Ugandan TikToker Benita Refunds Shs5 Million to Minister Justine Nameere Amid Public Fallout

Ugandan TikToker Benita has refunded Shs5 million she received from Junior Local Government Minister Justine Nameere, saying she decided to return the money after the minister made statements about her that she believes were untrue.

Benita announced the refund in a post on X, shortly after Nameere released a video explaining why she gave the TikToker Shs5 million instead of the $10,000 she had initially promised.

Benita said she wanted to return the money to prevent further misunderstandings between the two.

“Today, I decided to refund Hon. Nameere’s money because of the video she made yesterday. I believe the video contained many things that were not true, and I don’t want any misunderstanding between us,” Benita said.

Despite the disagreement, the TikToker thanked Nameere for the support she had provided during her difficult situation in Bahrain.

She said she appreciated the minister’s assistance and wished her well.

Why Justine Nameere Gave Benita Shs5 Million

The dispute follows reports that Benita had been facing financial difficulties in Bahrain after reportedly losing her job.

According to Nameere, Generations Official brought Benita’s situation to her attention and asked her to intervene.

The minister said she spoke to Benita by phone and became concerned after the TikToker reportedly cried while explaining her circumstances and presenting the situation as an emergency.

Nameere said she subsequently contacted the Minister of Foreign Affairs to explore possible government assistance to help Benita return to Uganda.

According to the minister, officials asked Benita to provide documents required to facilitate her evacuation, but she allegedly did not provide them.

Nameere said her team later began questioning some aspects of Benita’s account, including details surrounding the loss of her job.

Why Benita Did Not Receive the Promised $10,000

Nameere had initially indicated that she would give Benita $10,000, equivalent to roughly Shs37 million at the time.

However, the minister later decided not to provide the full amount after consulting people handling the matter.

In a video, Nameere challenged Benita to explain why she received Shs5 million instead of the initially discussed $10,000.

“Benita, I am aware that you apologised and it’s not a bad thing. But tell people the truth why you only got Shs5 million instead of $10,000,” Nameere said.

The minister explained that Benita later requested Shs5 million to help clear a debt in Bahrain. Nameere said her personal assistant subsequently transferred the money to Benita.

Public Disagreement Escalates

The financial assistance later became the subject of a public disagreement between the two women.

Benita questioned why Nameere had withdrawn the offer to give her $10,000, while Nameere defended her decision and rejected suggestions that she had used Benita’s difficult situation to gain attention on social media.

The disagreement has since attracted attention online, with both sides offering different accounts of what happened.

Benita Returns the Money

Benita has now returned the Shs5 million, saying her decision was motivated by a desire to avoid further misunderstandings.

While returning the money, she maintained that she was grateful for the assistance Nameere had offered during her troubles in Bahrain.

The latest development appears to mark a new chapter in the public disagreement, although questions remain over the differing accounts surrounding the original $10,000 promise and the circumstances that led to Benita receiving Shs5 million.