By Spy Uganda
As Uganda gears up for its general elections, the Banyarwanda community has issued a firm ultimatum: they will not support President Yoweri Museveni’s candidacy unless Article 10 of the Ugandan Constitution is amended. This declaration follows a critical gathering in Nakaseeta, where Legal Advisor Hon. Dr. Fred Mukasa Mbidde and Owek Simon Kayitana addressed the community’s concerns over their citizenship status.
Hon. Mbidde stressed the urgent need for constitutional reform to ensure that all individuals born in Uganda are recognized as citizens by birth. He strongly refuted the government’s stance, which classifies Ugandan Banyarwanda—whose grandparents arrived in Uganda after 1926—as Rwandan citizens. His argument was based on several key legal and humanitarian concerns:
- Rwandan Citizenship Criteria: Rwanda’s legal framework recognizes citizenship only if an individual is born in Rwanda, born abroad to Rwandan parents, or possesses a refugee identification card. Most Ugandan Banyarwanda do not meet these criteria, leaving them without legal recognition in Rwanda.
- Risk of Statelessness: Nearly eight million Banyarwanda in Uganda face potential statelessness due to the existing legal ambiguity, putting their rights and futures in jeopardy.
- Violation of Human Rights: The exclusion of Ugandan Banyarwanda from full citizenship rights contradicts the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which mandates the protection of individuals’ legal status and national identity.
- Legal Action and Advocacy: In response to these injustices, the community has launched a signature collection initiative to push for the amendment of Article 10 or pursue legal action to safeguard their rights.
- Historical Context: Hon. Mbidde pointed out that the legal recognition of individuals born in Uganda as citizens by birth dates back to the British Protected Persons Order of 1934. He argued that the framers of the 1995 Constitution wrongly annulled this provision, leading to the current crisis.
The Banyarwanda community in Kiboga has vowed to mobilize support for this constitutional amendment through grassroots campaigns, including a door-to-door movement to gather nationwide backing.
Additionally, Banyarwanda veterans within the National Resistance Movement (NRM) have expressed deep frustration, feeling abandoned by a government they once supported. Community members have also condemned a recent executive order from President Museveni, arguing that it disproportionately benefits residents of Ntungamo, Mpororo, and Kisoro while leaving ordinary Banyarwanda in Kiboga without essential access to passports and citizenship documentation.
Now, as the election season intensifies, the Banyarwanda community urges the government to prioritize this pressing issue and uphold their constitutional rights. Their demand for reform underscores the broader need for inclusivity and legal clarity in Uganda’s citizenship policies.
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