By Mulengera Reporters
[When a bird’s nest is shaken, the mother will not rest until her young ones are safe]. The Banyarwanda community in Uganda has officially launched a campaign demanding an amendment to Article 10 of the Constitution, arguing that the recent executive order by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni does not address their concerns.
Under their umbrella body, the Ugandan Banyarwanda Cultural Development Association chaired by Mr. Simon Kayitana, the group has been mobilizing its members across the country, collecting signatures to petition both President Museveni and Parliament.
Today, they held a press conference at Speke Hotel in Kampala, where they voiced their dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of their citizenship status.
The President’s executive order, recently issued in a formal document, directed authorities to provide identification documents to groups that have faced difficulties obtaining them. However, Hon. Fred Mukasa Mbidde, the association’s legal officer, says the order does nothing to address the plight of the Banyarwanda.
“When we met the President at State House, he assured us that our issue would be resolved,” Mbidde explained. “But when the order came out, none of the 12 points touched on the Banyarwanda. Over eight million of our people remain stateless, yet their grandparents and great-grandparents were born here in Uganda.”
According to Mbidde, the main obstacle is that Article 10 of the Constitution states that for one to be recognized as a Ugandan citizen by birth, their ancestors must have been present in Uganda before February 1, 1926. This, he argues, unfairly excludes many Banyarwanda, despite the fact that their parents and grandparents were born in Uganda.
“This law was introduced in 1995 under Museveni’s government. Before that, we had no problem. How can a government that should protect us be the same one making us stateless?” he asked.
Mbidde and other members shared painful stories of Ugandans of Banyarwanda descent being denied passports and national identification documents simply because of their names and appearance.
One such case is Bakarombo, a resident of Lwengo District, whose 86-year-old mother was born in Uganda. He recently went to renew their passports but was instead told to apply for citizenship, a process required for foreigners, not for those born in the country.
“How can you tell someone born here, whose mother was also born here, to apply for citizenship?” Bakarombo lamented. “I once had a Ugandan passport, but now they say I am not Ugandan. What changed?”
Frustrated and feeling betrayed, many in the community are now considering withdrawing their political support for President Museveni.
“If he does not act, we will not vote for him again,” one member stated firmly. “We have supported him for years, but how can we keep voting for someone who does not care about us?”
With their campaign now officially underway, the Banyarwanda community says they will not rest until Article 10 is amended, allowing them to be fully recognized as Ugandan citizens. As the saying goes, [a child denied their home will one day return to claim it]. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
