Last Thursday, a team of detectives from the Kampala Metropolitan Regional Criminal Investigations questioned Hajjat Hadijjah Namyalo, head of the Office of the National Chairperson (ONC) of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), regarding allegations of scamming Ugandan students in the Iran scholarship programme.
Namyalo, along with three other officials from her Kyambogo office, was reportedly interrogated for the second time. A police source revealed to The New Vision that Namyalo had previously evaded recording a statement but was compelled to comply this time under the threat of arrest.
“She had refused to record a statement until we summoned her again. If she had ignored us this time, we would have arrested her,” the source said.
Statements from Suspects
Four suspects have recorded their statements in connection with the case, while two others have not yet done so. In her statement, Namyalo denied any wrongdoing.
“She needs to know that no one is against her. As police, we investigate any matter as long as it has been brought to our attention,” the source added.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango stated that he had not yet been briefed on the matter. The human trafficking case is referenced as CRB:173/2024 at the Kampala Metropolitan Police Criminal Investigations Directorate offices.
Namyalo’s Defense
Challenge for Evidence
Recently, Namyalo challenged anyone with evidence of her receiving money from the students to present it. She acknowledged that the ONC had the opportunity from the Iranian Embassy to provide scholarships to Ugandan students and that she had met with the Ambassador of Iran to Uganda and the embassy’s cultural affairs attaché regarding the matter.
“I know there are people who want to occupy my office under the assumption that there is a lot of money, but they forget that sometimes circumstances force me to use my own money to keep the office active,” Namyalo told journalists.
The Genesis
Scholarship Programme Launch
On February 5, the Iranian Ambassador to Uganda, Majid Saffar, flagged off 69 students and ONC staff to pursue various programmes at Ahlul-Bayt International University in Tehran. These 69 students were to join eight others who had traveled earlier. Before departure, the students received a briefing at the ONC offices in Kyambogo from the Iranian envoy and Namyalo.
Advertisement and Selection
The scholarship opportunities were advertised on October 13 of the previous year by the ONC in a letter signed by Moses Kintu, the then ONC assistant communications officer.
How It Started: Fees and False Promises
A total of 120 finalists were shortlisted. Contrary to claims that the scholarships were free, each student allegedly had to pay a mandatory fee of $950 (approximately UGX 3.5 million) to cover visa and flight costs.
One student revealed that upon arriving in Iran, they discovered that some advertised courses were not being offered at the university and that medical insurance was not covered.
“The most painful thing is that when they were advertising the scholarships, they included ICT (Information and Communication Technology). I did art subjects at A’Level. I came to Iran to pursue ICT because that is the trending course in Uganda,” he said.
Student Reactions and Complaints
Eleven students who could not change courses have since returned to Uganda, with some filing cases with the police and others petitioning President Yoweri Museveni for a refund. In a letter dated June 23, some students in Iran asked the President to intervene, citing several challenges within their short time at Ahlul-Bayt International University.
