HARRY SAGARA: A King, A Parking Ticket And 2,000 Shillings

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda published a personal account by Harry Sagara describing an unexpected encounter with the late King Oyo of Tooro at Nawaab restaurant on top of Acacia Mall in Kampala, in what the writer says was around mid-2022. In the story, Sagara says he initially noticed the king seated with a companion and later realized the man standing nearby was not a boyfriend but part of the king’s entourage.

The account says the more memorable moment came after dinner, when Sagara went to pay for parking and briefly clashed with a bodyguard who appeared to block his way. He then says King Oyo intervened, told the guard to let people pass, and asked Sagara for 2,000 shillings because the parking machine only accepted that denomination while he had a 50,000-shilling note.

According to the piece, Sagara agreed to exchange the notes and walked away with the king’s 50,000 shillings. He frames the exchange as an unusual but ordinary-feeling interaction, saying there was no large convoy or visible royal spectacle. The story is less a news report than a reflective anecdote about a chance meeting with a royal figure in a public setting.

The article also notes that the king had been driving himself and that his vehicle’s royal markings were covered. As presented by Watchdog Uganda, the anecdote underscores how public figures can appear in everyday situations with minimal ceremony, though the piece is based on the author’s recollection rather than independently verified reporting.