Frank Gashumba, the chairperson of the Abavandimwe Association, has defended the Banyarwanda community in Uganda, insisting that they are Ugandans and have no other country they consider home.
Gashumba said members of the community have lived in Uganda for generations and are only demanding equal treatment, including access to national identification documents and passports.
He argued that the community is not seeking special privileges from the government but wants recognition of their rights as citizens.
According to Gashumba, some members of society continue to question the citizenship of Banyarwanda despite the community being recognised among Uganda’s indigenous groups under the 1995 Constitution.
He said the biggest challenge facing many members of the community has been difficulties in obtaining National IDs and passports due to questions about their ancestry.
Gashumba explained that many people cannot provide documents proving that their ancestors were in Uganda before 1926, saying such records are difficult for ordinary citizens to have.
He revealed that he raised the matter with President Yoweri Museveni after petitioning him in 2024 over what he described as discrimination against the community.
Gashumba said President Museveni told him that issues concerning indigenous communities were already addressed in the Constitution and that Banyarwanda are recognised as part of Uganda’s communities.
He added that another meeting was later held with other leaders of the Abavandimwe Association, where they discussed possible solutions to the citizenship challenges.
According to Gashumba, President Museveni promised to issue guidance to officials handling citizenship verification for members of the community.
He said local leaders should play a bigger role in confirming the identity and origins of individuals because they understand the history of people living in their areas.
Gashumba questioned why some Ugandans are judged based on their names or appearance when applying for official documents.
He claimed that some people had been denied passports despite having National IDs, arguing that investigations later confirmed many of them were genuine Ugandan citizens.
The Abavandimwe leader also defended Dr Lawrence Muganga, whose appointment to a government position faced controversy over questions surrounding his previous citizenship.
Gashumba said Muganga had lived and worked in different countries because of employment opportunities but later returned to Uganda and served in the country.
He argued that having previously held another citizenship should not automatically mean someone is not loyal to Uganda, especially when they have renounced that citizenship.
Gashumba said negative perceptions surrounding the Banyarwanda community are mainly caused by misunderstandings about their identity and history.
He explained that the decision to adopt the name Abavandimwe was aimed at creating a stronger local identity and reducing confusion surrounding the term Banyarwanda.
According to him, research conducted on the community found that the name Banyarwanda had created challenges because it is often associated only with Rwanda, even though different groups with Banyarwanda heritage exist in Uganda.
He said communities such as Bakiga and Bafumbira have historically shared connections but are generally accepted as Ugandans because they use local identities.
Gashumba maintained that the Abavandimwe community wants to continue contributing to Uganda’s development, saying their future is tied to the country because Uganda is the only home they know.
