Court remands nine Rwandans over illegal stay in Uganda

MBARARA – The grade one magistrate in Mbarara Paul Mujuni on Wednesday afternoon remanded nine Rwandese women to Kyamugorani prison after they were arrested last Sunday by police on charges of illegal entry into the country.

According to the charge sheet, the nine women and others are being charged with engaging in illegal business as well as illegally staying in Uganda.

They include Francine Mukeshimana aged 35, Teddy Mukatwesiga, 23, Florence Mukankubito, 27, Matilda Yafashaija,27,  Lilian Owimana,33, Claire Nahimana,22, Shivan Nyangoma,26 from Tanzania Ireen Owimana,25, Yvonne Nyiramafaranga,34.

According to locals, Mukeshimana and her colleagues are prostitutes who operate on a re-known place in Mbarara town called Memory on Mbarara high street.

Some trying to hide their faces from cameras as they got out of the courtroom. (PHOTO BY BOB AINE)

Jane Owimana (not real names) one of the girls who was arrested but released on bond expressed her dismay on how her colleagues are being treated in Uganda.

“We were arrested with all the documents, we have our passports, but our colleagues have been denied a chance to present them, it’s true we are prostitutes but we sell our bodies how does it concern them, if they don’t want us in the country they can take us back to Rwanda, everyone now is targeting us since the arrest almost all offices have eaten our money, being a Rwandese is not a crime,” she said.

Emmy Kateera, the deputy Resident District Commissioner earlier confirmed the arrest of over 20 Rwandese of which some were released upon screening at Mbarara police station on Monday.

Some of the women being led out of the grade one courtroom by a police officer after being remanded. (PHOTO BY BOB AINE)

He revealed that they got intelligence information that a certain group of girls and women sleep in one room during the day and at night they disperse to do unknown businesses.

Kateera noted that this became a security concern until they rounded off their residential area known as Dek 2 Bar located on high street near New Classic Hotel and arrested them. He said that the ladies were found with no documents which warrant them to stay in Uganda.