Kampala – Over 100 Ugandan students are stranded in Iran after being lured into a fake scholarship scheme coordinated through the Office of the National Chairman of NRM Party in Kyambogo.
According to Gaffa Mbwatekamwa, Igara West MP, the students were promised fully funded study opportunities but found no courses available upon arrival in Iran.
Mbwatekamwa told parliament that each student had paid a US$ 800 travel fee, only to discover that the advertised courses were nonexistent. He stated, “On October 10, 2023, the Office of the NRM National Chairman in Kyambogo published an advertisement inviting Ugandans to apply for scholarships to study various courses in Iran. Although 100 students were selected and promised full scholarships, they later found that the courses they were promised did not exist.”
Some students, Mbwatekamwa said, have been forced onto the streets, with some women turning to prostitution.
The MP has called on the government to intervene and rescue the stranded students.
MP Abed Bwanika corroborated the story, sharing his relative’s experience of being duped in the same scheme.
“One of my relatives is a victim of the scheme. He was taken to Iran by the same office to study veterinary medicine, and was stranded and did not even have transport back. We have just evacuated him. This is a serious matter and it must be investigated,” said Bwanika.
Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Muwada Nkunyingi, called for the government to address diplomatic representation gaps in Iran following the death of Ambassador Muhammad Kisambira in August 2023.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jeje Odongo, pledged to investigate and provide a statement soon, acknowledging gaps in diplomatic representation in Iran and three other missions.