Bavandimwe drag Gov't To Constitutional Court Over Desicrimination

Bavandimwe people have resolved to drag government to Constitutional Court to pronounce it'self on whether they are supposed to get Ugandan passport and National Identification Cards or not.

Frank Gashumba the Bavandimwe Chairman noted that they have met President Museveni and General Salim Saleh on the same matter but nothing has sofar changed.

"Following an outcry from the Banyarwanda community arising from systematic abuse and violation of their citizenship rights by NIRA and Ugandan immigration officials, Council for Abavandimwe studied the applicable law and came to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with the constitutional provisions, but what is wrong, is the conduct of NIRA/ Immigration officials which is unconstitutional". Wrote Frank Gashumba.

 Gashumba narrates that, immigration officials victimise their people; when a Ugandan Munyarwanda applies for a passport, he/she is told to bring his father. When he brings the father, he/she is told to bring the mother. When he/she complies (ignoring all transport expenses and time in back and forth movement of parents, something which immigration officials don't subject to other tribes) he/she is told to bring the grand parents. When he/she brings the grand parents (incase any of them is still arrive) immigration officials then demand for graduated tax card.

He adds, whether you are lucky to still have a graduated tax card or you are unlucky and it got destroyed, the immigration officials order you to naturalize, which means "buying citizenship" Can you imagine 'buying citizenship" in a country of your birth, where your grand parents lived and are buried, and where the local authorities have confirmed with authentic letters that you are indeed a bonafide citizen!? It doesn't end there. While some Banyarwanda refuse to naturalize, those who are misled by immigration officials to naturalize, are asked to produce letter from the country of origin, which they can't produce, as they have no address, no legal background in Rwanda, because they are simply Ugandans! This terrible scenario renders our people stateless, because of the naked discrimination and violation of their rights by Ugandan immigration officials, who do that to our people, and get away with impunity

Not only that, NIRA deactivates our people's national ID's, while others seeking to renew their passports, the immigration officials tell them how they shouldn't be Ugandan passport holders, and they refuse to renew their passports, as a result, many have lost the jobs they had secured abroad, from which they would send money to look after their families ( something that benefits the country) and are now stranded in a country with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. He said.

"When we identified this problem, we sought audience with President Museveni and Gen. Saleh who both said it was 'a small matter'  which could easily be solved. Unfortunately however, years down the road since meeting Museveni and Saleh, 'the simple matter' has not been solved, and this has occasioned so much pain, suffering and inconvenience to our people, which we cannot take anymore.

Accordingly, we have resolved to take this matter to the Constitutional court for court to pronounce itself. We therefore ask whoever has ever fallen victim to the illegal actions of NIRA/immigration ie, denial of national ID/passport, deactivation of national ID'S, illegal confiscation of national ID and forced naturalisation, to contact us on: Voice & WhatsApp 0704555555/0708500444 Info@abavandimwe.org".Said Gashumba.