Two independent sources with connections to the Uganda President’s state house have sent emails to this writer revealing Mr. Museveni’s plan to use the current confusion around the Kyabazinga elections and create 11 separate minor kingdoms out of Busoga. According to the more detailed source, Mr. Museveni decided to personally interfere with the Kyabazinga elections to make sure that the Basoga clans do not agree on a single clan head to lead Busoga.
“Mr. Museveni cannot allow a strong Kyabazinga to emerge in Busoga at this time since it would create the risk of Basoga developing nationalistic tendencies and maybe even starting thinking in a block like Baganda. That is why he intends to give a new car to each of the warring clan leaders who declares his county a separate kingdom. Like his Sabanyala and Sabaluuli in Buganda each minor king would also get a monthly payment of 5 million shillings ($2,610).
The strategy is to create 11 weak minor kingdoms in Busoga who owe their survival to Mr. Museveni. Then connect them to Sabanyala and Sabaluuli to more effectively fight Buganda nationalism in the long term. In the short term, it would also disorganize DP and FDC and other opposition structures in a Busoga that is no more.”
According to the sources, Mr. Museveni was visibly happy over the weekend after he met Basoga clan leaders for the second time in less than two months. The meeting is supposed to have agreed to hold a re-run of the Kyabazinga elections which took place on October 31, 2008. However, Mr. Museveni is reportedly very confident that the Basoga will never agree and that is why he is preparing to help each of them create his own kingdom, making today’s Busoga history.
The Busoga monarchy was created by British colonialists in 1906 out of a collection of small municipalities, each with its own hereditary ruler. The throne to the resulting Busoga kingdom is supposed to be held by a descendant of one of the municipalities on a rotating basis. The sitting Busoga king is called the Isebantu Kyabazinga. The first ruler of a united Busoga was a Muganda called Semei Kakungulu, of Mmamba clan. Kakungulu’s regime lasted from July 1906 to January 1914 when he handed over to a Musoga, Isebantu Kyabazinga OBODHA.
The last Kyabazinga of Busoga, Henry Wako Muloki, died on September 1, 2008 at the age of 87. On October 31, six clan leaders elected Edward Columbus Wambuzi Muloki to replace his late father, Henry Wako Muloki. The remaining 5 boycotted the elections, calling them illegal under Basoga culture. It is this conflict which gave Mr. Museveni the opening to interfere even though, according to his own Uganda constitution, as a politician, he is not supposed to interfere with cultural issues such as the election of a Kyabazinga.
December 16th, 2008 at 10:31 am
I guess there are a couple of facts here which have been muddled up by the writer and which require rectification, viz
1) That the late Kyabazinga Henry Wako Muloki was ever a strong leader/ruler in his 2nd tenure as Kyabazinga of Busoga “Kingdom” from 1996 -2008;
2) That M7 from the word go wanted to see a weak Kyabazinga in Busoga;
3) That every Tom, Dick and Harry whom M7 appoints as a political- cum- cultural Chief in Buganda or wherever else automatically becomes a “King” and by extension wherever that chief is located automatically becomes a “Kingdom”;
4) That the political maneuverings behind M7’s creations of “cultural” RDCs ala Ssabanyala, Ssabaluuli, Edward Columbus Wambuzi Muloki, et.al will successfully be used to fight Buganda nationalism.
The facts of the matter, however, are that:
1)While Muloki’s first tenure as Kyabazinga from 1955 to 1966 was a fairly successful one in as much as the Basoga were united and also made tremendous socio-economic progress in their individual and community lives, his second tenure from 1996 to 2008 was, however, an almost disastrous one for Busoga and the Basoga . Kyabazinga Muloki elected to become a politicized king, more or less than an RDC, and put himself and the interests of the Basoga under the political armpits of M7. This act did not only alienate many Basoga who didn’t want M7 to meddle into their otherwise apolitical cultural institution from him but also made Busoga a laughing stock of the country and the world. While Kyabazinga Muloki was busy partying at birthday parties for M7’s children and keeping aloof towards the general interests of the Basoga, the Basoga have been wallowing in abject poverty from 1986 todate to the extent that many of them are awfully jigger-infested and are terribly dying of jiggers. What a macabre story indeed!! As a thank-you for Kyabazinga Muloki’s aloofness towards achieving Busoga and Basoga’s interests, M7 rewarded the Basoga with a state funeral to the tune of ugx 600 million and declaring Muloki as a national hero upon his demise. So, there rests your “strong” Kyabazinga in eternal peace whose measure of “strength” by M7 and his cohorts is not based upon what he achieved for Basoga and Busoga in terms of socio-economic progress but rather merely in terms of “not exerting unnecessary demands upon government like the other king who thinks he comes from heaven”;
2) Certainly M7’s mind has never entertained any popular and strong leader who is independent of him and outside his whimsical political schemes. That is why he is feeling a lot of headache from His Majesty Muwenda Mutebi II. So for anybody to even suggest that M7 would entertain the idea of having a strong Kyabazinga in Busoga who is beyond the reach of his political machinations should be ignorant of what they are saying. That is the more reason M7 opted to rig the late Muloki’s son into the cultural office inspite of a court injuction and a strong protestation of the 6 or so clan heads rather than allow a rotational arrangement for a new Kyabazinga take its own course.
Equally false is the thinking that M7 would be happier to see many independent chiefs reigning in Busoga as the writer suggests. While he would certainly wish to have as many renegade chiefs reign in Buganda Kingdom, the M7 I have come to know and study about cannot entertain the idea of creating many independent chiefdoms reign in Busoga only if they all compete for his disgraceful favors. Matter of fact, M7’s serial meetings with the Busoga clan chiefs are not aimed at appointing or rather electing a different Kyabazinga whom the majority Basoga wishes to have but rather to bribe them into confirming Muloki’s son as the “elected” Kyabazinga of Busoga. M7 will only compromise to have another Kyabazinga – different from Edward Columbus Wambuzi Muloki – elected only if he will be willing to be another cultural RDC of Busoga;
3) I guess Ugandans back home must now be so gullible enough to believe a bunch of M7’s increasingly repugnant lies that royalty is made and not born. You now hear every Tom, Dick and Harry polito-cultural Chief M7 creates in Buganda Kingdom being called “King” and his village being called “Kingdom”. I think this is laughable if not clownishly cheap. I, for instance, read in yesterday’s Monitor-Online that M7 insisted on referring to this Bunyala imposter – Mr. Kimeze Mpagi – aka Ssabanyala His ‘Royal’ Highness!!! What a bunch of repulsive hogwash!!! Simply put, the word ‘king’ means “the ruler of a kingdom”. ‘Kingdom’ means “territory or country subject to a King”. And there cannot be a Kingdom within a Kingdom. Kings and Kingdoms are a function of history, long-held customs and traditions, lineage, inheritance and royalty. Kings are born but never created. However, if one wished to create clown-kings like M7 has done, they can only come up with the Mpagi Kimezzes, Mwogeza Butamanyas, et. al of Uganda. Now such clowns like these Kimezzes and Butamanyas remain just laughable vestiges of political history to be just footnoted long after the dictator has left the Ugandan political stage;
4) Finally, I should really be amazed if not indeed amused to learn that the writer of this article really believes that the political creation of the Mwogeza Butamanyas, Mpagi Kimezzes, the clan heads in Busoga, the Omukama of Bunyoro, Ford Mirima whom all M7 is apparently soon turning into his polito-cultural RDCs will really bring the beacon home for M7, i.e. to fight and weaken Ganda nationalism. And any other person who believes in this line of argument must surely need to revisit the history of Buganda within Uganda right from the dawn of colonialism in Uganda through Independence todate. Ganda nationalism is far mightier and immortalized than the British colonialism, Milton Obote, Iddi Amin, the Okellos, Paul Muwanga, Jabeli Bidandi Ssali, Kintu Musoke, Bethwel Mulondo, Abraham Byandala, Tamale Mirundi, Aisha Kabanda, James Kinobe, M7 and their likes. It is not easy to destroy,let alone to disorganize Ganda nationalism, by any wishful thinker. It is only God who helped our great grand fathers come up with clearly distinctive clans, clan names, clan structures, Ganda traditions and cultures, the royal lineage composed of 37 Kabakas, including Kabaka Muwenda Mutebi II, etectra who can destroy the Ganda pride and Ganda nationalism. Everythig else is wishful thinking! When Peter Semattimba and Mulindwa Muwonge were still working at CBS, they were such an admirable pair of Buganda Nation crusaders towards the Ganda populace. However, when their hearts became weak and decided to sell their own souls for pieces of silver on M7’s high table, they quit CBS with such fury that their new masters anticipated CBS to come tumbling down like a pack of cards. But guess what? CBS never collapsed, and their political FM radio station did not become such a buzz that had been anticipated by those who thought that they would use them to fight Ganda nationalism. Matter of fact, if it were not for the political backbone Ssematimba’s FM radio station is using to walk on, it would surely have collapsed already. M7 has also tried it out dirty tricks against Buganda Kingdom by proxy through the dreaded Kakooza Mutaale and a renegade princess Ndagire whom he used to raid the Royal Kasubi Tombs in the late 90s. This strategy also flunked so badly. The other day, I heard that his gofer Mwogeza Butamanya was chased out of a church service by his fellow Baluuli and a bunch of baluuuli kids jeered at him in a neighboring shopping centre after having been chased out of a church service in Nakasongola. Mpagi Kimezze’s father, the first self-styled Ssabanyala, died of an instant heart attack as he was busy scheming with M7 and Suleman Madada against Buganda Kingdom.
In a nutshell, no amount of scheming will break the backbone of the Ganda nationalism whether by the British colonialists, Obote, M7 or anybody else. The answer only lies in granting to Buganda and Baganda what belongs to Buganda and Baganda. Mere intimidations and political machinations against Buganda nationalism will simply never work!
Awaangaale nnyo Ayi Ssabasajja Kabaka Muwenda Mutebi II!
December 17th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Brother Busagwa,
I would tend to agree with your observations about the Busoga question but only to the extent of your spot-on appraisal of the late Kyabazinga’s wanting leadership in Busoga.
My disagreement with you and therefore my agreement with the writer’s position is the fact that Museveni is indeed working to make Busoga “history”, that is, dismantling it wholesome and then dump it on the dungheap of history. My anticipation is that this is what the writer means. That Museveni wants to make Busoga kaputt. Thus should the answer be in the affirmative direction, I would then add that whereas this intention may not be a consciously deliberate effort on the part of Mr. Museveni, his characteristic meddling into the Busoga affairs which became more evident at the time the late Kyabazinga was ailing and had to be airlifted to India on the presidential jet as well as during the pre- and post burial ceremonies of the late king lends the writer’s case with a lot of credence. I should also hasten to add that while Museveni had initially thought that he could garner the Busoga political support as a single block for him and his NRM party by turning the Kyabanzingaship into a hereditary arrangement just like it is the case with Buganda Kingdom, hence giving Busoga clan leaders heads of cattle to slaughter for the post burial ceremonies as they pondered upon “electing” a new Kyabazinga, assigning more than a dozen PGB boys to the young Muloki whom he wished to inherit his late father’s throne, he inadvertently opened up the gates of demise for a cultural entity that has intricately come to be known as “Busoga Kingdom”.
I really doubt whether Museveni anticipated that the court injunction initiated by the late Muloki’s other sons who were vehemently opposed to their young brother’s almost automatic assumption of their late father’s throne would stand to the extent that the men of the legal robe would soon publically declare Muloki Jr’s election as null and void ab initio. Equally did Museveni anticiapte that the 5 clan leaders as well as the majority Basoga would behave like their Baganda “cousins” and completely reject the monkey business that was taking place in Busoga.
All is happening now when you hear that “Museveni announces Kyabazinga election” (Cf. New Vision: 16/12/08)is that Museveni in a rare case of feeling sense of shame wants to save face by not wanting to openly appear to have sanctioned an illegal election of the current imposter on the Kyabazingaship.
Nonetheless, whatever his next step on the political chess board, particularly if it to typically serve his egoistic interests, there is increasingly no doubt that Busoga will remain a united entity. Busoga’s oneness can only be saved by allowing the unique rotational Kyabazingaship arrangement in Busoga be the final arbiter in the current Busoga Kingdom crisis.
I would seriously also encourage Mr. Museveni to strongly desist from meddling into matters of the traditional/cultural institutions in Uganda. While Basoga and Baganda could easily be cowed into “accepting” a fraudulently self-appointed “president”, it is pretty unlikely that they would tolerate in their midst a cultural chief, king or whatever the title may be. Ask Museveni on the expriences his Baluuli and Banyala chiefs have so far expeinced. I have just read that Museveni was recently disappointed to find empty seats at the self-styled Ssabanyala’s residence when he had gone over to “officially” install/coronate him in Bugerere!
December 18th, 2008 at 8:01 am
Mwanyinaze Tara Nankindu,
I have read and appreciated the depth of your analysis on the “Busoga question”. I couldn’t agree more! Interestingly or rather concidentally, as I routinely checked my PC this morning for the daily news from back home, I have found an insightful article on Busoga Kingdom from http://www.observer.ug in respect of M7 and his meddlesome politics in Busoga Kingdom affairs by Hussein Bogere. It struck me as if both you and Hussein Bogere were reading from the same page on this subject. Just in case you have not read Bogere’s article on the subject, I reproduce it here verbatim for your and other readers’ attention. Here we go:
Kyabazinga race turns State House into Mecca
News
Written by Hussein Bogere
Wednesday, 17 December 2008 20:16
Busoga fears to take Ankole road
In public, royal chiefs opposed to the election of Edward Columbus Wambuzi as Kyabazinga, say Busoga’s issues must not be determined by State House.
But on December 9, even as the same group was swearing the issue of Kyabazinga be left to the 11 chiefdoms to determine, the chiefs were actually heading to State House Nakasero to present their case to a non Musoga, President Yoweri Museveni.
The President got sucked into the wrangle for the Busoga throne that erupted following the death of Henry Wako Muloki, when his government initially backed Muloki’s son, Edward Wambuzi, to succeed his father.
The move however backfired when five out of 11 chiefdoms rejected Wabunzi whom they saw as a presidential appointee and mocked him as a Resident District Commissioner.
Fearing to alienate his NRM from the region that has in previous elections handed the ruling party a block vote, the President last month started sending signals that his government did not, after all, recognise Wambuzi as the traditional leader of Busoga.
When the President withdrew his recognition of Wambuzi, elected by a handful of traditional chiefs despite a court injunction, the five dissenting clan heads on December 9 ran to State House to argue their case.
Top on the agenda, according to a source that attended the meeting, was to ask the President to support the idea of “a transitional Kyabazinga,” or at least regents to take care of the kingdom to allow tempers to cool down.
The name of a prominent Musoga, Albert Brewer Abaliwano, was mentioned to head the transition. This plan had been hatched during a meeting at Kati Kati restaurant in Kampala, a few hours before the chiefs proceeded to Nakasero for a meeting with the President.
Christopher Mutyaba Nkono, the hereditary chief of Bukono; Gabula Nadiope of Bugabula, Caesar Lukalu, the Katukiro (Prime Minister) of Bugabula; Gabula and two eminent Busoga personalities—Cranmer Sajjabi Imaka and Abaliwano met the President.
“We should all work towards the unity of Busoga. Busoga Kingdom’s issues should not be settled in State House. The second issue we must express to him [President] is to have regents to see us through the transition. It does not matter how long it takes,” Abaliwano said.
Abaliwano is the caretaker of the 19-year-old Gabula.
The group told the President that they needed to elect a person not eligible to be Kyabazinga, to take care of the affairs of the cultural institution to allow tempers that flared up between the two rival camps to cool down.
The group also asked the President to withdraw soldiers guarding Wambuzi because their presence had been construed to mean government recognition.
They also proposed changes to the Busoga constitution that they said narrowed the electoral college to a handful of chiefs. Under the current arrangement, only hereditary chiefs of the 11 chiefdoms that constitute Busoga elect the Kyabazinga.
The group however returned home empty-handed as the President had no immediate solutions to their issues. He deferred his response to another meeting, on Monday December 15.
It has since emerged that after listening to both arguments, the President refused to consider their proposals and instead told the two groups to organise fresh elections.
Those opposed to Wambuzi say the rotational throne was supposed to be passed on to Bugabula chiefdom where Gabula is heir to the throne.
Kyabazingaship is not hereditary, but rotational. The Kyabazinga is elected from among five royal clans (Baise Ngobi) chiefs who are part of the 11 royal hereditary chiefdoms. Out of the five, only chiefs from Bulamogi and Bugabula have held the throne in turns since the establishment of the institution in 1939.
This too has been a cause of dissatisfaction as other chiefdoms claim it is now their turn, says Dr. Frank Nabwiso, an authority on Busoga matters.
That is why Fred Menha Kakaire (Bugweri), Gologolo (Kigulu), Munulo (Bunha), Gabula (Bugabula) and Nkono (Bukono) sought a court injunction to stop the election of the late Muloki’s son.
The late Muloki was seen as a uniting factor, whose death Busoga was not prepared for. That the kingdom is threatening to tear apart comes, therefore, as no surprise.
“Since his death, Busoga doesn’t seem to have anybody of his calibre to steer the kingdom,” Nabwiso said.
External interference
According to Dr. Nabwiso, the bickering for the position of Kyabazinga has been worsened by external political forces.
“In my view, President Museveni has jumped in to influence the elections in order to retain a block vote. He will not want a Kyabazinga who is anti-NRM,” he said.
Busoga, has always voted as a block; first for UPC in the 1960s, DP in 1980 and currently NRM, which boasts of 27 of the 29 parliamentary seats in the area.
The opposing camps in Busoga have made State House their political Mecca, with weekly visits in search of solutions.
With Buganda proving to be stubborn ahead of the 2011 elections, it is important that NRM clings onto Busoga, political analysts say. That is why, the President, whose insistence on the controversial Land Amendment Bill 2007 has eaten into his political support in Buganda, can only be happy to host the weekly meetings.
What next?
Some elders say that Basoga need to put their heads together, end the bickering and save the kingdom from disintegrating.
“The most sensible thing for the Basoga to do is to sit down and elect opinion leaders to look for a political solution,” said a former kingdom official. “There has to be consensus by the political leaders. Legalities will not go very far.”
He said Busoga should not give government a chance to replicate the situation in Ankole, where the Omugabe was stripped of his crown by the President.
And because of the biting poverty, Nabwiso says the kingdom needs an informed Kyabazinga. “We need a Kyabazinga who can operate the internet—one who can gather information from around the world,” he said, adding that none in the crop jostling for the job fits the bill.
December 24th, 2008 at 5:21 am
Good Morning Tara,
The strength of your prophetic analysis of the confused Busoga Kingdom events is incredibly telling of what mettle you are made of. Please check out the following article lifted from this morning’s DAILY MONITOR of Wednesday, December 24, 2008. Merry Christmas, too!
Chiefs still divided over Kyabazinga throne
Abubaker Kirunda
Jinja
Despite efforts by President Yoweri Museveni to reconcile Busoga chiefs after the disputed election of Edward Columbus Wambuzi as the new Busoga Kyabazinga, the rift among them has remained.
Five of the 11 chiefs opposed to the leadership of Mr Wambuzi last week refused to sign a document binding them as agreed in the meeting chaired by the President.
According to the chairman of the chiefs, Mr Daudi Kawunhe Muluya, the other six chiefs have already signed the paper but no communication has reached his office from the opposition group explaining why they have failed to turn up for last week’s meeting he invited them for.
A source from the opposing chiefs said they had a parallel meeting on the day their chairman called them to discuss how far the implementation of issues agreed upon at State House had gone.
The source, who preferred not to be named for fear of being reprimanded for speaking to the press against a resolution reached to this effect, revealed that refusal by their chairman to tell them the current status on the kyabazingaship after a declaration that there was no sitting Kyabazinga, prompted them to dodge the meeting.
Mr Caesar Lukalu (Bugabula), Mr Fred Kakaire Menya, (Bugweri ) Mr Christopher James Nkono, (Bukono) Mr Juma Munulo (Bunya) and Mr Patrick Izimba Gologolo (Kigulu) shunned the meeting. Mr Kawunhe declined to give details on whether there was a serving kyabazinga or not.
“I cannot tell you the kingdom stand on kingship because a series of meetings are going on to end the confusion,” he said. He however, defended the failure by some of the royal chiefs to attend the meeting saying he suspects no ill intentions among the chiefs to disrupt the unity.
I did not receive any communication from them but like any other meeting you don’t expect 100 per cent turn up,” he said. “May be these chiefs had abrupt problems.” He said other meetings are scheduled to take place after Christmas in an effort to bring unity in the kingdom
December 24th, 2008 at 7:05 am
Oh you bet, Busagwa!
Iam glad that the Basoga “opposition” chiefs saw the trickery in M7’s so-called ” reconciliation” meetings at State House. It is all nothing but a hoax!!! A leopard cannot easily change its spots. Those meetings with the Busoga chiefs were for no other purpose other than finding a backdoor route by M7 to talk into the Busoga chiefs to “legitimize” the late Kyabazinga’s son, a mere imposter to the throne, as the new Kyabazinga of Busoga.
Naye M7 omuteegeera otya?? He is typically a consumate liar and a most horrific trickster. Those Basoga who still have their kingdom at heart need not to butt their eyelids.Nedda! They just need to keep their eyes wide open, lest what remains of a semblance of a Kingdom in Busoga also gets ireedemably destroyed like M7’s defunct backyard Ankole Kingdom. Abasoga bwebava kubyange ngabagenda kuwanngaato!!!
A merry X-mas too, my dear brother Busagwa!
Waangaala nnyo ayi Ssabasajja Kabaka Mutebi!