BY:CELESTINE RUTINDANGAZI(A CONCERNED PERSON)
I have read with dismay and disbelief an article that graced today’s East African newspaper under the headline:
“Uganda Walks a Tight Rope on Banyarwanda Citizenship Debate.”
The paper quotes serial failed politician Mukasa Mbidde — the one of kowtow, pooh-pooh, crincum-crankum-type archaic English, which he often loudly uses in the wrong context to maintain the appearance of a sophisticated intellectual, yet we all know he is not.
Reading the East African, I wondered why a newspaper (which I used to rate highly) would lower its journalistic ethics and standards and start quoting a mere intellectual conman and masquerader in the names of Mukasa Mbidde and Simon Kayitana instead of doing research to identify the real credible people to interview for their article.
For starters, Mukasa Mbidde has never been the lawyer for Banyarwanda in Uganda, as he purports. Much of what Mukasa Mbidde says is just hogwash, in the same way he uses bombastic words to seek attention. For instance, Mukasa Mbidde is a self-styled “Dr.”, which is a fake title (just like most things about the man), but which he uses to grab attention and assume some degree of importance, especially following a checkered record as a political reject and failure, the latest being a total defeat in Buwekula, where he came sixth in the last concluded parliamentary elections.
Back to the article in the East African, while Mukasa Mbidde’s arguments are total rubbish, let me point out that, far from being the lawyer for Banyarwanda, Mukasa Mbidde is not a constitutional lawyer. Assuming Uganda had 3,000 lawyers, Mukasa Mbidde would not feature among the first 2,000 lawyers! In fact, I challenge Mukasa Mbidde to cite just one case that he has ever successfully argued before a Chief Magistrate’s Court (we shall not bother mentioning the High Court because it is beyond his capacity and ability). It is therefore crystal clear that it was a total waste of space and effort for the East African to quote Mukasa Mbidde because he lacks the professional credibility to be quoted on anything. Besides, his qualifications as a lawyer are highly suspect.
For instance, it is on record that other people used to write Mukasa Mbidde’s law exams, including his ex-girlfriend. It is also on record that Mukasa Mbidde was the subject of a Law Development Centre investigation that sought to cancel his Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice.
The LDC investigation found that Mukasa Mbidde and Michael Mabikke had altered their marks on examination mark sheets in order to pass. Mukasa Mbidde appealed to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, and both courts dismissed his applications on the grounds that it is within the mandate and powers of the Law Development Centre to investigate any examination malpractice affecting its academic awards. That is the type of “lawyer” masquerading as the lawyer for Banyarwanda in Uganda!
Besides that, Mukasa Mbidde alleges that Banyarwanda are “stateless” in Uganda! Does he even understand the meaning of the term?
Under international law, a person is “stateless” if he or she is not considered a national or citizen by any state through the operation of its laws. Is this the status of Banyarwanda in Uganda? Hell no! Ignore Mukasa Mbidde’s noise; here is the truth.
According to the 1995 Constitution (as amended), in the Third Schedule, the Constitution recognises 65 indigenous communities that exist in Uganda, including Banyarwanda. Unlike Mukasa Mbidde, any good lawyer knows that the Constitution is the supreme law of Uganda, and any other law that is inconsistent with the Constitution is null and void to the extent of that inconsistency.
As far back as Uganda’s first population census in 1921 (before the demarcation of Uganda’s borders), Banyarwanda existed in large numbers in Uganda. In the 1921, 1949, and 1959 censuses, Banyarwanda were number two among the top five biggest tribes in Uganda. Therefore, only an ignorant commentator like Mukasa Mbidde would say that Banyarwanda are unrecognised as citizens when there is clear evidence that Uganda’s Constitution and all population censuses conducted by Uganda, from the very first census, have always recognised and counted Banyarwanda among Uganda’s nationals and indigenous communities. Therefore, the whole argument that Banyarwanda are stateless is idle, redundant, and anchored on zero logic.
Furthermore, when people abuse their offices and positions, it does not make the law bad, inadequate, or lacking. It only means such people are wrong, either incompetent, ignorant, willingly defying the law, or simply corrupt. That is what Banyarwanda suffered for a long time at the hands of some bad people in Immigration and NIRA, which compelled the Council for Abavandimwe to embark on activism (which was led by Frank Gashumba) and culminated in President Museveni issuing an Executive Order to guide the Immigration Department and NIRA on matters of citizenship generally.
While NIRA and Immigration had illegally usurped the powers of complainants, investigators, prosecutors, and judges in the issuance of national IDs and passports, the Executive Order (which was drafted by the Attorney General), taking into account the Constitution and the existing citizenship law, guided the Immigration Office and NIRA to rely on elders and local authorities to recommend bona fide applicants for national IDs and passports because, within their respective communities, the elders and local authorities know the applicants better than Immigration and NIRA officials in Kampala and regional offices.
Mukasa Mbidde also talked about having a “template bill.” For what? Is there no citizenship law? Doesn’t the Constitution, in the Third Schedule, recognise Banyarwanda among the indigenous communities in Uganda? Imagine a non-member of Parliament talking about tabling an unnecessary bill in Parliament. Using what, witchcraft?
By the way, word is out that Mukasa Mbidde is an ethnic Murundi. If true, it compounds matters. How does a Murundi get mixed up in Banyarwanda affairs? If someone sees Kayibanda (the famous comedian of Maria Rose fame), tell him to please come and take his man and give him an office in Burundi affairs to keep his bushy eyebrows busy.
And wait, lest I forget, this showy crook lawyer (Mukasa Mbidde), who likes to tout and parade himself everywhere as a “lawyer,” isn’t he aware that we know his “law firm” at Blacklines House (Shumuk or Katatumba Suites) was not a law office but a lodge where Mukasa Mbidde, the true dancehall king, used to “dance” with anything and everything in a skirt? Oh, we know so much. Don’t provoke us, you kapere Mbidde!
To Mukasa Mbidde, keep your pooh-pooh ideas to yourself, grow up, and be a man! Start by being responsible when you go around impregnating women. Start taking care of the women and the children; even animals take care of their young ones!
Maybe you represent Kayitana and Donati Kananura, but not all the Banyarwanda in Uganda. You are hardly a lawyer of good professional repute. Your views on Banyarwanda citizenship are baseless and unfounded, and so we impugn, reject, and dismiss all your suggestions on that subject.
Enough!
