A recent report by Auditor General Edward Akol has shed light on the devastating financial impact of the fire that ravaged Uganda House in Kenya during the June 2024 protests.
According to the report, the blaze caused a staggering Shs7.2 billion in damages, a significant blow to Uganda’s coffers.
To make matters worse, the government’s delayed response to repairing the premises is expected to result in an annual revenue loss of Shs1.8 billion.
“This prolonged inaction not only exacerbates the financial burden but also undermines the country’s economic recovery efforts.” Part of the report reads.
At the time of the fire, Uganda House was undergoing renovations, with an expected handover date of June 28, 2024. The renovation costs, borne by Ugandan taxpayers, totaled Shs24.4 billion.
The destruction of the building has not only wasted these funds but also dealt a significant blow to Uganda’s diplomatic presence in Kenya.
These shocking statistics come at a time when Uganda has just lost another High commission station to protesters in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Protests erupted in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on Tuesday, with demonstrators targeting several embassies, including Uganda’s, amid anger over foreign involvement in the eastern conflict.
The unrest stems from accusations that some neighboring countries, particularly Rwanda, are backing the M23 rebels who seized the eastern provincial capital of Goma on Monday, intensifying a three-decade conflict.
Protesters allege complicity from nations such as Uganda, Kenya, and others in supporting or enabling the crisis.
A Reuters reporter witnessed the Ugandan embassy being looted during the demonstrations. Protesters also attacked the embassies of France, the United States, Rwanda, and Kenya.
Soldiers stationed at the Kenyan embassy reportedly did not intervene to stop the attack, according to a witness.
Demonstrators, burning tires and clashing with police, accused Rwanda of orchestrating the rebellion with international support.
“All of this is because of Rwanda. What Rwanda is doing is in complicity with France, Belgium, the United States, and others. The people of Congo are tired. How many times should we die?” a protester told Reuters.
The French embassy was also set ablaze during the protests but was quickly brought under control, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed in a post on X.
Congo’s Communications Minister, Patrick Muyaya, addressed the situation on national television, urging calm and calling on citizens to protest peacefully.
“We have every right… to express our anger, but let’s do it peacefully. Let’s not attack the consular infrastructures of countries accredited in Congo,” he said. He later announced that the situation had been contained.
The attack on the Ugandan embassy highlights the growing frustration of Congolese citizens, who feel abandoned by neighboring countries and the international community amid the escalating conflict in the east.
