The Victoria University Vice Chancellor, Dr. Lawrence Muganga has accused the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa, of discrimination following his rejection for Minister of State for Internal Affairs, position by the Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday.
While addressing journalists at Parliament on behalf of Appointments Committee, Tayebwa revealed that out of 82 ministerial nominees vetted by the committee, one had not yet appeared and another had raised issues that would be referred back to the appointing authority.
Although he didn’t mention nominee’s identity, sources intimated that it was Dr Muganga, who the committee found to have links to Ugandan, Canadian and Rwandan citizenship.
On Wednesday, while responding to Kasambya County MP Daudi Kabanda, who alluded that Dr Muganga wasn’t rejected by the committee for being a Munyarwanda, but rather that the committee found, he holds three passports including a Ugandan, Canadian and Rwandan passport, Dr Muganga said the narrative that he holds a Rwandan passport was a ‘deliberate falsehood’ introduced by Tayebwa.
Muganga further alleged that his rejection was decided before the vetting process began, with Tayebwa singling him out as the candidate to be failed during the vetting.
“We have it ON RECORD — Hon. @Thomas_Tayebwa’s own words: “In every vetting session we have to fail someone, and this time it had to be you, Dr. Muganga.” Read that again” he posted.
Dr Muganga further argued that the rejection was never about passports, qualifications, or integrity, but rather a personal, calculated and discriminatory move against him.
“Hon. Kabanda, what I experienced in that committee was not parliamentary oversight. It was hatred. It was discrimination. It was racism, directed at me simply because I am a Munyarwanda” he alleged.
He reiterated that Banyarwanda are full Ugandans who contribute meaningfully to national development in different fields.
“I personally have spent decades working tirelessly for Uganda, conducting thousands of interviews, engaging with thousands of people, sitting in hundreds of boardroom meetings across 56 countries. In all those years and in all those rooms, I have never once encountered the kind of hostility that Hon. Tayebwa directed at me” he said.
Muganga who inquired on the alleged depth of hate that Tayebwa carries for Banyarwanda, further questioned, what his presence at the Internal Affairs would threaten to uncover.
“Uganda belongs to ALL its citizens equally. Banyarwanda included. We are not second class citizens. We will not be treated as such. This selective and discriminatory application of the law must be called out loudly, and it must stop. The law is not a weapon to be aimed at one community of our own people” he said.
Muganga further reiterated that Banyarwanda belong in Uganda and wouldn’t be silenced.
Dr Muganga’s nomination to cabinet by President Yoweri Museveni, attracted wide public attention and a legal petition challenging his eligibility on citizenship grounds.
