{UAH} THE PRICE OF BEING STINGY: Robbed MP narrates ordeal

Robbed MP narrates ordeal

Written by SADAB KITATTA KAAYA & ALON MWESIGWA

 Created: 31 August 2016

 

MP Santa Alum Ogwang

Thursday, August 25, began like any other normal day for Ugandan MPs travelling to South Africa.

As the MPs arrived at a Johannesburg hotel named Caribu at around 8pm, they had no idea what awaited them. Oyam district woman MP Santa Alum Ogwang, who was part of the entourage, told us: "When we arrived at the airport, the hotel people came for us. We boarded [a hotel bus] and [when] we reached, the hotel gate it was opened immediately; some men came from nowhere and surrounded us."

Thinking this was some kind of warm welcome ritual, the MPs were all smiles, Ogwang narrated.

"When they surrounded us, we thought they had just come to welcome us, but they were robbers," Ogwang said.

"They put us at gun-point and picked everything from us: The bags, the suitcases, including the passports – everything," she said.

First, the robbers spoke to the driver of the hotel van in a language believed to be Zulu. Then the driver turned to his passengers, who included four MPs and three parliament staff, and told them to co-operate.

"You people, close your eyes and raise your hands or they will kill you," the driver said.
"You see for me I was very traumatized for the next two days, but I think it was the hotel which arranged to pick us from the hotel so the van [looked to be] theirs," Ogwang said.

Three of the MPs had their passports taken and they were helped by the Ugandan mission in South Africa to process travel documents. The robbed MPs were, Robert Migadde of Buvuma Islands, Santa Alum Ogwang, the Oyam Woman MP, Francis Gonahasa, the Kabweri county MP, and Patrick Isiagi, the Kachumbala county MP. Also robbed were, Jackline Mutekanga and Florence Achieng, both members of staff of parliament.

After the robbery ordeal ended, it was clear they couldn't continue with their mission.

"How could we complete what had taken us when some of us remained without anything?" Ogwang wondered. 
"All the clothes, everything was taken. All the monies were taken. We were traumatized. We were robbed at gunpoint and everything was taken. Even the brains were not working well. How could we sleep, eat – it was now impossible."

WEDDING RING

For MP Santa, the thugs did not spare her marriage ring either.

"For me, they even removed my wedding ring. When they removed my bag and I thought everything was taken, I rested my hands on my laps and then they saw the ring shinning, very fast the ring was also gone."

Some Ugandans have been quick to blame the MPs for booking into a cheaper hotel, exposing themselves to crime in Johannesburg which is notorious for that. 
Santa denied that claim.

"No, I think that is very unfortunate because what happened can happen to anybody. For the media to say it was a low-end hotel and that's why we were robbed yet in South Africa people are being robbed day and night, it's really unfortunate," she said. "Instead, the media should be educating Ugandans about what happens in South Africa. Some people go to South Africa for medical reasons and other things, including business."

"That hotel was not something you could call cheap and we hadn't even set foot in the hotel. We had just arrived."

Moreover, Ogwang said, the agriculture committee leadership, which had organized the trip, booked the hotel. Ogwang also denied reports that one of them had been undressed.

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Gwokto La'Kitgum

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"Even a small dog can piss on a tall building" Jim Hightower

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