“We are THE KAMPALA JOURNAL. “The Truth Command Centre. It starts here.”
That’s the tagline of The Kampala Journal’s official X account, which has 45,442 followers.
It’s boisterous. It’s emphatic. But one problem with it, it is not accurate.
In a country where many people eat and drink politics, few accounts on X stir as much debate or stoke controversy as The Kampala Journal.
It’s a platform that spreads lies, twists facts, and serves hidden agendas, an investigation by Bbeg Media reveals.
Prominent figures like Winnie Byanyima, the UNAIDS executive director, and Captain Mike Mukula, a veteran NRM politician, have been caught in its web of misinformation.
Our deep look into its posts reveals a disturbing pattern. Sometimes, it carries real stories about political happenings in the country, but more often, it seems to fight battles for the National Unity Platform (NUP), while defending its leader, Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine.
Let us start with the basics.
The Kampala Journal is not your typical news outlet like Bbeg Media or Nile Post or Chimreports. It does not have a fancy website, nor does it have a team of verified journalists.
Instead, it’s an X account (@KampalaJournal) that pumps out rapid-fire updates on Ugandan politics, like a machine gun on steroids. Often, the posts are accompanied by dramatic photos, videos, and bold claims.
Most of its followers, according to investigation and observer accounts, are supporters of NUP. This is not surprising because the account’s content heavily favours NUP, celebrating its events, hyping its leaders, and attacking rivals.
But this bias comes at a cost: credibility.
Take the case of Byanyima, a respected Ugandan diplomat and wife of opposition veteran Dr. Kizza Besigye. In November 2024, The Kampala Journal posted a sensational update: “Desperate UNAIDS boss Byanyima seeks DPP Abodo assistance in complicated Besigye case.” Attached was a photo of Byanyima chatting with Jane Frances Abodo, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
To the casual reader, the post implied a secret, urgent meeting between Byanyima and Abodo tied to Besigye’s legal troubles after his arrest in Kenya. This particular post racked up over 167,000 views, sparking outrage and speculation.
But did the meeting happen? As it turns out, a simple photo search on the web shows that this particular photograph was taken in December 2022, two years before Besigye’s arrest. It was a casual airport encounter that Byanyima herself had shared on X. It had nothing to do with Besigye’s case. Still, many commentators on the post believed it, and one wrote, “I knew! Besigye and Museveni are playing their usual games.”
Byanyima has suffered the ire of The Kampala Journal. In February 2025, it claimed she was “enjoying life” with a Museveni minister while Besigye “rots in Luzira” prison, sharing a photo of her with Margaret Muhanga. Another post questioned why she hadn’t updated her X profile picture to show solidarity with her jailed husband.
Critics argue this is classic misinformation: taking real events (like a social photo) and twisting them to fit a narrative.
Then there’s Captain Mike Mukula, the NRM’s Eastern Region vice chairperson and a former minister. In February 2024, The Kampala Journal attributed an inflammatory quote to him at the launch of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU).
They quoted him as saying: “We shall not allow this country to go to Baganda dogs… Gen MK has been there in every way.” The post painted Mukula as tribalistic and went viral with over 40,000 views and heated replies.
But Mukula fired back on X. “I have read the false narrative and fake tweet from Kampala journal, which is negative propaganda & lies drawn from a fictitious account.” He denied saying those words, calling the post a complete fabrication.
This was not the first time the account had targeted Mukula. In April 2024, it called him “miserable” and accused him of “scheming” fake defections to fleece money from Museveni, claiming he eyed Shs 10 billion.
Former Minister jailed for GAVI funds back to scheming ways.
The miserable Mike Mukula is currently planning plastic defections to fleece money from the sleepy Yoweri Museveni. Sources say Mukula is eyeing a mouth watering UGX 10b to stage the defections ahead of 2026.#KJNews pic.twitter.com/eLiuISUfrl— The Kampala Journal (@KampalaJournal) April 27, 2024
In recent months, it has targeted Mathias Mpuuga, the former Leader of Opposition and NUP’s former deputy president. Mpuuga was ousted amid a scandal over a Shs 500 million “service award” he received as parliamentary commissioner.
This month, The Kampala Journal posted a meme-like photo of Mpuuga “still explaining his innocence” over the service award saga in 2070.
Year: 2070
Owek. Mpuuga still explaining his innocence in the 500m service award saga#KJTrolls pic.twitter.com/c09JLxFJbn— The Kampala Journal (@KampalaJournal) August 26, 2025
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Another post highlighted lawyer Sam Muyizzi’s campaign to unseat him in Nyendo-Mukungwe, calling Muyizzi “tireless” and praising his Buganda ties.
Internal fights
The platform has not spared some of its own. As tempers rise, NUP’s candidate selection for the various posts in 2026, The Kampala Journal has already taken sides.
For instance, for the last couple of weeks, it has been viciously attacking Shamim Malende, the Kampala Woman MP, while promoting Zahra Luyirika who wants to unseat her. In Kawempe South, Fred Nyanzi, Bobi Wine’s elder brother, is the platform’s favoured candidate. The same applies to other parts of the country.
Our investigation shows that these attacks are not random. Sources claim The Kampala Journal is bankrolled by some senior NUP officials who use it as a tool to fight internal wars.
So why does it remain popular, even as doubts mount about the credibility of its posts? Why does it have more than 40,000 followers?
Even when some of its followers recognize that the platform has more hype than substance, they appreciate the real-time vibe it brings: quick videos of rallies, ground surveys on candidates, and polls, such as the recent one rating NUP mobilizer Habib Buwembo’s impact.
Many Ugandans have lost faith in traditional media, claiming it is under the thumb of the NRM government. So X accounts like The Kampala Journal fill a gap for opposition supporters. It echoes their frustrations—against Museveni, corruption, and rivals. It has created an echo chamber where “truth” means what aligns with NUP’s fight.
Yet popularity does not always equal trust. Searches on X reveal a flood of skepticism directed towards the platform. “Kampala Journal is known for producing fake news!” one user said. Another accused it of being run by NUP insiders like a one Motiv Kasagga for propaganda.
Even NUP has distanced itself from it sometimes. Recently the party dismissed the “shortlisted candidates” list on The Kampala Journal as fake.
In the end, The Kampala Journal embodies Uganda’s polarized politics. It is a platform that only “tells the truth by mistake,” as one person put it.
For its 40,000-plus followers, mostly NUP die-hards, they overlook the credibility gaps because it fights their wars.
