Concerns are mounting over why Ugandan businessman Rugiirwa Katatumba, whose name has been linked to various financial scandals, holds a diplomatic passport.
A growing number of Ugandans are now demanding answers from the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, questioning how Katatumba—who does not meet the stipulated qualifications—was able to obtain this highly coveted travel document.
According to official guidelines from the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, a diplomatic passport is reserved for specific individuals, including the President and First Family, Speaker of Parliament, Chief Justice, ministers, judges, and recognized cultural leaders, among others. Notably absent from this list are private businessmen like Rugiirwa, raising suspicions about the legitimacy of his possession of the passport.
To complicate matters, Katatumba has openly flaunted his diplomatic passport on social media, an act viewed by some as an abuse of privilege and grounds for revocation. Sources claim that both Rugiirwa and his twin sister, Ugandan singer Angella Katatumba, acquired diplomatic passports under dubious circumstances following the death of their father, Boney Katatumba, who served as the honorary consul of Pakistan.
After Boney Katatumba’s passing in 2018, Angella controversially took over his consulate office without official authorization. The Pakistani High Commission in Nairobi later declared that the honorary consulate in Uganda had ceased to function upon Boney’s death and denounced the current office as illegitimate.
A source within the Immigration Directorate commented, “The diplomatic passport is intended solely for official government business and to confer various levels of immunity in that capacity. Rugiirwa has no valid reason to hold one, and we have seen this system abused before.”
The same source emphasized that diplomatic passports come with strict terms of behavior and conduct, which cannot be bypassed simply because one holds the document.
As outrage grows, a section of Ugandans are petitioning immigration authorities for explanations. This comes on the heels of numerous revelations about Rugiirwa’s scandal-ridden life, despite being the son of the late Bonny Katatumba, a man widely respected in Uganda. Rugiirwa’s track record, however, is marked by controversy, with numerous allegations of financial fraud against him over the years.