President Yoweri Museveni has appointed Juma Witonze Kisekka as the new State Minister for Internal Affairs, ending weeks of uncertainty after the nomination of Dr. Lawrence Muganga failed to secure parliamentary approval.
Witonze, a diplomat and politician, currently serves as the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) Chief Coordinator for the Greater Mpigi region. He has also previously contested for a seat in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and recently expressed interest in the EALA by-election.
His appointment follows the collapse of Muganga’s bid for the same ministerial position after Parliament’s Appointments Committee declined to endorse his nomination over concerns surrounding his citizenship status.
During the vetting process, committee members questioned Muganga after receiving a verification report from the Ministry of Internal Affairs indicating links to Ugandan, Canadian and Rwandan citizenship.
Sources familiar with the proceedings said the committee sought documentary proof that Muganga had formally renounced any foreign citizenship, a requirement for appointment to public office under Ugandan law.
Other ministerial nominees who faced similar scrutiny, including Adonia Ayebare, Calvin Echodu and Shartsi Kutesa Musherure, reportedly presented evidence showing they had initiated the process of renouncing their foreign citizenship.
Muganga, however, is said to have disputed claims that he remained a Rwandan citizen but did not provide the documentation the committee required to clear his nomination.
Following the committee’s decision, the matter was referred back to President Museveni, who has now named Witonze to take up the position.
The appointment fills the vacancy at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and brings another Patriotic League of Uganda official into the Cabinet.
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