Bavandimwe Testimonies on Citizenship Rights Violations Shock Parliament!

The Parliament of Uganda has been shocked by the testimonies arising from the petition by Council for Abavandimwe majority of which rotate on persecution, unlawful practices of victimization, discrimination, segregation and violation of citizenship rights of the Banyarwanda Community.

Council for Abavandimwe is an umbrella association that brings together Banyarwanda born and raised within Uganda.

Chairperson Defense and Internal Affairs Committee of Parliament Hon Wilson Kajwengye and the Vice Chairperson Hon Linos Ngompek

On Thursday, hundreds of the association members  flocked to Parliament before the Committee on Defense and Internal Affairs chaired by Nyabushozi County Member of Parliament Wilson Kajwengye, presented their petition and afterwards, they were questioned regarding concerns therein.

Through their lawyer Haruna Sewaya of KTA Advocates and Chairman Council for Abavandimwe Frank Gashumba,they said that the members are always subjected to unrealistic requirements to prove their citizenship by the immigration officials every time they apply for passports and National IDs. The Committee has heard that some of the members have been forced to forcefully apply for citizenship by naturalization against their will and conscience even when there is proof that they are citizens of Uganda by birth.

Chairman Council for Abavandimwe Frank Gashumba together with Counsel Haruna Sewaya at Parliament after presenting the petition.

Further, the Committee has been informed that other people have been required to renounce Rwandan Citizenship prior to acquisition of travel documents even in the presence of proof that they have never been citizens of Rwanda.

To support this, the duo has shared testimonies of some of the people who have gone through untold suffering through various government departments such as NIRA and the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control. They mentioned the case of Ramadhan Ruzindana, Munyampeta Joseph Ruhinda, Mustafa Yusuf Ndagije, Steven Kalemera, Hellen Namugenyi and Julius Kaweesi among others.

Some of the Petitioners at Parliament with the Chairperson of the Defense and Internal Affairs Committee Hon Wilson Kajwengye.

The Council has further told the Defense Committee that it deeply pains them that in all previous presidential and Parliamentary Elections, Banyarwanda are issued voter slips and are all allowed to vote , however after the elections , they cease being Ugandans and become stateless and their people are ordered to naturalize their citizenship. They demanded an explanation as to whether non Ugandans are allowed to participate in Uganda’s polls and why it that they are always counted during Census as Ugandans.

Chairman Gashumba asked Parliament to direct the concerned government to put in place interim or temporary solutions to their problems as the State looks for a lasting solution to the grievances which have been recurrent for years.

Senior Citizen Dr Ephraim Kamuhangire, Council Chairman Frank Gashumba and Eastern Region Bavandimwe Representative Fred Bahati appearing before the Committee on Defense and Internal Affairs.

As a result, they have asked for Parliament to investigate into corruption at the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, to appoint a Munyarwanda as a Migration Officer and Supervisor citing that there is no Munyarwanda official and because of this, the interview process cannot be fair to Banyarwanda. Currently, they are interviewed by a Mufumbira whom they say doesn’t understand their language.

In response, the Committee Chairperson Hon Kajwengye, described the petition as a big case and allowed members of the Committee and the Bavandimwe to seek clarification or to supplement on the concerns.

Hon Nakut Faith Loru the Napak District Woman MP said she had painfully listened to the long frustration but promised that justice will eventually be delivered.

Another MP shared his experience how he formerly worked as a Personal Assistant to three Ministers of Internal Affairs but observed that there was no yardstick or parameters to identify a Munyarwanda born and raised in Uganda and the Rwandese.

Chairman Council for Abavandimwe Frank Gashumba Addressing the Journalists after appearing before the Committee on Defense and Internal Affairs Committee of Parliament.

He said the petitioners should enjoy the privileges and rights which are accruing to other communities in the country.

The Bufumbira South Constituency Hon Alex Alex Niyonsaba said all tribes have issues but he wondered why it has been only a concern with the Banyarwanda. He recommended that a regulation be put in place to deal with these issues for once and for all instead of having them handled by an individual.

MPs further proposed that the country should develop better systems of handling passports rather than one appearing physically and to be taken back to old days of taking bribes.

Committee Member General Peter Elwelu listening to some of the Bavandimwe petitioners.

The Chairperson in his closing remarks directed the Council for Abavandimwe to file more documents by close of business on May 17th 2024 to highlight more issues not initially indicated in the petition.

Parliament further promised to summon all the Executive leaders of the departments complained about for a discussion before a report can be written and forwarded to the August House.

Council for Abavandimwe has had a series of meetings with the Speaker Rt. Hon.Anita Among who has since pledged to make sure that their concerns are addressed by both Government and Parliament.