Citizens ought to know their rights and obligations. It is their right to be protected against any form of aggression and abuse (internal and foreign); recognized and accorded diplomatic identification and protection.
It’s the right of citizens to enjoy social and political rights; and enjoy public and social services provided by the state, these include education, medical care, social security, transport infrastructure and relevant information, among others.
On the other hand, it is the responsibility or duty of all citizens to protect the state and work towards it’s healthy wellbeing. Citizens are also charged with the fight against corruption; and against any form of human rights abuse and neglect within their community.
Our national laws especially in Africa tend to be protective and segregative against “migrants”; and forget that we all migrated from one place to another.
For instance, according to history; the Bantus migrated from the Congo Basin; the Nilotics from Kemit/ Egypt; and the Nilo-hamites from Asmara. These form a number of tribes and ethnic groups of Africa.
As a Ugandan, Subject to the provision of Article 10 of the 1995 constitution of Uganda, only a child born to a citizen of Uganda is recognised as a citizen by birth; children born in Uganda to parents of different nationality are not considered citizens of this country until registered or naturalized as per article 12/13.
It is not the child’s fault that his/ her parents are not citizens; my parents might not be Ugandan but the fact that I’ am born in a country makes me a bona-fide national of that country. Many are proud of this nationality.
All African states ought to adhere to this fact in order to foster and facilitate the rapid achievement of the continental integration that is championed by the African Union (AU) and all it’s regional blocks like ECOWAS, SADC, EAC, etc.
The acceptance of these stateless persons and population in many parts of the continent will help to prevent and manage many of it’s citizenship conflicts; these include conflicts based on identity, ethnicity and religion like in the DR Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and political or tribal rivalry in Kenya and many parts of Africa.
All these are instigated by failures of citizenship rules, and can only be resolved by recognition and protection of all citizen rights irrespective of their origin.
There is nothing in this world worse than being denied your proper identity and belonging; being denied equals social and political rights to benefit or serve your nation! Human beings are social beings that relay on others to be what they are: Because they belong to a society/ community, they care for it and in return expect it to protect them. This creates a bond between the two, and this bond is engulfed by love.
Many states talk of dual citizenship when they protect eligible members of their communities from adopting their rightful citizenship. I have a cousin who is born in Uganda, lived and studied in Uganda since childhood, but was recently denied access to university education on basis of nationality.
The immigration office in Kampala claimed he’s been living in the country illegally and can be arrested! I wonder on what grounds? I believe, it was not his fault to be born in Uganda; he just found himself here and could not leave the country due to the circumstances him and his parents found here.
If Barak Obama could become the president of United States of America, then why do we have a lot of issues for Alasane Quatara, Joseph Kabila Kabange, etc?
What I know, all our African population is mixed and you find especially those along the colonial boundaries having relatives across! The best example here is Hon. Moody Awori in Kenya and Hon. Aggrey Awori in Uganda.
The Author is a Pan Africanist and Researcher
Tel: +256 772 502450
Email: yousum2001@yahoo.com
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