Ex-diplomat dismissed over Canada row eyes return to politics, rejects NRM link
Uganda’s former envoy to Canada, Joy Ruth Acheng. PHOTO/FILE/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The ex-envoy is now preparing to run again in the 2026 general elections.
Uganda’s former envoy to Canada, Joy Ruth Acheng, has denied ever supporting the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), saying she remained loyal to the opposition Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) during her seven-year diplomatic posting.
Ms Acheng was expelled from Canada in August 2024 after a video went viral showing her dressed in yellow, a colour associated with the NRM, and confronting supporters of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) during a protest in Toronto.
“I’ve never been yellow, but I worked for yellow when I was appointed ambassador of Uganda to Canada because I respect authority,” she told journalists in Kole District, Northern Uganda.
In the widely circulated clip last year, Acheng is seen wearing a yellow outfit and dark sunglasses while engaging in a heated exchange with NUP supporters, who accused the Ugandan government of human rights abuses.
“You people should stop abducting yourselves; stop killing yourselves and saying it is Museveni,” she said, referring to President Museveni, who appointed her as Uganda’s high commissioner to Canada.
Canadian authorities, citing undiplomatic conduct, declared Acheng persona non grata and gave her 72 hours to leave the country, in line with international diplomatic norms outlined in the Vienna Convention.
She returned to Uganda on August 21, 2024.
Despite the diplomatic fallout, Acheng said she stood by her actions.
“I was defending my president and my country,” she said. “Even if I behaved undiplomatically, I did so in my role as ambassador.”
Acheng previously served as Uganda’s Minister of State for Fisheries and was the Woman Member of Parliament for Kole District from 2011 to 2016.
She lost her seat to Judith Alyek of the NRM but is now preparing to run again in the 2026 general elections.
“I came back and I’m now mobilising to return to Parliament,” she said. “Even if the world rejects me, my own people can never reject me,” she said.
Acheng also expressed support for UPC party leader Jimmy Akena’s potential bid for the presidency in 2026, saying the political playing field should remain open.
“Uganda is a democratic country and everybody is allowed to contest,” she said. “It is the people who will decide.”
Acheng acknowledged President Museveni for appointing her to ministerial and diplomatic roles despite her UPC affiliation, which had sparked internal criticism within the ruling party.
“I thank President Museveni. Some NRM cadres questioned why he gave me that position, but he had his reasons,” she said.
What Vienna Convention says
According to the Vienna Convention, diplomats are expected to represent the interests of their home countries while refraining from political partisanship and interference in domestic affairs.
