WE’RE ALSO UGANDANS! Banyarwanda Cry Out Over ‘Discrimination’

Council of Abavandimwe leader Frank Gashumba

The Ugandan Banyarwanda community has petitioned Parliament over segregation. Under their umbrella body, Abavandimwe, the Banyarwanda want Parliament to probe some government agencies for discriminating them.

Arguing that the discrimination constitutes a violation of their human rights, the Banyarwanda in Uganda want government agencies like the National Identity Registration Authority (Nira) and the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC) under the Ministry of Internal Affairs to stop segregating them.

Kalungu West MP Joseph Ssewungu of the National Unity Platform (NUP) read the petition from the the Council for Abavandimwe detailing their grievances, key amongst them being violation of their right to possess Ugandan citizenship documents.

Ssewungu explained the consequences of the violations of the rights of Banyarwanda.

“Many Ugandan Banyarwanda have returned from abroad for either study or work to renew their passports, acquire or renew their national identity cards and have been told that they do not qualify for Ugandan passport or national identity cards,” he said.

“At times this has led to loss of jobs or study opportunities for these persons.”

He also noted that it is also difficult for Ugandan Banyarwanda to register companies. Other challenges come when they are trying to open bank accounts and register mobile phone sim cards since they have no valid identification documents.

The discrimination, continued Ssewungu, had also been reported by some Ugandan Banyarwanda working in the Middle East who found it difficult to have their passports renewed as embassies reportedly told them they were not Ugandans.

It should be remembered that Banyarwanda are recognized in the country’s constitution as a tribe of Uganda.

Speaker Anita Among referred the petition to Parliament’s Committee on Internal Affairs and expects a report within 45 days.

The Banyarwanda issue has remained thorny over the years, with complaints and counter arguments presented. (See Details Here, There and Over There).

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