Abavandimwe to hold inaugural carnival next year

________________

Indigenous Banyarwanda, commonly known as Abavandimwe, are set to hold their inaugural festival at the start of next year.

Frank Gashumba, the chairperson of the Council for Abavandimwe, a body advocating for their rights, disclosed this on December 7, 2025, during a meeting with students from various universities at Speke Hotel’s Rock Gardens in Kampala.

“We have the first-ever Abavandimwe carnival on January 3, 2026, at Lugogo Indoor Stadium. We want to fill the cricket oval, hockey grounds. I want you to suggest which artiste you want. Whoever you point at is the one we shall bring. We have already selected two artistes from Uganda, and now I want you to pick someone from Rwanda,” he said.

With many yelling, Benjamin Mugisha, alias The Ben, as their preferred choice. The 38-year-old Kigali-based artiste is popular for many ballads, including Sikosa, which he sang with Kelvin Kade and Producer Element Eleeh, Is this Love a duet with Ugandan songstress Rema Namakula, and Why with Diamond Platnumz.

If this goes down, the community, which is amongst the over 60 ethnicities in Uganda, shall join others to celebrate their culture, like Ekitaguriro festival of the Banyankore, Bakiga Nation and Batooro Kwegonza.

Political message

The engagement at Rock Garden was anchored on Tuzamutora Yoweri (We shall vote Yoweri), a rallying call for Abavandimwe to deliver a block vote for President Yoweri Museveni, whom they credit for resolving their citizenship challenges through Executive Order No. 1, issued on January 23 this year.

These contend that the order has since streamlined the issuance of passports and national IDs, documents that many had previously struggled to obtain due to alleged bias by issuing officers.

In his address, Gashumba urged the youth to vote for President Yoweri Museveni, citing the peace he ushered in across the country. Additionally, he encouraged them to exercise their political rights in accordance with the Ugandan law.

Before urging them to refrain from acts of violence and criminality during the heated political season.

“On election day, wake up early, vote and go home. These things they are saying that stay at the polling station, don’t. Why stay at the polling station all day? Wake up early, vote for Yoweri Museveni and at 5:00pm, return to see how many votes he has won," he said.

"I hear people planning to cause chaos. I am requesting that if you are here and belong to NUP [National Unity Platform], do not involve yourself in any chaos. Those guys (security) are tough, I am always with them,” Gashumba said.