Uganda: Fake Document Falsely Claims Ugandan President Requested Citizenship Checks On Supposed Ministerial Appointees

Fake document falsely claims Ugandan president requested citizenship checks on supposed ministerial appointees

IN SHORT: A document circulating on Facebook claims Yoweri Museveni asked immigration authorities to verify the citizenship of four ministerial appointees in Uganda. But a presidential spokesperson has said the document is fake.

A document posted on Facebook claims that Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni asked immigration officials for citizenship checks on four people he had recently appointed to ministerial positions.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

The document, dated 28 May 2026, features Uganda's coat of arms and what appears to be the presidential letterhead. It asks the "director of Citizenship and Immigration Control" to establish whether Adonia Ayebare, Calvin Echodu, Lawrence Muganga and Sanja Tana hold citizenship of countries other than Uganda.

The document asks immigration authorities to treat the matter as urgent and submit their findings by 1 June.

The names listed are prominent in Uganda. Ayebare is a diplomat who has served as Uganda's permanent representative to the United Nations. Echodu is a businessperson and politician associated with the National Resistance Movement. Muganga is an academic while Tana is also a politician.

The claim circulated amid public debate in Uganda over dual citizenship and eligibility for public office, including questions raised during parliamentary vetting of some ministerial nominees.

Public office in Uganda is generally reserved for Ugandan citizens, as set out under the constitution and related public service laws, which require holders of state or government positions to be citizens of Uganda.

This document has also been posted here, here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)

But is it genuine? We checked.

Fake document

There are reasons to doubt the document's authenticity.

It refers to "persons I recently appointed in ministerial positions". But at least two of them, Muganga and Echodu, are not publicly known to have been recently appointed as cabinet ministers.

More importantly, on 29 May 2026, Faruk Kirunda, the special presidential assistant for press and mobilisation, posted the document on X and labelled it "FAKE".

Other instances of this claim can be found here, here, here, here and here.

Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters

Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox