By BM
In a dramatic show of political support, the Council for Abavandimwe has officially endorsed President Yoweri Museveni for the 2026 general elections, hailing him as a “visionary leader who restored the dignity of an entire people.”
The endorsement follows Museveni’s recent issuance of Executive Order No. 1 of 2025, a groundbreaking directive that reinstated citizenship rights for Banyarwanda born and raised in Uganda—many of whom had been denied national identity cards and passports for decades.
“This is more than a document. It’s a declaration of justice, humanity, and true statesmanship,” said Frank Gashumba, the council’s leader, during a press briefing at Serena Hotel in Kampala.
For years, members of the Banyarwanda community recognized in Uganda’s 1995 Constitution as one of the country’s indigenous tribes were systematically marginalized, often stereotyped as foreigners and subjected to bureaucratic dead ends in their pursuit of legal identification.
The council revealed that multiple petitions to institutions like the Uganda Human Rights Commission, Equal Opportunities Commission, and Parliament went unanswered until the matter reached President Museveni directly.
Museveni’s directive ordered the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) to restore deactivated IDs and expedite processing for new ones.
It also abolished discriminatory requirements**, including outdated tax records and even burial ground photos, previously used to deny applications.
“Citizenship was reaffirmed, discrimination outlawed, and our people treated for too long as strangers in their own country were given back not just IDs, but their dignity,” said the Council.
Despite the breakthrough, challenges persist especially at the immigration department, where passport processing delays remain a major obstacle.
Gashumba called on government agencies to follow the President’s lead and act urgently.
“President Museveni stood with us when others turned away. He reminded the nation that leadership is not defined by power, but by compassion, courage, and vision.”
Who Are the Abavandimwe?
The Council for Abavandimwe is a socio-political advocacy group formed in 2001 by a group of Ugandan Banyarwanda intellectuals and community leaders, including Prof. Lawrence Muganga.
The term Abavandimwe, meaning “siblings” or “kinsmen” in Kinyarwanda, symbolizes unity, shared heritage, and a collective struggle for equal recognition.
The council was established in response to decades of marginalization, where Banyarwanda despite being indigenous to Uganda faced exclusion from national identity systems, were labeled as foreigners, and often lived under a cloud of suspicion and second-class citizenship.
Operating as a non-partisan, rights-based movement, the council advocates for: Recognition of Banyarwanda as a constitutionally indigenous tribe, Access to national IDs and passports, Equal treatment in government programs and employment, Social inclusion, historical justice, and Pan-African unity.
Over the years, the Council for Abavandimwe has engaged in quiet diplomacy, filed legal petitions, and lobbied government officials—often with little success.
It wasn’t until their concerns reached President Museveni directly that any decisive action was taken.
“We are not asking for favors, we are demanding rights guaranteed by the Constitution,” Gashumba emphasized.
While the 2024 National Census recorded 629,672 Banyarwanda in Uganda, community leaders say the true number may be over three million, many of whom have silently endured generations of bureaucratic erasure and social exclusion.
But now, with Executive Order No. 1 of 2025, the Council believes the tide is finally turning.
“This is the beginning of true inclusion. We will rally behind President Museveni in 2026—not out of politics, but gratitude,” Gashumba declared.
