Four Ministerial Nominees Miss Cabinet Swearing-In Ceremony Amid Citizenship Questions
By Skika Reporter
Four ministerial nominees failed to take office on Monday after being absent from the Cabinet swearing-in ceremony at State House Entebbe, as government authorities continue reviewing legal questions surrounding their citizenship status and foreign citizenship renunciation processes.
President Yoweri Museveni presided over the ceremony, during which members of the newly appointed Cabinet took their oaths before senior government officials, including Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth and Chief Justice Flavian Zeija.
However, four nominees were notably absent from the event. They included Foreign Affairs Minister-designate Adonia Ayebare, State Minister-designate for Foreign Affairs (International Affairs) Calvin Echodu, State Minister-designate for Microfinance Sharsti Kutesa Musherure, and State Minister-designate for Internal Affairs Lawrence Muganga.
Their absence follows increasing scrutiny over their citizenship status and the status of ongoing efforts to renounce foreign citizenships.
Reports over the weekend suggested that the four nominees had not been invited to the swearing-in ceremony as government lawyers examined whether they meet constitutional requirements for appointment to ministerial office.
Sources familiar with the matter indicated that officials from the Ministry of Public Service advised against administering the oath to any nominee whose citizenship renunciation process had not been fully completed.
Legal experts are reportedly considering whether initiating a renunciation process satisfies constitutional requirements or whether nominees must obtain final confirmation from foreign authorities before assuming office.
The issue first emerged during Parliament’s vetting process. Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa later disclosed that the Appointments Committee had identified four nominees with dual or multiple citizenship concerns following verification by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
According to Tayebwa, the committee found three nominees holding dual citizenship and one with multiple citizenships. Parliament subsequently reviewed documentation relating to their citizenship status and the steps each nominee had taken to renounce foreign allegiances.
Sources said Ayebare, Echodu, and Musherure had submitted evidence showing they had formally initiated citizenship renunciation procedures.
Muganga’s case attracted additional attention after reports emerged that the Appointments Committee declined to approve his nomination and referred the matter back to President Museveni for further consideration.
The decision to exclude all four nominees from Monday’s ceremony indicates that government is awaiting definitive legal guidance before allowing them to take the oath of office.
Officials familiar with the process said the nominees could be sworn in at a later date once the citizenship issues are resolved and all required documentation has been completed.
By Monday afternoon, neither State House nor the Ministry of Public Service had issued an official explanation regarding the nominees’ absence.
Their failure to take the oath leaves four positions in the new Cabinet temporarily vacant as government seeks a final legal position on the matter
