KAMPALA – Paul Mubiru, the man who was captured in a trending video vending grasshoppers commonly known as nsenene aboard a Uganda Airlines flight has been arrested by the aviation Police at Entebbe Airport.
According to the police spokesperson, Fred Enanga, Mubiru was arrested alongside Habib Kiggundu who recorded the video arrested.
In a video that went viral on social media, one Mubiru was seen vending grasshoppers that were in a big polythene bag to passengers in the economy class of the Uganda Airlines fight UR 446 to Dubai on Friday.
“Whereas the grasshoppers are not prohibited on the airline, the two went ahead and open a polyethene bag where they started vending the insects. This aroused excitement among other passengers but also disrupted others,” Enanga said.
Enanga claims that whereas one of the flight attendants asked Mubiru to stop the act of vending from the aircraft, he disregarded the advice.
“They posed safety risks when they spoke on top of their voices after removing masks. They have been charged with being common nuisances, disobeying lawful instructions and negligent behaviour likely to cause the spread of an infectious disease.”
However, the Buganda Kingdom Premier, Charles Peter Mayiga disagreed with the authorities saying that it’s common to see passengers carry their own food onto the plane – which is cleared by the ground crew.
“I fail to understand the fuss about Paul Mubiru vending nseenene on a Uganda Airlines flight to Dubai. All airlines vend lots of things in-flight. I have witnessed passengers doing forex exchange transactions onboard many times. It’s common to see passengers carry their own food onto the plane – which is cleared by the ground crew,” Mayiga said in a social media post.
“Travelers on buses always vend food and other items. If the carrier disapproves of vending they should simply state so – otherwise those who bought the insects appreciate their taste. Mubiru could be adept at salesmanship. No need to stir up a storm in a teacup.”
