Banyarwanda harassed? Like any other Ugandans

I was an unexpected visitor to this house.  Mr Paddy Kabagambe, Nytil’s managing director, was an industrious son of Kasese. His  wife  Mary and I knew each other; she had been Women Leader of Kasese Division of the Uganda Red Cross (while I was the publicity secretary).

I got know Mr Yunus Ibrahim Kasozi in 2016 through his brother Hamza. Yunus had been conned by some sharp Kampalans who had promised to get him a passport in one week.Four weeks later, Yunus realised he had been conned; these people could not (and would not) get him a passport (even after a year). So, Hamza thought I could use what he assumed were my connections with the Uganda Police to get these conmen arrested. I refused.

Yunus had secured a job to play for one of the big football clubs in the Federal Republic of Somalia. And he needed a passport badly. I offered to help him get the passport.

The security guys at Immigration Office raised some red flags. What was Yunus Ibrahim Kasozi (a Muslim) going to do in Somalia (the hub of Islamists fighting a global Jihad war). Acting like his lawyer and manager, I personally went with him to the Immigration Office. Next, we were asked to go to the Somali Embassy in Kampala (where we met the consular officer). He wrote to the director of Immigration confirming that Yunus was legit and that the management of the club had indeed invited him.

Mr Yunus Ibrahim Kasosi got the passport the next day. Just imagine if Yunus was a Munyarwanda?

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This week, a section of the Banyarwanda community in Uganda held a meeting in Kampala and lamented about some of the abuse, harassment and discrimination they undergo when applying for Ugandan passports. Some clever people even suggested that they needed a special legislation to secure their Ugandan citizenship. What I found disgusting was the remarks made by some of these people, accusing Mr Museveni of causing divisions in the Banyarwanda community in Uganda. Yet the general tendency in Uganda is that the Banyarwanda community are beneficiaries of government or Museveni’s favouritism. In the minimum, Mr Museveni is very unlikely to be against the Banyarwanda community as a whole or part. The only circumstances under which Mr Museveni would be harsh to the Banyarwanda (or any other community) is when his authority and power to rule Uganda is challenged.

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Our assessment is that whenever Banyarwanda community in Uganda go public on issues of harassment, there is always something not good going on between Museveni and Kagame. So, dear reader, you just wait and see.

We have recently been told that Uganda is assisting M23 in the DR Congo. And some of us think this is a psy op by Rwanda’s intelligence service. The objective is simple: with Tshisekedi’s known low emotional threshold, hearing that Uganda is assisting M23 would unbalance him into ‘a war’ mode with Uganda. As a response, Uganda would (be tempted to) join those fighting the DRC government.

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I would like to share a testimony on Banyarwanda community’s passport woes in Uganda. Rwanda has not yet seriously taken up the policy of labour export to the Middle East or elsewhere. Government therefore does not facilitate Rwandan citizens enough to access jobs in the Middle East.

Since it is assumed to be easy for Rwandan citizens to go to Uganda and get Ugandan passports, some Rwandan citizens (mostly those with Ugandan relatives) seek Ugandan passports. It is most of this type of ‘Ugandans’ whose applications for Ugandan passports are declined.

A young Rwandan (citizen) lady lost her Ugandan passport. When she applied for a replacement, Ugandan Immigration officers asked her to bring her parents. Of course she could not bring her parents. Why? Well, because her parents happily live in Kigali (as bona fide Rwandan citizens).

 Mr Bisiika is the executive editor of the East African Flagpost. [email protected]