The State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Okello Oryem has defended Ambassador Joy Ruth Acheng who was last week expelled by the Canadian government over "uncouth behaviour" and says she has been unfairly judged.
Last week, the Canadian government declared Acheng, "Persona non grata" after she appeared in a social media clip confronting National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters who were protesting on Toronto streets, against what they said were unlawful arrests of colleagues in Uganda.
Acheng, is expected to be deported back to Uganda this week.
Reacting to Acheng's situation, Minister Oryem, said the high commissioner should be evaluated based on her entire tenure and not on her confrontation with the NUP supporters.
"We should not judge Acheng basing on what you saw on social media of her being on the streets confronting the NUP (supporters). She should not be judged by that, but rather what she has done the whole time she's been there as ambassador," the minister said while appearing on NTV.
The minister further critisised the NUP supporters who engaged in a confrontation with Acheng, and said they should not be credited for such behaviours. He described them as 'hooligans'.
"NUP, are they peaceful demonstrators ? They are hooligans. They are not hooligans only in Uganda, they are hooligans even in Europe. I have never heard of any NUP demonstration that is peaceful," Oryem said.
He suggested that Acheng could have been triggered to confront the NUP protesters because of their abusive and disrespectful utterances.
"They are very abusive. They are very disrespectful, those people wherever they are. In now way should they be given credit that they are peaceful demonstrators. I don't support that. Acheng was responding to their utterances," the minster said.
In the clip that went viral on social media, Acheng, who was wearing a yellow dress, was seen with a yet to be identified woman, confronting NUP supporters.
It is believed the NUP supporters were protesting against the detention of NUP head of security, Achileo Kivumbi, who was arrested early this month, near his home in Nansana over possession of military attire.
In the same clip, Acheng was recorded saying that some NUP supporters had made it a habit of abducting themselves in attempt to get asylum.
"The problem is that you abduct yourselves. Stop abducting yourselves and killing yourselves, saying it is Museveni," she was recorded saying.
She was also heard threatening to call police to have the NUP supporters pushed away from the streets.
Acheng's comments sparked controversy on social media, particularly among NUP supporters and leaders led by the party president, Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, who condemned Acheng for being partisan.
"This is Uganda's High Commissioner to Canada Joy Ruth Acheng openly engaging in partisan politics against people she's required to serve without discrimination. Asked about the abduction, torture and subsequent trial of comrade Achileo Kivumbi in the Court Martial, Acheng instead claims opposition supporters like Achileo "abduct themselves for asylum!" For as long as appointments of public servants like Acheng are based on sycophancy instead of merit, we shall continue seeing more of this madness!" Kyagulanyi posted on X on August 7.
Days later, Kyagulanyi applauded the NUP supporters whose pressure resulted in the deportation of Acheng