Mbidde Threatens Court Action Over Ministers’ Approval, Urges Museveni to Reject Nominees with Dual Citizenship
KAMPALA – Senior lawyer and politician Fred Mukasa Mbidde has threatened to challenge the appointment of several newly nominated ministers in court if President Yoweri Museveni proceeds to swear them in despite concerns surrounding their dual citizenship status.
Speaking during an appearance on Sanyuka TV’s Morning Xpress programme hosted by Adam Kungu, Mbidde weighed in on the ongoing controversy surrounding the parliamentary vetting of ministerial nominees, arguing that the law requires nominees to have fully renounced any foreign citizenship before they can qualify for appointment as ministers in Uganda.
Mbidde specifically cited the cases of newly appointed ministerial nominees Ambassador Adonia Ayebare, Gen. Charles Otema Awany Ecwedu, Shartsi Kutesa Musherure, and Dr. Lawrence Muganga, whose vetting has generated public debate over allegations that they had not presented conclusive evidence of renouncing foreign citizenship before appearing before Parliament’s Appointments Committee.
According to Mbidde, the law does not recognize a mere intention or undertaking to renounce foreign citizenship. Instead, he argued, nominees must present completed documentation proving that they have formally ceased to be citizens of another country before being approved for ministerial office.
He further drew an analogy, comparing a letter expressing interest in renouncing citizenship to an admission letter for Advanced Level (A-Level) education, stressing that such a letter alone cannot substitute for an actual A-Level certificate required for progression.
“The requirement is not an intention to renounce. The requirement is proof that the foreign citizenship has already been renounced,” Mbidde reportedly argued during the television discussion.
The former East African Legislative Assembly member warned that any appointment made contrary to the legal requirements could be challenged before the courts, saying he was prepared to seek judicial intervention if the President proceeds with the swearing-in of the affected nominees.
Mbidde further called upon President Museveni to reject the recommendations of Parliament’s Appointments Committee regarding the four nominees and instead drop them from the Cabinet list altogether.
He maintained that the nominees failed to satisfy the legal qualifications required for appointment as ministers and that allowing them to assume office would set a dangerous precedent for constitutional and legal compliance in public service.
The controversy stems from recent parliamentary vetting sessions in which questions were raised about the citizenship status of several nominees, particularly those who have lived, worked, or acquired citizenship in foreign countries.
Supporters of the nominees have argued that steps to renounce foreign citizenship have already been initiated, while critics insist that the law requires completed renunciation before appointment.
As of Thursday evening, neither State House nor Parliament had officially responded to Mbidde’s latest remarks.
The matter is expected to remain a subject of legal and political debate as the country awaits the President’s final decision on the ministerial appointments.
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