Africa-Press – Uganda. A Nigerian real estate company has petitioned its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking it to intervene with Uganda’s Foreign Ministry over unpaid rent arrears of N9 million (about Shs20.9 million) owed by the Uganda High Commission in Abuja.
In a letter dated July 22, Ms Uchie Okolie, the manager of Chennard Apartments, said Uganda’s mission had defaulted on six months’ rent despite repeated reminders.
“In April 2024, the Uganda High Commission rented a furnished four-bedroom apartment for one year. Since April 1, 2025, they have refused to pay rent covering April to September, totalling N9 million,” the petition reads. The letter was also sent to Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry and its High Commission in Kampala. Uganda’s Foreign Affairs Minister Gen Jeje Odongo was unavailable for comment.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Vincent Bagiire, said he had no information on the matter. According to the petition, Chennard Apartments, through agents Joseph and Joy, leased the apartment in Alpha Estate, Abuja, to the Ugandan mission.
The lease ran from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, with Mr Stilson Muhwezi, a diplomat, designated as the tenant. In February 2025, Mr Muhwezi was recalled to Kampala.
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Ms Okolie says a woman named Jennifer Udeagbara later appeared at the apartment, claimed to be the new property manager, and harassed the new occupant. She allegedly also contacted Mr Eriya Tusubira, the mission’s new accounting officer.
“We went to the High Commission, introduced ourselves, and were met with hostility.
Mr Tusubira verbally accused me of conspiring with Mr Muhwezi and insisted Jennifer had a legitimate claim,” Ms Okolie said. She explained that Chennard Apartments, not Jennifer, had the legal tenancy agreement with the Commission. She has since taken legal action against Jennifer. “At the end of the meeting, I gave Mr Tusubira a copy of the tenancy agreement since he claimed Mr Muhwezi had destroyed it. I asked whether the Commission intended to renew the lease, but I got no response,” she added.
Mr Tusubira did not respond to our questions sent via WhatsApp.
Diplomatic scandal
Mr Muhwezi was among several officials, alongside High Commissioner Nelson Ocherger and deputy Alfred Nnam, recalled in November 2024 following a directive by the Inspector General of Government (IGG) Beti Kamya, as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption and money laundering linked to the Shs19.7 billion Chancery building project. The probe, which also involves the CID and State House Anti-Corruption Unit, led to the interdiction of Muhwezi, Ocherger, and Nnam.
The Ministry of Finance and Office of the President, however, declined to interdict two other staff—finance and security attachés—citing unreliable claims allegedly circulated by internal whistleblowers. Though a final report is still pending, Mr Muhwezi and Ambassador Nnam have since been reinstated after the mandatory six-month suspension period lapsed. Ambassador Ocherger’s contract expired in April 2025.
Meanwhile, the Chancery project remains stalled, despite being declared 97 percent complete in October 2024.
Lease extension dispute
As the original lease neared expiry, Chennard Apartments wrote to the mission on March 28, requesting the return of the keys and an inventory check. The Commission requested a three-month extension, which the company granted on April 7, sending an invoice for 4.5 million Naira. “At the end of the extension, the High Commission dishonourably refused to pay. We reminded them on July 9, covering unpaid rent from April to June and the additional extension for July to September—totalling 9 million Naira,” Ms Okolie said. Frustrated, she threatened legal action in a letter dated July 18 but acknowledged the limits of her options due to diplomatic immunity under the 1961 Vienna Convention, which shields diplomatic missions from host country court actions. “As Nigerians, we’re often accused of bad manners globally.
But if this is how your people behave, I’m disappointed,” Ms Okolie told from Abuja. With no legal recourse, she turned to Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry, hoping diplomatic engagement would resolve the issue. Ugandan diplomatic sources described the situation at the Abuja Mission as a “complete meltdown.”
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The current Chargé d’affaires, Ambassador Phillip Odida, reportedly has limited authority, serving on an extended contract after reaching retirement age. He did not respond to calls or messages. Uganda’s High Commission in Abuja oversees diplomatic relations with the 15 ECOWAS countries and Equatorial Guinea. The rent saga is the latest embarrassment for the troubled mission, which has faced a growing pile of internal scandals in recent years.
Background
Uganda’s High Commission in Abuja has been at the centre of controversy for nearly a year, stemming from corruption investigations into the stalled construction of a new chancery building valued at Shs19.7 billion.
Multiple officials, including former High Commissioner Nelson Ocherger and his deputy Alfred Nnam, were recalled and later interdicted following a directive from the Inspector General of Government. Although some have since been reinstated, the project has not progressed.
Sources describe the mission’s operations as being in disarray, citing leadership voids and power struggles. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has remained largely silent on the state of affairs at the mission.
Source: Monitor
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