Parliament throws out Muganga appointment as minister as he denies Rwanda citizenship

The committee cited the Citizenship and Immigration Act which bars holders of dual citizenship from holding offices listed in the Fifth Schedule which includes the presidency, prime minister, cabinet and ministers of state.

The Parliamentary Appointments Committee has rejected the appointment of Lawrence Muganga as State minister of internal affairs citing Uganda's citizenship laws.

Muganga was among the designated ministers vetted before Parliament May 2 following President Yoweri Museveni's appointments of the cabinet for the 2026-2031 term.

According to reliable reports, the committee cited the Citizenship and Immigration Act which bars holders of dual citizenship from holding offices listed in the Fifth Schedule which includes the presidency, prime minister, cabinet and ministers of state.

Muganga holds Canadian citizenship and is rumoured to be a Rwandan and also holder of the Uganda passport which he acquired in 2021.

The reports allege Muganga pleaded with the vetting committee and promised to renounce his Canadian citizenship but strongly denied being Rwandese.

Speaking to reporters after the vetting process, he clarified that he is a Munyarwanda by tribe but not Rwandese by nationality.

"Ndi Munyarwanda and Banyarwanda are among the tribes in Uganda. That is a simple fact. I'm not Rwandan. Before I came here, I had two citizenships --- that's the Ugandan and the Canadian citizenship," he said.

Muganga reportedly worked with Rwanda Revenue Authority and was identified as a Rwandan. In 2021, Ugandan immigration authorities arrested Muganga at Victoria University for overstay and alleged espionage. At the time, there was political tension between Nakasero and the Kigali administration.

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