Echodu Misses Swearing-in Again as Museveni Warns Ministers Over Loyalty

What the report says

President Yoweri Museveni has sworn in three Cabinet appointees at State House Entebbe, while Calvin Echodu remains outside Cabinet nearly three months after his nomination, according to Nile Post. The ministers inducted on Tuesday were Adonia Ayebare as Foreign Affairs minister, Shartsi Kutesa Musherure as State Minister for Finance in charge of Microfinance, and Juma Witonze as State Minister for Internal Affairs.

The report says all four nominees had previously faced questions linked to citizenship status after missing the first Cabinet swearing-in on June 8. Since then, Ayebare and Musherure have reportedly completed the process needed to take office, and Witonze replaced Lawrence Muganga, whose nomination was not cleared by parliament’s Appointments Committee. Echodu, who was named State Minister for Foreign Affairs, is still awaiting final resolution of his own case.

Nile Post reported that Echodu, also the NRM vice-chairperson for Eastern Uganda, has been working to renounce his American citizenship and had returned to Uganda from the United States shortly before the ceremony. The publication said it was not yet clear whether that process had been completed. His delay means the Foreign Affairs docket still lacks a state minister in charge of international affairs.

During the ceremony, Museveni again raised the broader issue of dual citizenship and loyalty, saying public officials should be clear about where their allegiance lies. The remarks come amid continuing public debate in Uganda over dual citizenship and senior government appointments.