BIG STORY
How did Rugiirwa Katatumba an ordinary citizen get a diplomatic passport?
None of the Katatumba’s children is Honorary Consul of Pakistan in Uganda as 3rd Deputy Prime Minister Lukia Nakadama was appointed one replacing their late father.
Rugiirwa Katatumba’s Diplomatic Passport has sparked controversy as Ugandans called immigration department to explain and provide clarity on who qualifies for this much sought travel document.
According to Immigration.go.ug, the official website of the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control of Uganda, Rugiirwa does not qualify to hold one (Diplomatic passport).
The President and Members of the First Family, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Chief Justice, government ministers and their spouses, 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 the only people entitled to have a diplomatic passport.
With the listed examples, Rugiirwa 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.
According to anonymous sources, Rugiirwa and his twin sister Angella Katatumba both acquired a diplomatic passport following the passing of their dad.
Boney Katatumba was the Honorary Consul of Pakistan. Angella illegally occupied his office following his death in 2018. Then, she helped her brother acquire the passport illegally.
Pakistan later appointed 3rd Deputy Prime Minister Lukia Nakadama as their Honorary Consul in Uganda.
Later, the High Commission for Pakistan in Nairobi described 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 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 Boney Katatumba.”
“It (Diplomatic passport) is meant to facilitate official government business by Government agents and to bestow various levels of Immunity in 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 every one that holds it. It carries terms and conditions for behavior and conduct.”
A section of Ugandans have petitioned the Immigration department demanding for answers on what procedures did he follow to acquire a diplomatic passport.
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.