Banyarwanda elders want Gashumba investigated

Apr 17, 2021

“There might be something bigger than what meets the eye. The motivation behind this re-branding or re-naming campaign is highly suspect.”

Kabayo Kayondo, Elijah Kwefuga and Gasaatura interacting. This was after addressing journalists at Grand Global Hotel in Kampala. Photo by Nancy Nanyonga

Nelson Kiva
Journalist @New Vision

A group of elders from Uganda of Rwandan origin have asked government to interest itself in investigating the motive of the Abavandimwe re-branding campaign.

The over 50 elders, mainly from the cattle corridor districts of Uganda, told reporters at a press conference in Kampala on Wednesday that the self-proclaimed leader of the Council of the Banyarwanda in Uganda and his group were hiding under the cover of defending the interests of the common Ugandans of Rwandan origin to achieve selfish interests.

“There might be something bigger than what meets the eye. The motivation behind this re-branding or re-naming campaign is highly suspect,” Gad Gasaatura said.

Gasaatura, who led the elders, was a member of the Constituent Assembly (CA) that promulgated the 1995 Constitution of Uganda and was key in advocating the recognition of the Banyarwanda as a Ugandan ethnic group during the formulation of the Constitution.

The Banyarwanda are named as number 24 under the tribes listed in Uganda’s Constitution.

Gashumba’s group argues that the Ugandan Banyarwanda are confused with the neighbouring Rwandans in Rwanda.

“The forum of elders would like to assure the Ugandan Banyarwanda that all issues affecting them have been discussed and presented to the relevant authorities in government and remedies are being worked on,” Gasaatura added.

The key reason of the campaign to re-brand, according to Gashumba, is to end segregation in government services, such as in the issuance of the national identity card and passports.

The group argues that many Ugandans of the Rwandan origin are denied IDs and passports by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) and the Immigrations Directorate just because the name of their tribe links them to a neighbouring country.

“We are not pursuing selfish interests as we are being accused. We are doing this for the well-being of all the Banyarwanda community in Uganda and the future generation,” Gashumba said.

The elders, who admit that there are certain injustices that have been consciously or unconsciously committed by individuals against Banyarwanda due to historical prejudices created by the post independence ideologically bankrupt sectarian political leaders, the Banyarwanda will remain respectful, law-abiding and patriotic to Uganda and its interests.

“To the larger Ugandan community, we seek peaceful co-existence in order to build a just, democratic, free modern Uganda and Africa at large that works for all. We reject all the insinuations and innuendos to changing our identity from Banyarwanda to any other name,” Gasaatura said.

According to Vicent Zaramba, the word Abavandimwe is no near a substitute to the word Banyarwanda, except to those lacking in understanding of Kinyarwanda.

The population of Ugandans of the Rwandan origin as per government data, is about 260,000 in the country.

According to Elijah Kwesiga, the LC3 chairperson of Kyankwanzi town council in Kyankwanzi district, denying a Ugandan of Rwandan origin a passport or a national ID is not reason enough to warrant the change of name.

Edward Kabayo warned the group led by Gashumba against playing with the dignity of the Banyarwanda.   

Comments

No Comment


(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});