Socialite Brian White (in Black) assists Police and UPDF marines in the search operation at Mutima beach yesterday. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA
City socialite Bryan White has been stationed at Mutima Beach since news of the boat cruise tragedy broke out. He has pledged to give Shs100,000 for every dead body found by the fishermen who are helping out in the search for the victim’s bodies which are suspected to still be trapped under the boat’s wreckage.
His gesture had been received well by the public until photos and videos emerged of him seemingly supervising the work of the police and UPDF marine units. If you have seen him on TV interviews then you might know that he is quite the bossy guy.
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Among the people irked by his seemingly bossy attitude is Kampala Central Division Member of Parliament (MP) Muhammad Nsereko who brought the issue to the floor of Parliament.
The MP has tasked government to explain who the socialite real name Brian Kirumira is and how he gets the authority to order divers on how to do their work. He called upon the Minister of Internal Affairs Jeje Odongo and the Security Minister Elly Tumwine to explain why trained military officials were taking orders from a civilian.
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“I would like the line minister and the Minister of Internal Affairs or the Prime Minister to let us know why there was some one issuing orders of people to pull a rope of the wreckage at Mutima Beach. What type of physics is that? A civilian ordering the Special Forces…I do not know what they call him…I think he is called White man or something. He was telling people to pull a wreckage using a rope meant to pull a cow,” the MP said.
City socialite Bryan White joins UPDF marine units to reinforce a rope that snapped as they tried to pull the wreckage of the ill-fated boat from the water at Mutima Country Haven Beach on November 27, 2018. PHOTO BY STEPHEN OTAGE
He said that while he appreciates the help that Bryan White has offered in the risky operation, it is a shame that there seems to be no clear line of command in the country.
“We have well trained engineers. We have better people in this country. We don’t underestimate everyone’s effort in trying to do the rescue but when it gets to that level there must be a chain of command. We can’t look on as Ugandans when an Assistant Inspector General of Police and the Maritime Police take orders from a civilian called White man who tells people that he will give them Shs100,000 to pull out the wreckage of a boat. This is a joke. This country must have a chain of command and let us know. If he is an army officer let it be known,” Nsereko added.
His questions come on the heels of rumors going round on social media that Bryan White is a State operative paid by President Museveni to turn youths’ attention away from Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine.
However, Bryan White, a self-confessed ardent supporter of the president, has on several occasions been heard dismissing the reports as baseless and mere rumors propagated by his enemies to tarnish his name.