Kampala, (UG):- The Minister for Internal Affairs, Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire, has denied authorising the issuance of a diplomatic passport to Rugiirwa Katatumba the son of the former Pakistan Honorary Consul in Uganda the late Boney Katatumba.
According to Gen Otafiire, the issuance of such passports follows a strict protocol and that if found out that he [Rugiirwa] owns one, evidence should be brought forward and it will be withdrawn from him.
“I worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Now forget that I am the Minister for Internal Affairs. I am a former diplomat. I know how these things are done. Even children of diplomats don’t get diplomatic passports once they turn 18. At 18, they get their ordinary passports,” Mr Otafiire, who is currently the Minister for Internal Affairs, said in an interview on Wednesday.
He added: “But if they are serving in a foreign service, then they get diplomatic passports. First of all, I don’t even know whether he has it. Bring me evidence that he is holding a diplomatic passport, and we shall withdraw it.”
“He can’t get a Ugandan diplomatic passport. Once you bring evidence that he is holding a diplomatic passport we shall withdraw. Maybe it’s Pakistan that gave him that passport. And it should not be a Ugandan diplomatic passport,” he said.
The development after Rugiirwa was recently exposed for flashing on social media his alleged Diplomatic Passport which sparked controversy as Ugandans called immigration department to explain and provide clarity on who qualifies for this much-sought travel document.
Earlier in the week, Ms Arithea Nakiwala, the Internal Affairs ministry deputy spokesperson, said the document could have been issued for some reasons.
“The act governing the issuance of diplomatic passports grants the minister the authority to issue them to anyone based on the services they are providing to the nation. This is how the businessman obtained his diplomatic passport.”
She added: “It is likely that the minister authorised it for his reasons, such as the businessman’s significant contributions to the country. Although he may be seen primarily as a businessman, his services benefit the government, and the minister granted him a diplomatic passport to facilitate his work.”
Based on the regulations of owning a diplomatic passport according to the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control of Uganda, it is clear that Rugiirwa does not meet the criteria to hold one.
The regulation dictates that only the President and Members of the First Family, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament, the Chief Justice, government ministers and their spouses, the head of Public Service, the Governor and Deputy Governor of the Bank of Uganda, chancellors and Vice Chancellors of State Universities, judges of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and the High Court, Permanent Secretaries, Chairpersons and Vice-Chairpersons of Permanent Commissions and recognized traditional or cultural leaders, foreign service officers and their spouses plus their children below the age of 18 staying with them abroad are entitled to have a diplomatic passport.
With the listed examples, Rugiira holds no position to allow him to bear a diplomatic passport. He has been seen in photos of the passport copy on many social media platforms which is seen as an act of abuse of the passport and can be revoked.
How Rugiirwa Fraudulently obtained the diplomatic passport
Anonymous sources told this website that Rugiirwa and her twin sister Angella Katatumba both acquired a diplomatic passport following the passing of their dad, who passed on in 2018.
After his passing, it is alleged that Angella continued illegally occupying the consulate office and it is during this time that she helped her brother acquire the passport illegally.
The High Commission for Pakistan in Nairobi would later describe the honorary Consulate of Pakistani currently operating in Uganda under Ugandan singer and songwriter Angella Katatumba as fake, fictitious and with no legal authority.
In a letter dated March 13, 2018 and copied to the High Commission in Nairobi Kenya, all diplomatic missions, international organisations, consulates and the Pakistan Association in Uganda, among others, the commission says the “so-called honorary consulate of Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Uganda had been ceased to function with the demise of Bonney Katatumba.”
“It (Diplomatic passport) is meant to facilitate official government business by Government agents and to bestow various levels of Immunity in the execution of said business; Rugiirwa has no business owning one. But of course, we know it has been abused,” said a source at Immigration.
He added: “It cannot be brandished as an all-open pass for any and everyone that holds it. It carries terms and conditions for behaviour and conduct.”
A section of Ugandans last week petitioned the Immigration Department demanding answers on what procedures did he follow to acquire a diplomatic passport.
Ms Nakiwala said all embassy staff, including their spouses and children under the age of 18 staying with them abroad, qualify for diplomatic passports. However, children above 18 are not entitled to receive such passports.
When contacted for a comment, Mr Rugiirwa declined, saying he was far away in Fort Portal.
Rugiirwa Katatumba has become a symbol of scandal and controversy casting a long shadow over his father’s once-esteemed legacy.
Rugiirwa’s involvement in financial scandals is well documented since over the years he has repeatedly been accused of defrauding business partners out of their hard-earned money.
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