The Ministry of Internal Affairs has summoned Rugiirwa Katatumba, the son of the late Bonney Katatumba Mwebesa, a renowned businessman to explain circumstances under which he allegedly acquired a diplomatic passport.
In the past few weeks, there has been a public outrage over how a section ordinary Ugandans acquire diplomatic passports, despite not qualifying for the same.
Rugiirwa has in the past displayed what he termed as his diplomatic passport.
Commenting on the matter on Monday, Internal Affairs Spokesperson, Simon Mundeyi said their records show Rugiirwa has never been issued with a diplomatic passport.
“We have never issued a diplomatic passport to Rugiirwa Katatumba. On April, 10, 2021, he applied for an ordinary passport and he received in November 2021 from our passport office in Kyambogo and it expires in 2031. We therefore want him to come to explain how he got a diplomatic passport as he alleges,” Mundeyi said.
The Internal Affairs spokesperson explained that Rugiirwa applied for a new passport in 2021 so as to replace his lost ordinary passport.
Commenting on the diplomatic passport that Rugiirwa displayed recently, the Internal Affairs spokesperson said it could have been for someone else or a fake one.
He however said that the only person issued with a diplomatic passport in the Katatumba family is Gertrude Katatumba in her capacity as a wife to a diplomat( late Bonney Katatumba).
Mundeyi however opined that it is highly possible that Rugiirwa was only displaying Gertrude Katatumba’s diplomatic passport.
“We therefore want him to come and explain whose diplomatic passport was he holding. We want to inform the public that not every Ugandan is entitled to acquiring a diplomatic passport.”
Mundeyi said only ministers or their wives, head of public service, the governor of BoU and his deputy, chancellors and vice chancellors of public universities, Justices of the Supreme, Court of Appeal and High Court, permanent secretaries, heads of permanent commissions, heads of religious and cultural institutions and any other person as allowed by the Internal Affairs Minister are allowed to have diplomatic passports.