Dr. Sarah Daisy Ssonko, a notable political figure and former mayoral race contestant for Mukono Municipality, has become infamous for her defiant behaviour.
Capitalising on her deep connections with the ruling party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM), she has been accused of taking advantage of her status to obtain free goods and services causing huge losses to several businesses.
Complaints have long been piling up, with numerous accounts of Dr. Ssonko intimidating staff at guest houses and hotels, eating, drinking, and utilising services without ever paying a dime.
Her actions have painted a tarnished image of the party she so fervently represents. The most recent incident at Summer Gardens has worsened her bad reputation.
The management at this popular venue impounded her vehicle after she once again failed to pay for drinks and other services.
The grounding of Dr. Ssonko’s vehicle has lasted for two weeks, a direct response to her disregard for settling her dues.
This occurred following a National Resistance Movement (NRM) pressure group event organised by the party mobilisers from the Gomba district, known as the ‘Yellow Checkers.’
The incident not only reflects Dr. Ssonko’s habitual defiance but also casts a shadow on the party’s image, raising concerns about the unchecked behaviour of some of its members.
This website found out that Dr. Ssonko’s problems began when she introduced a group of party mobilisers to the management of Summer Gardens to book space for their event.
The event brought together several party mobilisers from the Greater Mukono districts to discuss their achievements in line with the NRM manifesto.
The function was led by the Minister for Kampala, Hajat Minsa Kabanda, who represented the Minister in Charge of the Office of the Presidency, Milly Babirye Babalanda.
However, it was alleged that the organisers did not pay for most of the items used at the event, such as water, soda, and seats. As soon as the event ended, they vanished without settling the bill.
As a result, the manager of Summer Terrace Gardens asked Dr. Ssonko to pay the bill, but she refused, saying it wasn’t her responsibility.
Instead, the manager held onto her vehicle until the bill was paid. Our attempts to find out the exact amount of the bill have not been successful.
The Summer Garden’s director, Olivia Ssempangi, told the management not to share details with the media to keep things private between the venue administration and its client (Dr. Ssonko).
In a phone call with us, Mrs. Ssempangi declined to reveal details or to account for her actions claiming it might harm Dr. Ssonko’s political career.
“Please ignore that story. Dr. Ssonko has a political career that could be affected by this information once published. Just say her vehicle had some mechanical problems and she left it behind but plans to pick it up soon,” she explained.
We have established from a source within the management that the unpaid bill is about sh2.5m. Dr. Ssonko has not yet responded to our request for a comment about the matter.
One of her personal assistants said that the bill was supposed to be paid by the group called Yellow Checkers. However, by press time, they had not yet settled it out.