Rwanda Approves Muganga’s Citizenship Renunciation; Canadian Process Outstanding

KAMPALA — The Government of Rwanda has formally approved Dr. Lawrence Muganga’s renunciation of Rwandan citizenship, bringing to an end a controversy that overshadowed his failed ministerial nomination in Uganda and contradicting his earlier public assertions that he was not a Rwandan citizen.

A notice published in the Official Gazette of Rwanda dated 24 July 2026 by the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration states that it was informing the public that “the person mentioned below has voluntarily renounced Rwandan nationality.”

The notice identifies “MUGANGA Lawrence, son of Kayonga Leonard and Mukamafizi Immaculate, born in Mukono, Uganda, on 14/02/1976.”

The gazette notice completes Rwanda’s legal process of renunciation, more than two years after Muganga swore a statutory declaration in Kampala seeking to relinquish his Rwandan citizenship.

Documents seen by ChimpReports show that in the statutory declaration, sworn on 17 May 2024, Muganga acknowledged that he became a citizen of Rwanda after relocating there following his graduation from Makerere University.

He declared that “while in the Republic of Rwanda, I became a citizen of the Republic of Rwanda and obtained a National Identity Card and Passport which was a pre-condition for certain employment opportunities I had desired.”

The declaration further states that after moving to Canada in 2009 for further studies, Muganga’s Rwandan passport expired in 2014 and that he returned both the passport and his Rwandan National Identity Card to the Rwandan authorities.

Muganga also declared: “I am voluntarily renouncing my Rwandese citizenship and all my allegiance to the Republic of Rwanda and the Rwandese Government,” adding that he had “already voluntarily handed over my Rwandese passport and National Identity Card to the Rwandese Authorities.”

The official publication in Rwanda’s gazette now confirms that Kigali accepted and finalized that renunciation on 24 July 2026.

The development comes months after Muganga publicly disputed claims that he held Rwandan citizenship during the controversy surrounding his nomination as Uganda’s State Minister for Internal Affairs.

His candidature was ultimately rejected by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on grounds of multiple citizenships and his failure to provide documentary evidence that he had commenced the formal renunciation process when he appeared before the committee.

The nomination was subsequently referred back to President Yoweri Museveni as the appointing authority, who has since nominated Juma Witonze Kisekka to replace him.

While Rwanda has now completed its legal process, Muganga’s Canadian citizenship renunciation process remains outstanding.

Government and parliamentary officials have maintained that, for purposes of appointment to ministerial office under Ugandan law, any foreign citizenship held by a nominee must be formally renounced in accordance with the laws of the country concerned.

During the vetting process, parliamentary officials maintained that while other nominees facing similar questions had presented documentary evidence showing they had initiated foreign citizenship renunciation procedures, Muganga did not provide comparable proof to the committee regarding the commencement of his renunciation processes.

Muganga, however, maintained that he was the victim of a political witch-hunt.

Attention is now expected to shift to the status of his Canadian citizenship renunciation, which would need to be completed separately under Canadian law before he could demonstrate that he no longer holds any foreign nationality.