Prominent Ugandan activist Frank Gashumba has spoken out in defense of the Banyarwanda community, affirming their status as indigenous Ugandans.
In a televised appearance on NBS TV, Gashumba who is himself Munyarwanda condemned longstanding discrimination against the group, particularly by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
He revealed that many Banyarwanda have faced persistent challenges accessing national identification documents, including National IDs and passports.
Gashumba specifically criticized the Ministry of Internal Affairs for obstructing their recognition as citizens, despite their deep-rooted presence in Uganda.
He explained that after exhausting all administrative channels, including meetings with the late Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Jacob Oulanyah, the community considered legal action. However, they first opted to raise their concerns with President Yoweri Museveni.
During a meeting with the President, Gashumba and other representatives presented their case. President Museveni acknowledged their grievances and clarified that the Ugandan Constitution already recognizes the Banyarwanda now also referred to as Bavandimwe as indigenous citizens. In January, he issued a directive instructing the Ministry of Internal Affairs to officially recognize them as Ugandans.
Despite this presidential order, the directive went unimplemented for six months. The community sought another audience with the President, who reaffirmed his commitment and directed the Ministry to collaborate with local council leaders to verify claims of nationality.
Gashumba emphasized that the Banyarwanda were recorded as the 24th ethnic group in Uganda’s first national census in 1911 long before the country of Rwanda came into existence in its current form. Many Banyarwanda families, he noted, have lived in Uganda for generations and have no historical ties to modern-day Rwanda.
He argued that continued discrimination against them is not only unjust but unconstitutional. The Banyarwanda community, he stressed, is widespread—particularly in Uganda’s western and central regions and deserves equal recognition and rights like any other ethnic group.
