The People of Uganda and Rwanda Deserve the Truth About Lawrence Muganga

The recent appointment of Lawrence Muganga as a Ugandan cabinet minister responsible for internal affairs has raised concerns. His earlier arrest by Ugandan authorities and subsequent release without trial for allegedly being a Rwandan spy is inexplicable. Uganda, unlike Rwanda, is a law-governed country. I trust the Ugandan Parliament will thoroughly investigate this matter and deliver the truth that the people of Uganda and Rwanda deserve.

I first met Lawrence Muganga in Rwanda, where I led governance institutional reforms based in the Rwandan presidency. Muganga worked for the Human and Institutional Development Agency (HIDA), which I chaired. He requested that I mentor him, as he was keen to pursue a specialized career in the field.

In 2010, however, I fled Rwanda and resettled in Canada after realizing the true nature of the Rwandan government. That was the year in which leaders of political parties, the media and civil society were arrested, imprisoned, exiled, disappeared and even suffered mysterious deaths.

It turns out that Muganga also left Rwanda and settled in Canada, where he was pursuing his PhD studies. I continued mentoring him and assisting him with his doctoral studies in Canada.

In 2019, I received a call from Lawrence Muganga, who informed me of a concerning situation. He revealed that Vincent Nyakarundi, the Rwandan Defence Attaché to Canada and the United States, had assembled a team, including Muganga, to silence me for my persistent criticism of General Paul Kagame’s authoritarian regime. Muganga advised me to strengthen my security measures, as the Kigali regime was determined to silence me by any means necessary. I requested Muganga to report the matter to the police, and he informed me that he did so.

Fast forward to September 2, 2021. The Ugandan media reported that Lawrence Muganga was arrested by security forces in connection with espionage for the Rwandan government. Eyewitness accounts indicated that heavily armed men raided the university where Muganga works, apprehended him and detained him. At the time, I considered the arrest to be a significant blunder. I reasoned that Lawrence Muganga could not be deployed by the Rwandan government, as he had previously alerted me about the imminent danger posed by the Rwandan government.

Then came the most unexpected development: on May 26, 2026, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced a new cabinet for the 2026–2031 term. Muganga was prominently featured as a minister for internal affairs, the very institution that had arrested him as a Rwandan spy.

I have a confession to make — I am an extremely naive person, and the case of Muganga is proof. Louise Uwacu, a Rwandan broadcaster, laughed at my naivety when I told her that Muganga was not a Rwandan spy because he alerted me about the Rwandan scheme to eliminate me. Uwacu reminded me that while the Nazi Party spearheaded the Holocaust, a small number of its own members, military officers, and officials actively sabotaged the Nazi regime's genocide mission by saving Jewish lives. In the same vein, Muganga shielding me from extermination only demonstrates that he cared for me as a person, and does not prove that he was not a member of the Rwandan killing machine.

The appointment of Muganga as the internal minister after being arrested for espionage has shattered my naivety. I must now pose six questions around Muganga. First, how did he end up being a member of the machine assigned to silence me? Second, why was he in the company of Major General Vincent Nyakarundi, the Rwandan Military Attaché in Canada and the US, who was subsequently expelled by both countries for espionage? Third, why did the Ugandan authorities arrest Muganga for spying for Rwanda and mysteriously release him without trial for the crime? Four, how did Muganga acquire a Ugandan diplomatic passport? Five, why was Muganga appointed a Ugandan cabinet minister of state, despite the fact that he holds a triple citizenship, which contravenes Ugandan laws? Finally, do the events surrounding Muganga not raise questions about whether Ugandan and Rwandan leaders are concealing a secret about the matter from the public?

In conclusion, the Muganga ministerial appointment is a matter of public interest that warrants a response. I trust that this matter will be addressed by the appropriate Ugandan authorities in due course. Unlike Rwanda, Uganda is a law-governed country, and therefore, the Ugandan parliament will undoubtedly soon scrutinize this matter and resolve the Muganga affair.