WAKISO, Uganda — Former Uganda Cranes captain Andy Mwesigwa has appealed to President Yoweri Museveni and the public to help save his AMESCO High School in Wakiso District from a potential bank takeover amid a disputed loan that ABC Capital Bank says has accumulated to approximately Shs1.3 billion.
Mwesigwa, who invested earnings from his professional football career in the school, says the institution is at risk because of the growing debt and has called on government leaders and well-wishers to intervene. The school is located in Bugwanya Village, Kakiri Sub-county, Wakiso District, on approximately six acres of land.
The dispute dates back to December 2019, when the school obtained a Shs480 million loan facility from ABC Capital Bank. According to court documents cited in media reports, the financing was intended to refinance an existing loan from Equity Bank Uganda and support the completion of two classroom blocks. The facility carried an annual interest rate of 23.5 per cent.
Mwesigwa says the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting closure of schools disrupted his ability to service the loan. He told journalists that he made payments after schools reopened, including a reported Shs220 million payment, but was surprised when the outstanding balance continued to rise. He has questioned how the debt reached approximately Shs1.3 billion and sought clarification on the interest and penalties applied to the account.
ABC Capital Bank disputes his interpretation of the debt. According to the bank’s position reported in court proceedings, the school did not consistently meet its scheduled repayments, causing overdue amounts to attract contractual interest and penalties. The bank says approximately Shs338 million had been paid towards the facility, but that the payments were insufficient to settle the outstanding obligations. It maintains that the loan account’s write-off in June 2024 did not cancel the debt.
The matter has proceeded to the Commercial Court, where a ruling delivered on August 4, 2026, required Amesco High School Wakiso-SMC Limited to deposit approximately Shs392 million as security, representing 30 per cent of the bank’s claimed outstanding liability, within 30 days. The court also temporarily restrained the bank and its agents from selling or disposing of the mortgaged school property pending determination of the main dispute, subject to the court’s order.
The financial disagreement has also triggered a separate legal battle. ABC Capital Bank filed a defamation suit against Mwesigwa in the High Court in Kampala on August 20, 2026, accusing him of making statements that allegedly damaged its reputation. The bank disputes his claims about unlawful interest charges and alleged cooperation with “sports mafias” to take over the school. It is seeking damages, a public apology, a retraction and an order restraining further allegedly defamatory statements. The allegations in the suit remain to be determined by court.
As the dispute continues, Mwesigwa has turned to public fundraising to help raise money towards the court-required deposit and protect the school. A fundraising football match is scheduled for October 13, 2026, at Hamz Stadium in Nakivubo, featuring Andy Mwesigwa XI against a team led by musicians David Lutalo and Geoffrey Lutaaya. According to reports by Matooke Republic, ordinary tickets cost Shs10,000, while VIP tickets cost Shs100,000, with the proceeds intended to support the fundraising effort.
The dispute has renewed attention on the financial challenges that retired sports personalities can face when their investments encounter difficulties. For Mwesigwa, the immediate issues are the outstanding loan, the accuracy of the bank’s calculations and the future of the school, which he considers a major investment from his football career. The final outcome will depend on the evidence presented, the terms of the loan agreement and the court’s determination of the competing claims.
