Kampala, Uganda | URN | Socialite Sheila Nadege commonly known as Don Zella has sued Speke Apartments seeking to recover $125,000 [about Shs 450 million] following the theft of her properties from the apartments owned by city tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia.
In a suit filed before the Civil Division of the High Court in Kampala, Don Zella alleges that she rented Apartment number 107 and 512 on plot 19 Wampewo Avenue on December 6, 2020.
However, while she was away with her family on December 25, 2020, an unknown person broke into one of the units and stole her properties among them cash, jewelry, a mobile phone, a camera, a laptop and children’s tablets all valued at 456 million Shillings.
Don Zella says that she was informed by Speke Apartments management that the person suspected of breaking into the unit had booked into the same apartments as Jeremiah Ojok, a Kenyan national.
“That it has been revealed by the defendant (Speke Apartments) to the plaintiff (Ms Nadege) that the identified thief had been booked as Jeremiah Ojok in apartment number 110 for a day,” reads part of her affidavit in part.
The socialite now accuses Speke Apartments of negligently refusing to let her own the keys to the apartment which compromised her security. She says that owning the keys to the apartment would have mitigated the risk.
She further faults the Apartment of failing to use cameras in the control room of the Apartment to foil the theft and failing to station a security guard on the apartment block and failure to require the suspected thief to deposit his passport with the authorities.
According to documents before the Civil Division of the High Court, Don Zella contends that Speke Apartments negligently tampered with the scene of crime before police and herself got there making it difficult to apprehend the thief.
“The plaintiff shall aver that the defendant owed her a legal duty to take care in the circumstances. The plaintiff shall further aver that there was a breach of that duty like the defendant’s acts failed to reach the standard of carefulness required by the circumstances and so there is a breach of the duty to take care,” court documents read in part.
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She also accuses the Apartment of attempting to cover up the theft by hurriedly repairing the damaged door even before she got there. Now she wants the High Court to compel the Apartment to pay 456 million Shillings to her as damages for negligence, interest and costs of the suit.
Speke Hotel 1996 Ltd has been given 15 days to respond to Don Zella’s allegations before the case is allocated to the Judge who will be fixing it for hearing.
