad Black I know, the first thing she would do is to open that box wide and start swinging the Shs500m for all the nay-sayers to coil their tails, as you see them fight on social media. So, that was just a stunt to salvage her image, which was badly choreographed by the way,” Pundits said.
