Envoy scandals: Uganda's diplomatic mishaps and their consequences
Uganda's diplomats (from left): Henry Mayega, Joy Ruth Acheng, Phibby Otaala and Nimisha Madhvani. Shutterstock and Pool
What you need to know:
- Some Ugandan career diplomats believe that the majority of the political appointees are unfit and unsuitable to represent the country abroad, which could tarnish Uganda's diplomatic service, once among the best on the continent.
Joy Ruth Acheng, Uganda’s High Commissioner to Canada, was notably flamboyant in a video clip that surfaced on August 7, 2024. Wearing a yellow dress and dark glasses, she was seen interacting with protesters in Toronto. The video, shared by National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi, went viral and soon backfired on Acheng.
Canadian authorities acted swiftly, giving her 72 hours to leave the country and declaring her persona non-grata.
On August 21, 2024, she left her station and returned to Kampala - not the kind of short tenure she anticipated.
During the altercation with protesters, recorded on video, Ms Acheng accuses the NUP members of staging abductions of their members in order to taint the image of the Ugandan government.
“You people should stop abducting yourselves; stop killing yourselves and saying it is Museveni,” she said, referring to NUP’s frequent complaints that authorities were abducting and torturing the party’s members.
According to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, ambassadors are strictly expected to represent the interests of their countries, foster good relations, promote peace, and not to engage or influence political play. They are discouraged from taking part in partisan politics, but maintain neutrality.
Canada, one of the most liberal countries in the world and one that usually speaks up for civil liberties in international fora, did not take kindly to her moves.
The video clip seemed to have sealed her fate, although Foreign Affairs Minister Henry Okello Oryem told the local media that she had had other unelaborated issues.
Mr Oryem expressed disappointment at the turn of events, explaining that the envoy had been involved in many issues in Canada, before adding that she had fallen of her own accord and that the incident would not affect Uganda’s ties with Canada.
He said the fate of the envoy now lies with the President Yoweri Museveni, who is the appointing authority.
A persona non grata stamp in the passport means the holder has been kicked out of a country with orders never to return.
Undiplomatic trips
As Ms Acheng was heading home on an undiplomatic journey, her counterpart in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was also heading home, accused of turning Uganda’s mission into a casino.
Henry Mayega, a politician-turned-diplomat who worked in Beijing before moving to Dubai as deputy ambassador and consul general, was recalled last week following reports that the Ugandan House in Dubai had been partly turned into a casino.
Uganda’s Consul General to UAE Henry Mayega, who has been recalled. Pool
He had reportedly imported gambling machines and installed them in the embassy building.
Other undiplomatic incidents
They are not the first to make a faux pas abroad. Nimisha Madhvani, the daughter of the eldest son of the founder of the Madhvani Group empire, has been recalled twice.
Nimisha Madhvani was recalled from Abu Dhabi, UAE after sparking a diplomatic row. Pool
In 2017, Nimisha was recalled from Abu Dhabi after she hosted legislators investigating allegations of enslavement of Ugandans in the UAE. This caused a diplomatic row between Uganda and the UAE.
She was also recalled from Denmark in 2020 after an audio recording indicated she was dishing out embassy money to staff members, when it was meant for displaced Ugandans affected by the Covid-19 global pandemic.
In November 2020, Phibby Otaala was replaced as High Commissioner to Kenya in routine changes by President Museveni. But Ms Otaala, who had unsuccessfully contested a parliamentary seat in Uganda while serving as High Commissioner, caused a scene by vowing not to hand over office to Hassan Galiwango, now deceased, who had been appointed in her place.
Ms Otaala argued at the time that she had not been recalled by the appointing authority, and told NTV Uganda that Mr Galiwango should look for another mission without office bearers and occupy it instead.
Phibby Otaala, former Uganda’s High Commissioner to Kenya. Pool
“We have five other embassies hanging. He can go to China, Japan, Angola or Geneva. I’m not even about to leave. He should not look at where I am. Nairobi etandise okumpomera [Nairobi is just getting sweeter for me],” she said. Mr Galiwango died in January last year while serving at his station in Nairobi.
Simon Mulongo, who was deputy head of mission for the African Union Mission to Somalia (now known as the African Transition Mission in Somalia), was given seven days to leave Mogadishu in May 2021. The Somali government accused him of involvement in activities incompatible with Amisom’s mandate and Somalia's security strategy.
Political, not diplomatic appointments
Mr Museveni has a history of making political appointments of people who lack diplomatic acumen, leading some critics, including opposition politicians, to argue that he uses the positions to as a dumping ground.
Some Ugandan career diplomats believe that the majority of the political appointees are unfit and unsuitable to represent the country abroad, which could tarnish Uganda's diplomatic service, once among the best on the continent.
Under Ugandan law, the President has authority to decide who heads foreign missions and has often mixed career diplomats with political veterans and military chiefs.
