LOP says Parliament will not vet cabinet appointees with duo Citizenship

Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi has said Parliament’s Appointments Committee will not entertain Cabinet nominees whose citizenship status remains questionable.

Ssenyonyi said individuals alleged to hold citizenship of another country alongside Ugandan citizenship should not appear before the committee unless the matter is resolved.

“We expect those with question marks on their citizenship; those who are known to have duo citizenship should not even bother coming here. We have not yet seen them, but we don't expect them here. Those appointments have to be fixed,” Ssenyonyi said.

Querries emerged about President Museveni’s recent Cabinet appointments, with lawyers and civil society groups questioning the eligibility of some nominees.

Among those whose names have been cited in public debate are Sanjay Tanna, the Minister for Trade, Dr Lawrence Muganga, the State Minister for Internal Affairs, Calvin Echodu, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Ambassador Adonia Ayebare, the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

The debate centres on provisions of the Uganda Citizenship and Immigration Control (Amendment) Act, 2009, which restrict dual citizens from holding certain state offices, including Cabinet and ministerial positions. 

The restrictions are anchored in Article 15(7) of the Constitution, which empowers Parliament to prescribe offices that dual citizens cannot occupy.

The Fifth Schedule of the Act specifically lists “Cabinet Minister and other Ministers” among positions barred from being held by dual citizens.

The matter has become one of the major issues before Parliament’s Appointments Committee, which started vetting ministerial nominees on Monday following the announcement of the new Cabinet.

Sanjay Tanna appeared before the committee on Monday and was vetted despite questions surrounding his citizenship status.

Speaking to journalists after the session, Tanna said committee members raised the matter and that he clarified his position.

“They brought up the matter, and I told them that I have only one citizenship and don’t own a passport of any other country,” Tanna said.

As vetting resumes today, attention is expected to focus on nominees whose citizenship status has attracted public scrutiny.