President Museveni has signed an executive order aimed at addressing complaints regarding the treatment of Ugandan passport and national ID applicants, particularly Ugandan-born Rwandans, who have accused immigration authorities of unfair scrutiny.
Going forward, this group will not need to prove their citizenship while applying for the documents, according to the president’s directive. Instead, the burden will be on the Immigration officers to prove they aren’t.
The order, issued on Tuesday, January 23, 2025, seeks to streamline the legal and administrative processes for obtaining identification documents.
Museveni stated in the order that all Ugandan citizens, irrespective of their ethnic background, have the right to access passports and national IDs without being subjected to unnecessary questioning about their citizenship status.
This directive follows a meeting between the President and representatives of the Abavandimwe community at State House Entebbe, where the group, led by Frank Gashumba, presented concerns over alleged discrimination by immigration officials.
Immigration Officials Ordered to Stop Citizenship Investigations
In the executive order, Museveni noted that Uganda’s Constitution already defines citizenship under Chapter 3, recognising citizenship by birth, registration, and naturalisation.
As such, he said, there are no gaps in the law, but rather, the problem lies in how officials administer it when assessing citizenship claims.
To address this, the President prohibited immigration officials from requiring applicants to prove their citizenship unless there is substantial evidence to doubt their claims.
Instead, the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) will handle any disputes related to citizenship verification.
“It is not the mandate of the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC) to investigate citizenship by birth,” the order reads.
“If there is a question regarding the veracity of information provided, the matter must be referred to NIRA, which is responsible for verifying records under the Registration of Persons Act.”
Only a National ID Is Required for Passport Applications
The executive order also clarifies that Ugandans applying for passports only need to present their National Identification Number (NIN), as required by the Citizenship and Immigration Control Act. Any additional requirements must be published and backed by law.
Museveni further prohibited immigration officials from confiscating or cancelling National Identity Cards issued by NIRA without following due process.
He also warned against placing additional unlawful administrative hurdles on applicants, noting that such actions violate citizens’ dignity.
“Citizenship by birth is inherent, not granted by immigration officers,” the order states. “No additional requirements beyond what is prescribed in the law should be imposed.”
Abavandimwe’s Long-standing Complaints
Ugandan-born Rwandans have for months accused the Ministry of Internal Affairs of discrimination.
Last year, the Abavandimwe community petitioned Parliament, claiming their national IDs and passports were being denied or even confiscated.
However, their case was dismissed by the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs, which ruled that Ugandan-born Rwandans must prove their lineage to an indigenous Ugandan community dating back to 1926 to qualify for citizenship by birth.
The committee insisted that applicants must provide clear evidence of their ancestry.
The Abavandimwe community, backed by lawyer Fred Mukasa Mbidde, has since been pushing for a constitutional amendment, arguing that there is no practical way to prove lineage from 100 years ago.
Museveni’s order now reinforces that requirements for identification documents must be applied equally to all Ugandans, regardless of tribe or ethnicity.
The President further directed the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Attorney General to address an existing legal gap that does not automatically grant citizenship to children of citizens by birth and naturalisation.