The council for Banyarwanda has announced intention to rebrand, and appealed to all Ugandans and the government to support them as they undertake the task.
The Council for Abavandimwe is an independent, not for profit and non-partisan organization with a mission of protecting the rights of Banyarwanda born and raised in Uganda, preserving their culture and promoting their economic empowerment. The organization is inspired by and grounded in the Banyarwanda tradition of ‘Ubuvandimwe’.
Currently, the Council for Abavandimwe commands an active membership of over 260,000 who are self-identifying Banyarwanda, spread across the country and abroad. Additionally, the Council for Abavandimwe has grown to have several chapters in different higher institutions of learning in the country with respective coordinators.
Under their newly established council of Abavandimwe, the group claims that their tribe has been confused with the Rwandan nationals and many have been denied social services including National Identity Cards and passports.
The new identify, Abavandimwe literally translates to brethren in English.
Addressing the media in Kampala, the Abavandimwe (Banyarwanda) Council chair, Dr Lawrence Muganga said they have systematically been locked out of the Ugandan economy and public service-related job opportunities.
Frank Gashumba, one of the senior members of the Council for Abavandimwe said they had to make clarifications and also make an appeal to some of the Ugandan authorities on issues of citizenry and access of official documents, in their own country.
Gashumba stated for a fact that Banyarwanda have always been part of Uganda’s indigenous tribes, narrating that such a history is reflected as factual, dating as far back as from the 1900 national census done by the British Colonial Government.
“By the mere fact that the name of our tribe links us with the neighboring country, we are often times mistaken or categorised as foreigners. However, there are those who deliberately use this as a weapon of segregation against our kind,” Gashumba said.
“This, overtime, has caused these Ugandans, under the flagship of the name ‘Banyarwanda’ to be segregated and treated like non-Ugandans. Much as this country is with no contention, globally acclaimed for welcoming foreigners and refugees, making it the country with the second largest concentration of refugees in the world, this should not in anyway, make some people de-alienate its own fellow citizens, thinking they are foreigners,” he added.
