By John V Sserwaniko
Wealthy senior citizen Sheila Kawamara Mishambi (also former EALA MP) has described the UK government as one comprising of brutal racists who treat Africans as 2nd class citizens of the planet.
In a facebook rant, sparked by failure to secure permission to travel to the UK for pre-wedding meetings with the Zungu family of her daughter’s fiancé, Kawamara vents it all out like never before. Renowned for her activism, Kawamara says she is too eminent a citizen to be subjected to the rigorous humiliation and deprivation she endured yet in the end wasn’t issued a visa on time.
She says she wants back her passport and notifies the authorities at the British High Commission in Kampala that she has already filed her complaint with the UK Home Office for remedial action.
She says she chose ranting through her facebook wall because the Ugandan mainstream media can’t dare run a story publicizing the dehumanizing treatment she went through because that would be exposing the British who she claims are the masters for the Ugandan media.
NYOMBI THEMBO EXPERIENCE
Her courage to speak out encouraged many to share their own experiences corroborating the fact that the humiliation she endured wasn’t exceptional to her alone but it’s something visa applicants often go through or even worse. Ex-ICT Minister Nyombi Thembo is among those who registered their sympathies and welcomed the guts with which the former TDA Communications Manager spoke out.
“Actually I have avoided to go to the UK for the past seven years now. Even with a diplomatic passport with all the guarantees these guys just want you to look worthless. Sorry my friend Sheila and thanks for sharing,” he stated prompting Kawamara to respond: “Brother George Willaim Nyombi Thembo really if they can do such even to our diplomats & ministers, should we leave them to get away with crime? Nedda Bambi. Injustice is injustice and I stand up to protest it. UK is just not serious and a so called champion of civilization.”
For Adolf Mbaine, a celebrated Makerere journalism professor, what Kawamara went through is something that has been on for years. He says he was equally stigmatized 15 years ago in 2004 when he sought visa to travel to UK for a conference to which British organizers had invited him. He wrote in the comments section thus: “Sorry Sheila. That visa control office is so sick over a long time that you shouldn’t even feel sad. In 2004 i was invited to a top University in the UK as a participant in a conference. I was gainfully employed here. The conference organizers made it clear all my expenses were paid. I did not attach land titles and related absurdity to show how wealthy I was. Academics travel all over the world without proof of ownership of property anyway. The British visa office then based in Kampala denied me a visa on the spurious grounds that I had not provided evidence of economic and cultural ties here in Uganda to be able to return after the conference! I missed it. But i pitied the officer because I really thought he/she was silly and infertile. I have since never applied for a UK visa. I just hope the UK leaves the EU sooner and their citizens are subjected to the same treatment in Europe. Sadly Britons travelling here don’t have to struggle to get a Ugandan visa.”
MORE BITTERNESS
Similarly, Rose Mary Kemigisha submitted that Ugandans like Kawamara wouldn’t be suffering all this abuse at the UK Visa office in Kampala if government was enthusiastic about protecting dignity of its people. She says it’s strange that the British, who enter Uganda without knocking as if it’s their latrine, can treat fellow humans with so much indignity. To her, this is reason the GoU should act patriotically by demanding fairer treatment for its citizens. She says as a 1994 student in UK she was subjected to so much stigma and racism she vowed never to go back again. Emboldened by hundreds of solidarity messages, Kawamara wonders why Ugandans prefer keeping quiet permitting the British visa officials to carry on with their “impunity.”
For Julie Nabwire, this was an opportunity to declare how and why she has never desired to live in the UK. This is how she made her point: “I dread ever travelling to the UK! Why do they think all of us want to stay in their country with its dreary weather? Renowned scribe Sheila Naturinda sympathized with name shake Kawamara showing this wasn’t the first painful UK visa experience she was reading about. “I am so sorry Sheila Kawamara Mishambi I have heard about those troubles of “u have to have evidence enough that u shall return.” I’m lucky I have never been in need of any reason to visit their country. Let them stay with their Queen.”
Many others made their case seeing this as the best opportunity to avenge possible previous failure to secure UK visas. They were unanimous the UK racism was becoming too much and its high time Ugandans found some way to reciprocate and fight back in solidarity with outspoken victims like Kawamara. They included Arina Richard, Bannie Chiquita, Bob Kisiki, Fredson Mutebi (likened visa officers to robots ever acting unreasonably), trade union leader Usher Wilson Owere, UK immigration pundit Joy Kyakwita, Amooti Omubiito, Joy S. Bongyereire, Belinda Namutebi Ondaba, Joan Aliobe (resents UK despite having been there as a student), Natumanya Ainebyoona, Elliot Orizaarwa, Radio One influential journalist Kenneth Lukwago Anderson (recalled being messed up after being invited to speak at a WMF conference), Ayeta Anne Wangusa, celebrated Mak law don Busingye Kabumba, Edson G. N Nsubuga, Margaret Sentamu, Malisa Apese, Susan Mbaga, highly travelled veteran journalist Irene Kiiza Onyango, Grace Kamuli, Ronald Okello, Maria Nakabito, Amooti Omubiito, Joseph Tumushabe and Patrick Kaggwa.
There were also Alon Mwesigwa Amooti, Henry Bongyereirwe and veteran scribe Jonathan Akweteireho who went native & ranted as follows: “The guys stole everything from Africa during slave trade and colonialism. We bled profusely. That’s where their insecurity. I couldn’t travel to a certain western country because I penned an article against homosexuality. Do I care? But even yesterday I forced PACE, an NGO to strike off lubricants donations from the list to my district. We can always go to China for business.” Others were Kobel Peter, Jolly Tukky, Isabella Akiteng, Stuart Whosever Naturinda and Pamela M Alochi Kertho who ranted as follows: “It’s not interesting. Other countries treat Ugandans very negatively and yet here we allow foreigners to live so comfortably at even the expense of our own freedom. I have heard this kind of scenario before, where even a mother was denied a visa to travel for the son’s wedding and only to receive it 2 days after the function.”
MORE ANTI-UK SENTIMENTS
John Kaggwa shared on why he considers US more attractive country for Africans to travel to than UK. “I once told off a little Muzungu girl that if she didn’t want to give me a visa to the UK, I would travel via South Africa. I was proceeding to the US and had secured a 2 year visa to America. Basically telling her that her country was inferior to US. I got the visa instantly. Sometimes you need to make them feel small. Most of those small boys and gals are drunkards in our various Kampala pubs and I cannot be too sure they don’t do weed! Bollocks!” Edward K. Mukasa instantly concurred.
But there are some few who defended the UK and blamed some wealthy Ugandan VIPs who approach the visa office with pride and indifference making things very complicated for themselves. Flavia Nakumugonza (living in UK already) was the most outstanding. In a long post, Flavia Nakumugonza (from Busoga) accused Kawamara of being a double-faced person wondering why she allows her daughter to get married to a British if she indeed hates UK (for its racism) as she claims. She said the visa frustrations notwithstanding, there are many nice things that make UK a very great country to visit, study or even stay in.
She made reference to good governance and functional institutions there as well as the fact that its currency (the Pound) remains strongest-with UK itself being the world’s 6th largest economy. She also referred to the excellent medical system deducing it’s the reason many Ugandan VIPs often travel there for medication. She argued that Ugandan political leaders, who have delivered hell for their citizens, prefer to have their children grow in the UK. Without much elaboration, she gave the example of State ICT Minister Idah Nantaba.
KAWAMARA ORIGINAL
FACEBOOK RANT
Friends you have to hear me out. I’m raging with anger against the British Government Home Office and in particular the UK Visa and Immigration officers responsible.
I never want to throw my personal outbursts on social media but I think when you have to put up a fight against people or establishments that are stronger than you, then the best way to get them to hear you out is to use all forms of media.
When those with authority oppress ordinary citizens, by cowardly hiding behind institutions, we must face them by crying out loud. Laying ourselves bare and boldly facing them.
I know not many media houses would want to open up battles against their masters but I will dare the mighty and powerful because I believe very strongly that I’m suffering gross injustice. I know many African brothers and sisters have suffered worse but why should I remain silent? Thanks to social media and facebook.
Yesterday 25th April my daughter arrived in United Kingdom, all alone to celebrate her pre-wedding celebratory moment with her fiancé’s family. Painfully I could not be with her nor her siblings who were denied visas. Reason given by the cowardly anonymous officer was that he or she “could not guarantee that they were genuine visitors to the UK and that they were likely to return to Uganda after their stay.”
What impudence is this? My daughter and son are both lawyers, recently enrolled and in gainful employment. At least they are not begging for food or homeless. Mr/Ms. Anonymous, where did you expect my children, who are just out of school to have got the huge bank accounts as proof of their genuineness and financial status?
My question is, as a family, if we had proof of air tickets, hotel bookings, invitations etc. that were demanded by the UK Visa and Immigration, what made you think that we wanted to use this opportunity to run out of warm, comfortable and beautiful Uganda to permanently settle in the cold, possibly on the streets as homeless aliens in the UK? At least I know for sure, neither me nor my children would make such a miserable exchange or take such a pathetic decision.
As the mother to the bride, I applied for a Visa to the UK over 20 days ago, went through the laborious and tormenting experience of filling the hopeless Visa forms asking me to provide my most private details. I attached all the so called necessary documentation including proof of my widowhood, the death certificate of my husband, bringing all the sad memories and stripping myself almost naked to prove my financial worthiness and assets (of course which are far more than those owned by majority of Britons and earned honestly through hard work).
All this I did to simply accompany my daughter to officially meet with the parents of her fiancé and also be with the mother of her fiancé who is extremely ill and she will not be attending their wedding in Kampala next month.
What does someone in authority do? Decision taken, deny the siblings the Visas and since I have all the requirements fulfilled, hold onto my passport. Today I receive two communications from TLS telling me now that my passport has been forwarded to DMC for processing.
Later this evening I receive another message from TLS that my Visa is being worked on. Guys I cancelled my travel. So I will not be travelling to the UK. At least not now. So what decision are you making?
Please just return my passport since I have already lodged my complaint to the UK Home Office. Your actions were irresponsible, a violation to my rights and those of my family here in Uganda and in the UK. I have a right to associate and freedom to move wherever I want. Racism cannot be used to control the world. And I resist injustice in whatever form. (For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755 or email on mulengera2040@gmail.com).
