A diplomatic storm is unfolding between Uganda and South Sudan after four Ugandan drivers formerly employed at the South Sudan Embassy in Kampala were denied salary arrears amounting to USD 131,100 (shs 490 million) allegedly because a senior South Sudanese military official branded them “President Museveni’s spies.”
TrumpetNews has established that Brigadier Philip Chol Kader, the Military Attaché at the South Sudan Embassy, is the man behind the refusal to pay the local staff.
Sources within the mission say Brig. Kader accused the four Ugandans of secretly working with Ugandan intelligence, effectively blocking their long-overdue payments.
The affected former employees Isaac Makubuya, Stephen Kiyaga, Musoga Mohammed, and Boyong Joseph Silas have now turned to their lawyers, Frederick Francis & Associates Advocates LLP, to demand justice and recovery of the unpaid sums.
According to correspondence seen by TrumpetNews, the law firm first wrote to the Embassy of South Sudan on October 14, 2025, seeking resolution of the matter.
The letter, addressed to First Secretary Rita Chol Jal, itemized the outstanding payments as follows:
Isaac Makubuya – USD 41,800
Stephen Kiyaga – USD 32,900
Musoga Mohammed – USD 32,900
Boyong Joseph Silas – USD 23,500
Despite multiple attempts to resolve the dispute, embassy officials reportedly refused to receive the letter, directing the lawyers to channel their correspondence through Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This prompted the law firm to escalate the issue to Permanent Secretary Vincent Waiswa Bagiire, appealing for urgent intervention.
“We initially attempted to deliver this letter to the embassy on the 14th of October 2025, but the embassy declined to acknowledge receipt,” reads part of the letter now lodged with the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Sources close to the case say the embassy’s refusal is rooted in deep-seated suspicion and internal paranoia, with Brig. Kader allegedly insisting that the drivers were “planted by State House to spy on South Sudanese activities.”
As the matter now rests with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, calls are growing for Uganda to demand accountability from the South Sudanese government over what observers describe as an “unjust and humiliating” treatment of Ugandan nationals working under diplomatic missions.
Repeated attempts by TrumpetNews to reach Brig. Kader and embassy officials for comment were unsuccessful.
The unfolding scandal threatens to further strain relations between Kampala and Juba if the claims are not resolved diplomatically and transparently.
