Maj Gen (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire’s Ministry of Internal Affairs has spoken out on an incident where singer Winnie Nakanwagi aka Winnie Nwagi was chased from the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC) where she had reportedly gone to process her passport.
When the video of Winnie Nwagi being chased from DCIC emerged online last week, Ugandans debated it (as expected). There were mixed reactions but all centred on the way she was dressed.
Today, August 08, Internal Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Simon Peter Mundeyi has explained that Winnie Nwagi’s dressing “disturbed the children” who pointed fingers at her and “drew the attention of our police officers who were manning the security of the place.”
Contrary to reports that Winnie Nwagi was chased like a chicken thief, Mundeyi said the officers were polite to the singer.
But he insisted that all visitors must dress decently since the passports office is visited by respectable people who might be offended by poor dressing.
“Our officers were very professional. They politely asked her to leave because it was improper, it was contravening our very strict dress policy which emphasizes decency because you know that ministry is public: it is the only place where everybody goes to get a passport and as such it hosts very important people. We have ministers coming there, we have parents coming there, we have children coming there, we have in-laws, we have church leaders and all sorts of respected people,” explained Mundeyi during the weekly security press briefing at the Uganda Police Force (UPF) headquarters at Naguru in Kampala on Monday.
“So, the way she was dressed, really, did not depict a person who is a mother and a respectable member of society. I call upon all musicians and other celebrities who would want to come to the ministry to access services there to ‘please, come decently dressed’ because that is a government ministry and we have a dress code policy that emphasizes decency. We do not entertain [nekedi] artistes, we entertain performing artists at the ministry.”
Winnie Nwagi is just one of the female artists that have been in news over their actions or controversial claims. A few months ago, singer Sheebah Karungi was in the news over claims that a man (who social media in-laws claimed was Andrew Mwenda) had reportedly dipped his fingers in her pot, against her will. But Sheebah would later exonerate Andrew Mwenda. (Read Story Here).
