Four ministers-designate entangled in a dual and multi citizenship controversy will not be sworn in with their colleagues tomorrow, as President Yoweri Museveni awaits an advisory report from the Public Service on their eligibility to hold cabinet office.
A highly placed source informed this publication that the quartet; Dr. Lawrence Muganga, Calvin Echodu, Shartsi Kutesa Musherure, and Ambassador Adonia Ayebare must await the commission’s findings before a final determination is made on their ministerial fate.
The development follows a week of intense parliamentary scrutiny and public debate over the citizenship status of several presidential appointees. The controversy strikes at the heart of Uganda’s constitutional and legal framework, which bars dual citizens from occupying certain sensitive state positions.
While Uganda permits dual citizenship, Article 15(7) of the Constitution empowers Parliament to restrict holders of dual nationality from occupying certain public offices. The Uganda Citizenship and Immigration Control (Amendment) Act of 2009 lists several sensitive state positions that dual citizens may not hold, with the Fifth Schedule to the Act explicitly citing the offices of “Cabinet Minister and other Ministers”.
An official citizenship verification report from the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, obtained by Parliament and reviewed by this publication, has laid bare the citizenship status of each minister-designate.
Ambassador Adonia Ayebare, nominated for the post of Minister for Foreign Affairs, is listed as holding both Ugandan and United States citizenship, which he reportedly acquired on April 23, 2025. During his closed-door vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee, Ayebare reportedly acknowledged his dual status and assured members that he would renounce his American citizenship to comply with the law.
Dr. Lawrence Muganga, the Victoria University Vice Chancellor nominated for State Minister for Internal Affairs, presents the most complex case. The immigration report flags him as holding Ugandan, Rwandan, and Canadian citizenship, with his Ugandan citizenship recorded as having been granted only on November 12, 2024. Appearing before the committee, Muganga claimed he relinquished his Rwandan citizenship upon acquiring Canadian nationality and expressed willingness to renounce his Canadian passport. However, he strongly denied holding Rwandan nationality, clarifying: “I am Munyarwanda by tribe, not Rwandese by nationality. Banyarwanda are among the tribes in Uganda”.
The committee remained unconvinced and rejected Muganga’s nomination—making him the only nominee among the four to be turned down outright. Muganga has since publicly accused legislative leaders of personal bias and ethnic discrimination.
Shartsi Kutesa Musherure, the former Mawogola North MP and daughter of ex-Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa, was appointed Minister of State for Finance (Microfinance). The immigration report lists her as holding Ugandan and American citizenship, acquired on March 14, 2025.
Calvin Echodu, the Soroti City West MP appointed State Minister for Foreign Affairs (International Affairs), had no formal record of dual citizenship on file, though immigration records indicated possession of both Ugandan and American travel documents. Unlike Muganga, Echodu secured the committee’s approval after presenting documentation showing he had renounced his US citizenship. Speaker Jacob Oboth Oboth subsequently pronounced Echodu successfully vetted and approved for appointment.
Despite Parliament’s Appointments Committee having concluded its vetting and approved 80 of 82 nominees, the Public Service Commission has been tasked with providing independent guidance to the President.
Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa confirmed that all four affected individuals ultimately decided to renounce their foreign citizenships, describing it as “painful because of the circumstances”.
However, legal scholars note that renunciation must be complete and verifiable. The government is now expected to scrutinise the submitted proof of renunciation.
A swearing-in ceremony for other ministers is scheduled to proceed as planned. The fate of the four, however, now rests entirely in the hands of the Public Service Commission—and ultimately, President Museveni himself.
