By Angel Lubowa
State House
President Yoweri Museveni has directed government officials at the passport office and NIRA to stop denying indigenous Banyarwanda popularly called “Abavandimwe” passports and other official documents by asking them for historical records .
He directed that local leaders around the country should be relied on by the passport officers when these people go to get their travel documents and citizenry.
” As I directed in my executive order earlier on, these indigenous Banyarwanda should be treated like any other Ugandan tribes. They should just give you forms from LC 1, LC 3, GISO and RDC because local leaders know them better. Uganda had no records until 2014 when we started to build it. Asking them for historical records of when their great grand parents came to uganda is ” Kulemesa'” directed the president and condemned the discrimination and bureaucratic tendencies in the government documents offices.
He said those who tell lies will be smoked out later because Uganda has security systems and they can be charged.
The president was Wednesday, June 25th, 2025 speaking at State House Entebe during a high level heated meeting between over 100 indigenous Banyarwanda led by Mr Frank Gashumba and passport officers including those they complained about as being insensitive to the presidential executive order.
The ministry team was led by the minister of state for internal affairs Gen David Muhoozi, the PS Lt Gen Joseph Musanyufu, Director of citizenship and immigration control Maj Gen Apollo Kasiita Gowa, NRA executive Director Rosemary Kisembo and Brig. Johnson Namanya Abaho the commissioner of passport control.
Initially there was concern as the Bavandimwe briefed the president how the officials are defying the executive order No1 of 2025 which banned discrimination.
They narrated how they are being mistreated at border points and at the passport offices when they go to get passports or to renew them. Some complained of national ID confiscation, issuance of abnormal three year passports and other failings to which the president directed to stop immediately.
Notable with in the Bavandimwe was the recently elected Masaka city NRM chairman Mr Roger Bulegeya, Gomba’s PLU deputy boss Hon Juma Witonze, NRM mobiliser Mrs Buchana, Pastor Bahati from greater Busoga , and many more .
Their aggressive team leader, Gashumba thanked the president for always coming up to their rescue and promised him support in the incoming polls to express their happiness.
He said they didn’t want much from government but just equal treatment because they are too Ugandans like any other tribe.
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