Under fire Rugiirwa Katatumba, the son of the late consul to Pakistan Boney Katatumba carries a fake passport, says the spokesman of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the line ministry charged with the overseeing the Directorate Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC).
Now Immigration has summoned Rugiirwa Katatumba to seek answers on how he obtained a diplomatic passport without having such privileges or appointment.
Social media has in pass weeks been awash with images of the son of the former honorary consul to Pakistan showing off a red passport in a compromised nightlife spot.
Critics were quick to blame the government who issue such documents to unauthorized people, something which damages the reputation of Ugandan Passports worldwide.
In an interview with Daily Monitor newspaper, Simon Mundeyi the spokesman of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he strongly defended the department of Immigration saying he has not authorized the issuing of the said document carried by Rugiirwa. He said he had remanded that Mr Rugiirwa faces the authorities to interrogate how he acquired the diplomatic passport.
“People might want to show off on social media with a red passport, but we will now ask the police to investigate and have this individual produce the passport he is displaying so we can verify its authenticity.”
“The passport he is displaying on social media may have to come from Nasser Road or could belong to a parent. He did not open it for inspection. For someone to hold a diplomatic passport, the y must be of high standing in society or hold a significant office.”
The Rugiirwa Red Passport scandal comes at the time Ugandans travelling with their documents face more assessment since the process through which passports in the country has been tested and found prone to wrong elements such as West Africans involved in high level international crimes including fraud.
Also, there are diplomats who have faced the music following their undiplomatic behavior as seen in the cases of Canada High Commission in Ottawa and in Dubai where diplomats converted the embassy into an alcohol den.
As a son of the former diplomat, it is important to find out if the document Rugiirwa was showing off was authentic or it could be belonging to another high profile and reputable individuals.
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