The head of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) Kyambogo office, Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo, has been summoned to the Central Police Station (CPS) in Kampala to record a statement regarding serious allegations of human trafficking.
The criminal summons are centered around scholarships that were advertised by the NRM Kyambogo office, which promised educational opportunities in Iran.
In its statement issued on October 10, 2024, the NRM office of the national chairman, Kyambogo, announced that it had received “full scholarship opportunities with free accommodation and free healthcare, from the Islamic Republic of Iran for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate level(s).”
“Therefore, all the Bazzukulu and Ugandans who would wish to benefit from this opportunity are hereby invited to submit their applications to the Office of the National Chairman, Kyambogo, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. during working hours, not later than November 10, 2023,” the statement reads.
For the bachelor’s level, the office announced scholarships for three programs, which included business management, information technology, and architectural engineering (structure).
For Masters’, the office announced scholarships for fourteen programs, which included Business Management, Mechatronics Engineering, Civil Engineering, Islamic Economics, History of Islamic Civilization, Women Studies, International Relations, Criminal Law and Criminology, Social Communication Sciences, Private Law, The History of Islamic Culture and Civilization, Women’s Studies, Persian Language and Literature, and Philosophy and Islamic Theology (KALAM).
For the doctorate, the office announced scholarships for three programs, which included Islamic Mysticism and Sufism, Private Law, and Criminal Law and Criminology.
According to reports, the office managed to attract 120 finalists with these scholarship offers. However, each of these students was subsequently required to pay a substantial sum of $950 to cover visa and flight expenses. On February 3, 2024, a group of 70 students departed for Iran, anticipating to begin their studies.
Upon arrival, the students encountered unexpected challenges. Many of the courses that were advertised and expected were not available at the university they were enrolled in.
Additionally, the promised medical insurance, a critical aspect of their wellbeing abroad, was not provided.
This situation left many students in a precarious position, unable to pursue their intended studies.
Some students were forced to return to Uganda after discovering they could not change their courses to something more suitable. The situation was further complicated by the fact that the Ugandan embassy in Iran was not informed about the students’ presence, leaving the students without crucial support in a foreign country.
In the aftermath, those who returned to Uganda have taken legal action, filing cases and petitioning the NRM national chairman for refunds of the money they paid, compensation for their troubles, and assistance in repatriating their fellow students who remain in Iran, struggling to return home.
