Posted Fri 29 Dec 2017
Members of Uganda's Indian community, which dominates the country's economy, are demanding to be officially recognised as a tribe.

Indian Association of Uganda senior member Murtuza Dalal said the group was lobbying the Ugandan Government to follow the lead of neighbouring Kenya, which declared Indians an official tribe earlier this year.

"We hope now with the Kenyan example, the Government will look at it," Mr Dalal said.

"We are in the process of putting in another submission to the Government.

"I think it will happen. Sooner or later, it will happen, because even the current Government in the country recognises the contribution of Indians."

Rukmini Bonthala, who is company director of an Indian-owned pharmaceutical company in Uganda that hires more than 600 people, said Indians living there had "contributed a lot".

"Most of the major companies — almost 80 per cent of the top level companies — are either owned by Indians or people of Indian origin who have settled here for many, many years," Ms Bonthala said.

While some Ugandans said Indian businesses are vital, others believe Indian business owners do not take care of their local workers.

'Some injustice about it'

Indians were first brought to Uganda as labourers by the British more than 100 years ago.

Soon, they set up businesses and the community started thriving. For decades, Indians and other Asian immigrants played a vital role in the economy.

At the peak, there were more than 80,000 people of Asian origin in Uganda.

But when dictator Idi Amin became president in 1972, he ordered tens of thousands of people of Asian origin to leave the country within 90 days.

Businesses and houses were lost, and families were fractured.

When Amin left power, Indians started returning to Uganda. Later, President Yoweri Museveni actively encouraged them to return.

More than 20,000 Indians now live in the country.

Mr Dalal said he felt sorry for the Indians thrown out 45 years ago.

"I feel bad about it — especially after the contributions, we, the Indians, the Asians, had made to the economy — even at that time," he said.

"Therefore, we feel there was some injustice about it that was done to us, by the government of that time."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj7cTYP3Df8

Some form of neocolonialism, soon they will flood the place.

What about them returning to India

They want to contaminate the blood line. The same way Abakiliki folks are contaminants of the Info blood line.

I guess all this won't come under racism

Since racism nowadays is a one way street for most of us.

We can become the victims but woe to anybody who dares accuse us of the same