Kambucha Boss Demands Retraction Over "Genocide Fu...

Kambucha Boss Demands Retraction Over "Genocide Funding" Allegations

ZimNow Reporter

Ugandan entrepreneur Eric Niyonsaba, CEO of Fresh Kambucha, is vehemently disputing recent online reports that accuse him and his company of financing genocide killings in Zimbabwe.

Through his legal representatives, Niyonsaba has issued a stern rebuke to Bustop TV and Zim Times, demanding an immediate retraction of articles linking him to Rwandan intelligence activities and alleged extrajudicial killings of 1994 genocide suspects.

Niyonsaba's legal team has given the online publications a 12-hour ultimatum to withdraw the "defamatory and harmful" reports, threatening arrest and prosecution should they fail to comply.

Last week, Bustop TV and Zim Times reportedly published an article titled "Kagame intelligence agents allegedly involved in killings of genocide suspects in Zimbabwe." This piece claimed that Niyonsaba, alongside other foreign nationals, was an operative of Rwandan intelligence services, allegedly involved in the targeted killings of Rwandan genocide suspects residing in Zimbabwe.

The publications further asserted that these alleged operatives had established a network of front businesses, including small shops, to facilitate their activities and avoid detection. Niyonsaba was specifically named as a financier of these alleged extrajudicial killings.

In a letter dated May 23, 2025, addressed to the websites' managers and copied to Police Commissioner General Stephen Mutamba, Niyonsaba's lawyer, Admire Rubaya, described the published reports as "malicious and injurious" to the businessman and his operations.

"The statement that you published on your website is defamatory and was understood by a reasonable reader, follower or social media user that our client is an illicit business which is a front for the Rwandan Intelligence services which houses terrorists and criminals who are killing people allegedly connected to the Rwanda 1994 Genocide," the lawyers stated.

The legal team argues that the reports portray Niyonsaba as a criminal using Fresh Kambucha as a facade for illegal activities, with company income allegedly funding extrajudicial killings and serving as a front for Rwandan Intelligence services.

Beyond the serious accusations of funding violence, the online reports also cast doubt on the safety of Fresh Kambucha beverages, alleging they had not undergone rigorous testing for safe consumption in Zimbabwe.

Niyonsaba's lawyers countered this claim, asserting, "Our client has a traceable record of clean and well manufactured Kambucha drinks which have been scientifically tested to the extent that no adverse report has been authored by the relevant authorities." They contend that the publications actively discouraged consumers from purchasing Fresh Kambucha, potentially harming his business interests.

Niyonsaba's legal representatives emphasized the global reach of the online reports, stating they have "demeaned and diminished" his status, severely damaging his goodwill and brand.

"Our client is a genuine international investor who originates from the great country of Uganda... He is lawfully in Zimbabwe and is just but a pure businessman who is creating employment for Zimbabweans and contributing to the national fiscus," the lawyers asserted. They firmly deny any connection to Rwandan Intelligence Services or involvement in spying or housing terrorists.

The lawyers argue that the reports are "in bad taste," designed to "inflame and invoke memories of the genocide." They accuse the publications of acting like a "hired gun," causing severe damage to Niyonsaba's reputation and jeopardizing lucrative contracts. They also highlighted the risk of him being "declared the enemy of the peace-loving Zimbabwean government" and a "person of interest by the Zimbabwean law enforcement agents."

Niyonsaba's lawyers are demanding "the publication of a full, unconditional and unreserved withdrawal of that defamatory statement, pictures and the related imputations together with an expression of regret... within twelve hours of receiving this letter," along with the deletion of the contentious online posts.

They concluded with a piece of "free advice," urging the online media outlets to "practice your online media journalism without tarnishing other private entities and private individuals based on lies and falsehoods. It is elementary to verify issues before placing the same in the public domain so that you avoid being unnecessarily dragged to Court lest you cry victimisation yet you would have acted in a brazenly irresponsible and reckless manner.”