By Staff Reporter
Ugandan businessman Eric Niyonsaba has angrily threatened arrests over online reports linking him and his company, Kumbucha Fresh Zimbabwe (manufacturers of Fresh Kambucha), to Rwandan intelligence officers allegedly targeting 1994 Rwanda genocide suspects.
In a story titled “Kagame intelligence agents allegedly involved in killings of genocide suspects in Zimbabwe,” published last week by two online publicatios, it was claimed that the businessman, among other foreigners, was a Rwandan intelligence operative allegedly involved in the targeted killings of Rwanda genocide suspects residing in Zimbabwe.
The publications alleged that these operatives established a network of cover businesses including tuck-shops to facilitate their activities and evade detection, further naming Niyonsaba as a financier of these extrajudicial killings.
In a letter dated May 23, 2025, Niyonsaba’s lawyer, Admire Rubaya, sent a letter to the websites’ managers, copied to Police Commissioner General Stephen Mutamba, stating the published reports were malicious and damaging to the businessman and his operations.
They’ve demanded a retraction within 12 hours, or they’ll face arrest and prosecution.
“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 wrote.
Rubaya stated that the reports falsely portray Niyonsaba as a criminal using his Fresh Kambucha business as a front for Rwandan Intelligence services, with its income allegedly financing extrajudicial killings.
The online reports also attacked Fresh Kambucha, claiming the beverages hadn’t undergone rigorous safety testing for Zimbabwean consumption.
“You have actively discouraged your followers and other social media users from purchasing the product (Fresh Kambucha), thereby potentially harming our client’s reputation and business interests.
“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,” Rubaya said.
Rubaya further asserts that the reports, due to their global reach, have demeaned and diminished Niyonsaba’s status, causing severe damage to his goodwill and trading brand.
“Our client is a genuine international investor who originates from the great country of Uganda which is led by the African son Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. He is lawfully in Zimbabwe and is just but a pure businessman who is creating employment for Zimbabweans and contributing to the national fiscus.
“He has no connection whatsoever to the Rwandan Intelligence Services or any of the individuals that you alleged he works with to fund the alleged extra judicial killings. He does not house any terrorists who are allegedly conducting the alleged extra judicial killings and that he is not involved in spying for the Rwandan Intelligence services.”
He said the reports were in bad taste aimed at inflaming and invoking memories of the genocide.
“You simply put pen to paper; in fact you acted like a hired gun that massacred anything and everything in its way. Our clients` reputation has been severely damaged and now on the verge of losing many lucrative contracts and has the real risk of being declared the enemy of the peace-loving Zimbabwean government and being called a person of interest by the Zimbabwean law enforcement agents,” he said.
Niyonsaba’s lawyers are now 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 on the same within twelve hours of receiving this letter as well as an instruction to your personnel in charge of the content of your website and/ social media pages to delete the post in question.”
