Internal Affairs yet to investigate illegal diplomatic passport holders
Mr Simon Mundeyi, the Internal Affairs spokesperson, displays Ugandan passports at the ministry’s headquarters last year. PHOTO | FRANK BAGUMA
What you need to know:
- According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, diplomatic passports are reserved for officials such as the President and First Lady, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, the Chief Justice, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Governors, and Chancellors, along with their children under the age of 18 living abroad.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs is yet to investigate how some Ugandans have acquired diplomatic passports, which are reserved exclusively for diplomats.
Earlier this month, Mr Rugiirwa Katatumba, son of the late businessman Bonney Katatumba, was seen on social media flaunting an alleged diplomatic passport, despite not being a diplomat. He is one of several Ugandans who have appeared in the media displaying such passports.
According to Mr Simon Mundeyi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mr Katatumba has been summoned several times to explain how he obtained the diplomatic passport but has yet to comply.
“We want him to come and explain whose diplomatic passport he was holding. We want to inform the public that not every Ugandan is entitled to acquiring a diplomatic passport,” Mr Mundeyi said.
He further said: “We have never issued a diplomatic passport to Rugiirwa Katatumba. On April 10, 2021, he applied for an ordinary passport, which he received in November 2021. It expires in 2031. We want him to explain how he got the diplomatic passport he claims to have.”
This is the second time the ministry has summoned Mr Katatumba, but he has yet to respond. Last year, the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC) cancelled 288 applications for diplomatic passports due to ineligibility.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, diplomatic passports are reserved for officials such as the President and First Lady, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, the Chief Justice, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Governors, and Chancellors, along with their children under the age of 18 living abroad.
The Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Nkuyingi Muwada, raised concerns about individuals using diplomatic and service passports for criminal activities.
“Even criminals are now hiding under Uganda's diplomatic passports to avoid arrest and prosecution. Holders of diplomatic passports in foreign countries are presumed to have diplomatic immunity and can only be expelled,” he said.
Mr Muwada also highlighted that the illegal trade in Uganda's diplomatic passports has led to mistrust and complications for legitimate applicants of foreign visas.
"Many countries have now imposed strict measures and approval terms for holders of diplomatic and service passports due to this abuse," he added.
Three weeks ago, the Minister for Internal Affairs, Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire, stated that the Directorate of Immigration would investigate individuals like Mr Katatumba, who were found in possession of diplomatic passports.
He suggested that the Pakistani Embassy might have issued Mr Katatumba's passport, given his father's diplomatic ties.
The late Boney Katatumba was the honorary consul of Pakistan in Uganda.
"Maybe it was Pakistan that gave him that passport. It should not be a Ugandan diplomatic passport," Maj Gen Otafiire remarked. However, the Pakistani Embassy refuted this claim, clarifying that Mr Katatumba was not a Pakistani citizen.
Efforts to get a comment from Mr Rugiirwa Katatumba were futile by press time.
