Government names recognised VIPs

Jul 28, 2008

STATE minister for internal affairs Matia Kasaija yesterday handed to Parliament a list of people eligible for diplomatic passports. These include government ministers and their spouses, ambassadors and their spouses, recognised traditional and cultural leaders.

By Madinah Tebajjukira

STATE minister for internal affairs Matia Kasaija yesterday handed to Parliament a list of people eligible for diplomatic passports.

The minister, appearing before the parliamentary committee on defence and internal affairs, said 1,500 people hold Ugandan diplomatic passports.

These include government ministers and their spouses, ambassadors and their spouses, recognised traditional and cultural leaders.

Other VIPs are the Chief Justice, the judges of the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, as well as the chancellors and vice-chancellors of state universities.

Also on the list are the governor of the Bank of Uganda and his deputy, the Speaker of Parliament and his deputy, the permanent secretaries, and the chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of permanent commissions.

MPs were querying the minister on media reports that some Ugandans, who had been arrested in the UK on criminal charges, were found to be in possession of diplomatic passports.

The minister said some people were issued with diplomatic passports when assigned to carry out what he described as “special duties.”

“There are people with diplomatic passports who are assigned special duties by the State. They can get the diplomatic passports under the hand of the minister.”

According to Kasaija, there is no legal arrangement of recalling diplomatic passports from individuals who cease to be eligible.

He suggested that the law be revised to compel individuals to surrender their diplomatic passports when they cease to be valid.

Kasaija also explained that the ministry was planning to reduce the validity of diplomatic passports from 10 years to five years.

During the deliberations, Elijah Okupa (FDC) told the meeting that some religious leaders, district chairpersons and businessmen had diplomatic passports, yet they were not on the list of eligible people the minister had submitted.

He named city tycoon Michael Ezra as one of them. “Under what circumstance do Ezra and religious leaders acquire diplomatic passports?” he asked.

Kasaija at first told MPs that Ezra, being a globe-trotter, may have been given the diplomatic passport under the category of special assignments.

He, however, later corrected himself, saying he had no information about Ezra and promised to investigate the matter.
The minister admitted that holding a Ugandan diplomatic passport was no longer something to be proud of.

He narrated that one time, when he travelled from Denmark to the UK, he felt embarrassed when immigration officials took time to verify the authenticity of his passport.

“We are also instructing our embassies abroad to confiscate diplomatic passports from people not in the category (of eligible people),” Kasaija explained.

MPs Hussein Kyanjo (JEEMA) and Theodore Ssekikubo (NRM) suggested that all diplomatic passports be re-called to enable the ministry carry out a special audit. Kasaija responded by saying the matter will be discussed with other state agencies.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});