Parliament’s Appointments Committee has rejected the nomination of Dr. Lawrence Muganga as State Minister for Internal Affairs, with concerns over his citizenship status emerging as the decisive factor during his vetting.
The committee, chaired by Speaker Jacob Oboth Oboth, found during due diligence that Muganga has held three citizenships — Ugandan, Rwandan, and Canadian. During the closed-door vetting sessions, Muganga pledged to renounce his Canadian citizenship if approved for the ministerial position. However, a majority of committee members remained unconvinced that the commitment was sufficient to satisfy constitutional and legal requirements.
According to a source who attended the proceedings and spoke on condition of anonymity, Muganga told the committee he had renounced his Rwandan citizenship when he became a Canadian national, but failed to provide convincing evidence of this renunciation.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, speaking on behalf of the Appointments Committee, disclosed that out of 82 ministerial nominees vetted by the committee, 80 had been approved, one was still pending, and another — understood to be Muganga — had raised issues that would be referred back to the appointing authority.
The controversy had been building since May 28, when lawyer and Democratic Front Deputy Secretary General Deric Fredric Namakajo petitioned Parliament through the Clerk’s office, arguing that Muganga may be legally barred from serving as minister under Section 19D of the Uganda Citizenship and Immigration Control (Amendment) Act, 2009, which restricts dual citizens from holding certain sensitive state offices.
While Uganda permits dual citizenship in general, the Citizenship and Immigration Control Act bars holders from occupying offices listed in the Fifth Schedule, which includes the presidency, prime minister, and cabinet and state ministers.
Other dual citizen nominees who successfully appeared before the committee, including Foreign Affairs Minister-designate Adonia Ayebare and State Minister-designate Calvin Echodu, reportedly presented documentation confirming the renunciation of their foreign citizenship, and were approved.
Muganga, who publicly defended his patriotism ahead of the vetting, told reporters: “Before I came here, I definitely had two citizenships — that’s the Ugandan and the Canadian citizenship. That does not take away one’s love for the country. I am Ugandan… Uganda is my country.”
Muganga had been nominated to serve as Minister of State for Internal Affairs under Cabinet Minister Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu, as part of President Yoweri Museveni’s new Cabinet for the 2026–2031 term. He currently serves as Vice Chancellor of Victoria University.
Under Rule 178 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, where a nominee is rejected by the committee, the President may appeal to Parliament for a final determination on the matter. The decision now leaves uncertainty over who will ultimately fill the state minister for Internal Affairs position, as Parliament concludes scrutiny of the President’s latest ministerial appointments.
