Kitgum Woman Member of Parliament Beatrice Atim Anywar has asked Khamis Ali, a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) officer who is reportedly arrested for sexual molesting girls to compensate all victims including one who requires anal surgery.
Last week, Anwar reported cases of sexual harassment against five girls from Lamwo refugee camp to police in Kitgum but the force first declined to arrest Ali saying he is a diplomat.
In a press briefing held at Parliament, Anywar said UNHCR officer doesn’t only harass girls in camps but in hotels where he stays. His file had been missing however it was recalled to Kampala on orders of Doris Akullo and is currently detained at Jinja road police station.
“With Investigators from Geneva for a fact finding mission in Lamwo district to investigate allegations of sexual harassment in camps the team recommended that any UN officer caught in such act doesn’t have diplomatic immunity and should face the law,” she said at Parliament.
She lauded FIDA Uganda and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for acting fast to bring to record Mr. Khamis Ali.
Contacted for comment, both police spokes persons Emilian Kayima and Patrick Onyango did not pick our calls.
The refugee docket has recently come to the spotlight and last month the Office of the Prime Minister interdicted the Commissioner for Refugees Apollo Kazungu and three other officers over misappropriation of refugee funds, aid relief and falsification of refugee numbers.
Following their suspension, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations George Okoth Oboth, said that the agency’s Inspector General’s Office is in Uganda carrying out investigations in respect to several serious allegations received in 2017 about fuel embezzlement, sexual exploitation and abuse, irregular tendering and fraud in procurement and food distribution.
