Banyarwanda rebrand to ‘Abavandimwe’, call for national privileges

By Charles Katabalwa

15^th March 2021

Ugandan natives with a lineage of Rwanda under their umbrella body the Council for Banyarwanda have rebranded their name from Banyarwanda to ‘Abavandimwe’.

Dr. Lawrence Muganga, the Chief Strategist Council for Banyarwanda during the press conference in Kampala today said that overtime this section of Ugandans, the ‘Banyarwanda’ have been marginalized, denied access to pass ports, National Identification Cards among others which are some of most important documents every Ugandan should have hence changing their name will solve such problems and separate them from Rwandese born in Rwanda.

Muganga adds that unlike their fellow Ugandans, their tribe is being systemically locked out of the economy and public service of this country and some of them cannot get SIM cards, open bank accounts, acquire loans or even exercise our patriotic duty to join the police and armed forces.

He has appealed to all Ugandans and authorities to make a distinction between Banyarwanda tribe which has been indigenous in Uganda even before the colonialists marked boundaries of Uganda’ from the nationals of Rwanda.

Uganda’s constitution lists Banyarwanda as one of the country’s ethnic communities, which at the time of promulgation set people arguing whether Banyarwanda are the country’s sixth or seventh largest tribe.