Lawyer Says Muganga Appointment is Constitutional
By Ssemambo Rashid A Kampala-based advocate is pushing back against claims that the appointment of Dr. Lawrence Muganga — a dual Ugandan-Canadian citizen — as Minister of State for Internal Affairs violates Ugandan law. The controversy: Critics have cited the Uganda Citizenship and Immigration Control (Amendment) Act 2009, specifically Section 19D, which lists “Cabinet Minister […] The post Lawyer Says Muganga Appointment is Constitutional appeared first on Daily Star.
Black News 
By Ssemambo Rashid
A Kampala-based advocate is pushing back against claims that the appointment of Dr. Lawrence Muganga — a dual Ugandan-Canadian citizen — as Minister of State for Internal Affairs violates Ugandan law.
The controversy: Critics have cited the Uganda Citizenship and Immigration Control (Amendment) Act 2009, specifically Section 19D, which lists “Cabinet Minister and other Ministers” among roles barred from dual citizens.
The legal argument: Ssemambo Rashid, Managing Partner at Ssemambo & Ssemambo Advocates, argues in a five-page opinion dated 29 May 2026 that this restriction is unconstitutional and therefore has no legal force.
His reasoning rests on three pillars:
• The Constitution (Article 80) requires only that a person be “a citizen of Uganda” to qualify as a Member of Parliament — and by extension, a Minister. There is no further qualification.
• The Constitution is the supreme law. Any Act of Parliament that contradicts it is automatically void — no court order needed.
• The doctrine of “harmonious interpretation” means constitutional provisions must be read as a whole; a lower statute cannot selectively restrict rights the Constitution grants to all citizens.
The conclusion: Ssemambo submits that barring dual citizens from ministerial appointment is unconstitutional, and that Parliament has a mandate to disregard the offending provision entirely.
A side note on TikTok: The paper ends with a broader commentary comparing the unchecked spread of social media in Africa to the British opium trade in China, warning of social degeneration if governments do not regulate the quality and quantity of information reaching users.
The author is Advocate of the High Court of Uganda and all Courts of Judicature.
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