What was once Uganda’s most envied love story is now its most painful public wound. Yesterday, Sasha Ferguson posted a 12-slide Instagram exposé that ended months of speculation and confirmed what many had feared: her four-year marriage to NBS TV anchor Canary Mugume is over, destroyed by repeated physical and emotional abuse.
“I stayed in an abusive marriage for far too long,” she wrote. “I endured beatings, insults, and chaos, mostly triggered by alcohol. I covered bruises, lied to my family, and smiled for cameras while dying inside. I left not because I stopped loving him, but because I had to choose my life and my children’s future.”
Sasha, 31, is currently living outside Uganda with the couple’s two young sons, Cairo (3) and Cylan (1). Sources close to her say she fled after a violent incident in late October that left her fearing for her safety.
Hours after her post, Canary Mugume responded on X with a measured but devastating counter-statement:
“I have never laid a hand on any woman in anger. For years I have been the one receiving slaps, scratches, and objects thrown at me whenever emotions ran high. I stayed silent because society does not believe men can be victims. Today I speak, not to shame her, but to tell the full story.”
He attached receipts of school-fees payments, rent for Sasha’s former apartment, and screenshots of denied visitation requests, adding: “I am fighting for my children in court. The rest is noise.”
The exchanges have split Uganda’s internet in half.
Team Sasha points to medical reports allegedly filed during the October incident and voice notes circulating anonymously in which a man, said to be Canary can be heard shouting threats while intoxicated.
Team Canary highlights older videos and testimonies from domestic workers who claim Sasha once smashed his phone and tore his shirt during arguments, and insist the journalist has been sober for months after completing a private rehabilitation program.
Legal drama is already underway. Sasha’s lawyer, Roger Mugabi, posted last night:
“Canary Mugume is a calculated liar. Wait until the court exhibits are made public, photos that made even the magistrate gasp. We are ready.”
Mutual friends say the marriage began crumbling in early 2024 when USAID frozen funding for some of Canary’s advocacy projects, plunging the couple into financial stress. Alcohol, already a quiet issue, became louder. Arguments that once ended in tears now ended in police visits.
Attempts at reconciliation including a week-long retreat with Pastor Robert Kayanja in August failed.
Today, Sasha has reverted her Instagram name to her maiden “Ferguson,” deleted all photos containing Canary, and disabled comments on her bombshell post. Canary, meanwhile, still has their 2021 wedding photo as his X header, but the caption now reads simply: “Lessons.”
As custody hearings resume next month at the Family Division of the High Court, one thing is certain: the fairy tale that began with a Shs 400 million wedding in Rubaga has ended in two very different nightmares, both claiming to be the victim, both asking Uganda to believe them.
For now, the children remain abroad. The country remains glued to its phones, watching a love story die in real time.
