By Frank Kamuntu
Banyarwanda under their umbrella organization The Uganda Banyarwanda Cultural Development Association (UMUBANO) have today addressed the press at Speke Hotel Kampala where they spit venom over the ongoing injustice against them in Uganda.
Led by the Association chairman Owek. Simon Kayitana and their legal officer Hon Fred Mukasa Mbidde, these Banyarwanda revealed that for long they have been facing difficulties in acquiring national identity cards and passports since these are considered by the Ugandan government as non-Ugandans.
Mbidde noted that this whole mistake of denying Banyarwanda citizenship started way back in 1995 when the constitution framers twisted the law and stated that for one to be considered a Ugandan must have at least a parent or grandparent from one of the indigenous communities in Uganda or was in Uganda before 1926.
“The secret behind this confusion was greed for power, these framers of the 1995 constitution had a target of ensuring that Banyarwanda never at one point would have the opportunity to be leaders in this country, so they had to find a way of limiting their citizenship,” the truth is Uganda officially became a country in 1962, don’t bring the history of 1926, because then it was not a country but a kraal, what you happily call a British Protectorate, so you can’t refer to that to say Banyarwanda were not Ugandans and by they way, they should go back to school and learn the difference between Banyarwanda and Rwandans, the two are different.”
To nail it harder, Kayitana revealed that by 1948, Banyarwanda were the fifth-biggest community in Uganda making a total of over 5.9%.
”These people categorizing us as non-Ugandans should wake up and look for facts, the information is available. By 1948 Uganda had over 4,917,555 Ugandans from the main tribes of this country and among these, 289,051 were Banyarwanda. Therefore, call us non Ugandans knowing that we are actually great ancestors in this country,” noted Kayitana who currently represents Banyarwanda community in the Buganda Lukiiko.
Mbidde says they are currently conducting national consultative meetings with all the Banyarwanda in Uganda and warned the Uganda Police not to interrupt their meetings.
“Last week we had a meeting with our colleagues in Kassanda, police was aware and we had made several announcements about this but they got all the unnecessary efforts to fail it. Now, we have written a letter to the IGP, he should know that he has just come into the office, therefore, we expect him to work with people not working above the law,” Mbidde added.
Mbidde said their consultative meetings will take place in various regions, starting with;
- Kassanda on 5th October
- Buyikwe / Mbikko on 19th October
- Kayunga 26th October
- Nakasongora 2nd November
- Mbale 9th November
- Gomba 16th November
- Mubende 23rd November
- Nansana 30th November
- Kololo Independence Grounds 1st December and on this event they expect the President to officiate it as the guest of honor where the Association will hand over their proposals to him.
