Regretful Amazing Race Producer praises Ugandan generosity

A South African television co-producer, Kathryne Fuller, who escaped a deadly drug consumption that claimed the life of her mate, has blamed herself for the incident and acquisition of items whose content is not known. In a twist of events to dispel earlier reports of attack at the hotel, Ms Fuller said consuming the drug was a mistake. “It was just a bad choice to take drugs and very unfortunate for the death of Rice, there was no attack because we purchased the drugs ourselves,” she said. “We came in the country healthy but on arrival we bought drugs whose content we did not know. We used the drugs; it was the first time for me to use drugs. Unfortunately he (Rice) passed on,” Ms Fuller added while commending Serena Hotel administration and employees as well as the entire Ugandan community for what she described as a “generous heart to save her life.”

Ms Fuller, who was last week convicted and sentenced to a fine of Shs1 million after pleading guilty to using illicit drugs, was found unconscious in a hotel room with American freelance television producer Jeff Rice two weeks ago.

The duo has been filming the Amazing Race. While Rice was found dead, Ms Fuller battled for her life at the Surgery, a medical facility in Kololo in uptown Kampala. She was discharged on Friday, emerging with half her body paralysed and confined to a wheelchair, and flown to South Africa for further treatment. The 29-year-old was driven to the Kampala Serena Hotel to spend her last night of the tragic visit to the country. She was accompagned by her father and a South African medical consultant Brad Nathanson.

On February 17, Ms Fuller was found unconscious beside the body of Rice who, according to prosecution, overdosed with cocaine suspected to have been laced with other deadly substance(s).

The tragic incident got world news aflame, with Britain’s Daily Mail reporting that a gang that tried to rob the visiting pair and failed was enraged and fed them on poison. While appearing before Buganda Road Court, the State said the duo came to Uganda on February 15 and booked into Lake Victoria Serena Hotel in Entebbe, Wakiso District. Ms Kathryne was jointly charged with “special hire” driver Moses Kalanzi, who is facing charges of manslaughter and supplying and dispensing restricted drugs (cocaine) to the duo. They were part of a team that was set to film a documentary in Uganda in conjunction with Hope Medical Clinics, an affiliate of Sterley Hearing Foundation based in Minnesota, USA.