MP calls for crackdown on 'fake citizens'

Kiboga Woman MP Christine Kaaya Nakimwero (NUP) has called on the governments of Uganda and Rwanda to crack down on individuals using fraudulent documents.

She made the call on October 3, 2024, during a meeting with the House Defence and Internal Affairs Committee, chaired by Wilson Kajwengye (Nyabushozi county, NRM).

The discussion focused on the challenges faced by Ugandans of Rwandan descent, commonly referred to as the "Bavandimwe."

Nakimwero said while this ethnic group has increasingly been disenfranchised from obtaining national documents on questionable grounds, there are instances where some applicants attempt to register in both countries.

“In some instances, we find that they have some identification documents of the other country. Can we harmonise and get to know what country these people subscribe to and decide their fate once and for all. Because I know when we check in the records of Rwanda we can identify applicants in Uganda that already have identification in Rwanda. So, we need to make a resolution on that,” Nakimwero said.

This issue has been spreading like wildfire, sparking mixed reactions.

In March, Frank Gashumba, chairperson of the 'Council for Abavandimwe,' which represents 260,000 self-identified members in Uganda and abroad, petitioned Parliament.

He called for the appointment of a Ugandan of Rwandan descent as a commissioner in immigration to address what he termed as the ostracisation of their community.

However, Kalungu West MP Joseph Gonzaga Ssewungu argues that the problem runs much deeper and has sucked in Ugandans of Rwandan descent who have lived in Uganda much longer. 

“Apart from the Old Boys (OBs) I studied with, I have no relatives in Kigali or Rwanda. When I go there, I sleep in a hotel like any other person. Meaning I have no connection and I am a Member of Parliament for Kalungu West standing on National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket and in the Buganda region. These days I belong to the Lugave (pangolin) clan and gave myself a fourth name Katamba,” Ssewungu narrated.

“But my father was for the ente (cow) clan because he was nurtured and looked after by a Muganda clansman who was called Semakula. My sister is for ente (cow) and I am for Lugave and I am the head of the family,” he added.

He urged the committee to engage with immigration authorities to identify and clarify the different categories of Ugandans of Rwandan descent.

“When we had these challenges between our two countries, many people were running from Rwanda and coming back and they were looking for passports. That category is different from the indigenous we have had here as per the 1962 constitution. There are very many of them who came recently and wanted passports,” he said. 

Security question

Amid rising regional tensions, Joel Ssebikari (Ntwetwe County, NRM) emphasized that addressing the issue is crucial to preventing diplomatic conflicts and undermining Uganda’s security.

Most importantly he noted that this immigration squabble was complicated by the 1994 genocide which forced ethnic Tutsi’s and moderate Hutu’s in different directions.

“People went into different countries to seek asylum. Some went to Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Uganda. Uganda is a good country, some who went to Tanzania were chased away. For others who went to DRC, things are not going well. Even Burundi, things are not going well, so they found themselves in Uganda. When they come to Uganda, they want to use that chance and yet they came yesterday,” Ssebikari intimated.

Kuku, Dho-luo influx

Immigration has long been a sensitive issue. Peter Okeyoh (Bukooli Island, NRM) noted that beyond the Rwandan challenge, Uganda is also grappling with the influx of the Kuku from Sudan who were here as early as 1945 and the Dho-Luo from Kenya.

“Yesterday, I happened to attend a burial in Ntenjeru North among the Kuku. The Kuku are a unique tribe, part of it is in Bbale (Kayunga) and another section is in Ntenjeru, Kayunga district. The one who had lost a mother is my sub-county campaign manager. When they introduced me, a religious leader told me that one of the issues they are grappling with is lack of recognition and they told me to carry this information to Parliament,” Okeyoh pointed out.

“We have the Jaluo’s who during the National ID registration had to eventually call themselves Japadhola. When they traced and asked them their clan, you find that he (accused) didn’t even speak a single word in Japadhola. So, it became a problem and many of them were denied, others were told to naturalize,” he summed.