On June 27, 2009, Katikkiro JB Walusimbi appeared visibly confused and angry when the London Baganda he was trying to address confidently heckled him. The place was East London University, thousands of miles away from his more familiar Kampala. The Katikkiro, together with his two predecessors, Mulwaanyamuli Ssemwogerere and Emmanuel Ssendaula were the guests of honors at a function organized by a Baganda group called Saagala Agalamidde – led by Enock Kiyaga and Nkata Masembe. The current and former Katikkiros were accompanied by Mmengo deputy minister for youth, Mathias Mpuuga who, until a few months ago, was a key player in the Nkoba za Mbogo movement. Only two weeks ago, however, the Uganda government Bukedde newspaper reported that Mr. Mpuuga publically appealed to President Museveni to start funding Nkoba za Mbogo.
Also present in the audience was ISO operative Aisha Kabanda who, according to our sources in Mr. Museveni’s state house, travelled on assignment to monitor and (if necessary) assist the Mmengo officials. Indeed, she is supposed to have filed the reports that the New Vision and Bukedde used to compose propaganda stories that left out the negative elements of the Katikkiro’s visit.
Despite frequent heckles from a few members of the audience, Katikkiro JB Walusimbi and his team made presentations on their development plans for Buganda. Owek. Walusimbi spoke glowingly about his Omumuli project, through which he intends to return Baganda homes to the “good times” when he was a young boy – with each homestead having a few chicken, 2 or 3 cows for milk, a bicycle and a “katandaalo”. He also lashed out at those who criticized him for accepting money gifts from president Museveni, claiming that the funds would develop Buganda but also boasting that he is a self-made man, not impressed by any money.
Owek. Ssendaula used a substantial amount of his allotted time to talk about his extensive international experience as a diplomat, in Australia and France and other assignments. Some members of the audience were visibly bored and uneasy that their former Katikkiro, the highest office in Buganda below Kabaka, apparently put exceptional importance on serving the anti-Buganda and corrupt regimes of Amin, Obote and Museveni.
When his turn came, former Katikkiro and architect of the aborted regional tier arrangement for Buganda, Owek. Mulwaanyamuli Ssemwogerere spoke about his successes as Katikkiro and his new responsibilities to run a Buganda unit trust investment fund in cooperation with what we have reliably learnt to be a Kenyan bank. Curiously, the Uganda arm of that Kenya bank is ran Basaamya who happen to be former UPC wingers. Mr. Mulwaanyamuli also declared his ambition to run the Katwe tower arcade “once its construction is completed” but it appeared that hardly anyone in the audience knew what he was proudly talking about. The three Katikkiro’s, all of whom have worked for or with president Museveni in different capacities, brushed off the efforts by some members of the audience to engage them on controversial subjects like Federo, land grabbing, selling Buruli county for Shs 350 million (US$155,000), Katikkiro worshiping Museveni and corruption in Mmengo.
The three Katikkiros and their hosts seem to have underestimated the anger and energy of those Baganda who are tired of Mmengo’s failure to modernize and become transparent during their respective administrations. The angry Baganda kept murmuring and heckling the Buganda officials, at one time forcing Enock Mayanja Kiyaga, the master of ceremonies, to interrupt one of the speakers and promise that all questions and complaints would be fully addressed during a Questions and Answers period at the end. The organizers and Kabaka’s representative in UK, Mr. Nsambu, were also not ready for the demonstrators, both inside and outside, who moved around with posters denouncing the current state of affairs at Mmengo and the dismal performance of the three Katikkiros. The organizers brought in police to chase those with posters away but they (the organizers) were disappointed when the police agreed with the protesters, who included a lawyer, that under the law no one could expelled.
When it came to the promised Questions and Answers time, it was most obvious that Enock Mayanja Kiyaga, the master of ceremonies, avoided picking on those thought to be unfriendly to the Mmengo team. This tactic did not work for long as complaints started to grow loud and Mayanja Kiyaga was forced to some people from the other side to say something. Soon enough the emotions were exploding and even the Kabaka’s representative was calling the protesters obscene names. The lightly attended meeting (compared to some previous Dan Muliika meetings) ended on an unpleasant note when the Katikkiro and his team were escorted out of the venue through a back door, without the customary final handshakes and mingling.
In a related story, we have reliably learnt that next day, on Sunday, the Mmengo team attended the Holloway Catholic Church, where the prayers were dedicated to the Baganda martyrs. According to our source who attended the meeting: “But the talk among the crowd was about what transpired the day before at East London University and no doubt this dictated the play ground of the Katikkiro’s activity on the day. When the Katikkiro was introduced people hardly clapped and his reception was so cold.”
When asked for comment, our New York based Buganda expert expressed concern that the three Katikkiros seem to be sincerely out of touch with the reality of today’s Buganda. He explained: “Messrs. Walusimbi, Ssemwogerere and Ssendaula mostly talk to old people, like themselves, whose livelihoods and health depends or has previously depended on Museveni. The problem is that very few Baganda alive today are over the age of 35 years and a huge majority of these youthful Baganda does not depend on Museveni. In fact they are suffering from Museveni and other foreigners. And none of these young Baganda understand or want to go own 3 cows and one “katanadaalo” in the village as in Owek. Walusimbi’s Omumuli plan. They are also too poor to buy trust units from the Basaamya former UPC youth wingers. Isn’t this what ‘being out of touch’ means? As Baganda say, ‘Akanaafa tekawulira ngombe’.”
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Well, I guess he deserved the heckling. The gentleman naively thinks that because we are not home, we do not know what is pratically happening in Buganda and Uganda.May be he is forgetting the fact that besides the internet from which we get enormous amounts of information on what is happening in every corner of the globe, we are in constant touch with our folks via telephone and the like almost on a daily basis. That is even why he dares mention those ridiculous things to us of wishing all the people of Buganda to have those primitive”butandaalos [driers/racks for kitchen utensils”, little chicken and pigs.And he thinks that the people of Buganda can have a meaningful life through his underhand dealings aka ‘Omumuli’ with M7 so each Muganda can get 300/= from what the central government owes the Kingdom! What an insult to Buganda Kingdom and the people of Buganda and the Baganda from Eng. Walusimbi!!
Tara
July 3rd, 2009 at 2:55 am
Tara,
You surely do not know what is practically happening in Buganda and Uganda. The internet from which you get your information captures very little of the day today reality in Uganda. As for your folks, they must belong to the few priviledged.
How can you say Butandaalo are primitive? Do you know how many people suffer from diseases as a result of improper washing and drying of utensils. You call chicken and pigs little things. That is according to you and your folks and maybe your fellow ‘diasporians.’ I come from Rakai and visit often. I assure you those are not little things. What Eng.Walusimbi is doing is climbing the tree from the bottom, not the branches. You would do well to support his endeavours because he knows what is happening on the ground.
Bwooba ddala oli wankima you should be able to see that, kuba kilabwa n’ayonka.
Akuume
Kigongo Ssentongo
July 3rd, 2009 at 2:39 pm
My dear brother Ssentongo,
I do not deny the fact that the majority of Ugandans are presently living a very miserable life in their own country. The gulf between the novea-riche (i.e. M7’s Mafutamingis) and the wretched poor in Uganda has tremendously widened. There is apparent evidence that the whole of Kampala and Entebbe is owned by M7’s relatives and henchmen. So my dear brother, I definitely know what is happening back home; the more reason we continue remitting money to our folks for school fees,upkeep, etecetra.
Now, regarding what your Eng. Katikiro Walusimbi is incredulously touting around in Europe as the penacea to Buganda’s development ala obutandaaro, chicken, pigs, etecetra, it just shows you that the elderly gentleman is really pretty much off the mark. He really ought to think big for Buganda! He must begin to demand the billion of shillings central government aka Uganda government owes the Kingdom in rental arrears but not the Ugx 200 million or so that is illegally skimmed off NAADS. He is even causing great embarrassment to our great Kingdom by stooping so low for so little. Boy, he ought to style up!!!
Awangaale Baffe Ssabasajja Kabaka!
July 4th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Tara,
Excellent points. Kigongo and JB Walusimbi pretend not to understand nti Omunyarwanda is the one who has sucked the wealth out of Baganda and passed it onto the basheshe, using things like “taking 3 zeros” off the currency and the 1,000/= per year rent for Buganda land.
An intelliegent and pro-Buganda Katikkiro would be focusing on reversing the drain of land and wealth from Baganda to foreigners, above anything else since even the “butandaalo” require land and money to build.
Again, as I said JBW and Kigongo are in denial (pretending) because it is in their personal interest ffena okubeera mu tulo.
Akuume,
Daudi K.
July 6th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Oh, yeah!! The old gentleman is really a big shame to all of us. He should have deserved a couple of more dozen foul-smelling eggs dripping down on his face and shoulders. You never hear him defend the Kakaba in the same way Owek. Dan Muliika, Owek. Semwogerere and Owek. Sendawula used to. He is pretty much content with keeping silent and in many of the cases being an accomplice to provocations being meted out against his own King and the Kingdom by his friends ala M7, Tinyefuza who he fondly refers to as “Tinye”, Mirundi, Karekyezi Kayihura, and the whole bunch of ‘em. Oh, how despicable this man and his ilk are!!!!
Long live the Kabaka!
Tara
July 7th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Tara,
Thanks for your input. I attended the meeting and saw how these guys never wanted to give a chance of a dialogue about the status quo in BUGANDA.
What Katikkiros and their hosts wanted is force M7’s hidden agendas down the throats of BAGANDA but I am sure
what they got in response taught them a lesson that BAGANDA are determined this time around to resist the Tutsi occupation of BUGANDA.
To many people Katikkiro was arrogant , boastful and a Katikkiro with a twisted mindset.
In our culture in BUGANDA any leader has to be a good listner and accomodative visa – avis the aspirations and the views of BAGANDA , however naive they may be in the eyes of the inccubent Katikkiro.
BUGANDA has suffered alot during the NRM than any other Goverment interms of poverty, burning of schools in BUGANDA and the looming take over of Kampala by the Tutsi Junta to make it a Capital of the Tutsi empire.
Katikkiro Walusimbi never talked about these issues .
Yet BAGANDA recently were shocked to see him putting frowers on the graves of TUTSIS who died in Rwanda.
How about 300000 BAGANDA who died under the M7 genocide in Luwero or Budo school fires ?
People wondered which side of the fence is Walusimbi ?
He cannot serve the BANYARWANDA occupation of BUGANDA and
BUGANDA interests at the same time.
Many BAGANDA have started to feel the heat of being occupied by Rwandese.
Thus they hate anything that looks , talks and moves like
Museveni.
At the end of the day BUGANDA is here to stay.
Awaangale Ssabasajja Kabaka.
Check this out :-
http://www.enteruganda.com/brochures/rwanda0709a.html
July 8th, 2009 at 8:09 am
Oh you bet, Balyokwabwe! The old gentleman has completely abandoned what he is supposed to be doing and is now doing what he ain’t. We hear and see ‘em laying wreaths on the vaults of slain Rwandese found in Masaka district, but we never hear ‘em condemning M7 and his cohorts for the slow but sure genocide of poverty and deprivation being meted out by against the Baganda. Where was he when the Kabaka was being humiliated by those buffoons in Nakasongola? How come he just decided to remain silent in the midst of that ugly provocation against our Namunswa by the dark forces of tyranny and grand corruption? As if that was not bad enough, his friend M7 comes out much later on and confesses infront of bewildered pressmen that he (7) was indeed the one behind that clownish and cowardly act of preventing the Kabaka from reaching out to his subjects in Buruli. And guess what? Walusimbi still kept silent!!!! The Mengo officials were then later to be kidnapped by M7’s thugs and this fella (i.e. JB Walusimbi) this time decided to be overtly an accomplice by siding with the kidnappers against his own officials. Then, Baganda land, including Kampala and the 350 square miles of land for the Kabaka , is being grabbed on an unprecedented grand scale but you can hardly hear anything coming off his lips against the invaders’ action!!!!! What you then hear is that he is busy bragging about his so-called omumuli in which he brazenly proposes that each Muganda be given Ush 300/= and have a Katandalo built in their yards so they can “develop”. What hogwash indeed!!!! And why on earth should any sensible Muganda be giving any respect to this gentleman???. And you are also right Balyokwabwe with regard to this gentleman’s increasing arrogance. When you read and hear ‘em talk, he is full of hopeless braggadocio this and bravado that!! He is also incredibly presumptuous. Why should he then think that we are out here doing “nothing” but just to sit in our “small rooms” as he calls them and churn out what he refers to as “nonsense” against his so-called omumuli??? I tell you what? This man just makes me sick!! He ain’t worthy the bill!!
July 9th, 2009 at 6:46 am
I guess Katikkiro Walusimbi will have to quit as BAGANDA
no longer have faith in him.
Baganda say ‘omukulu takulira mpya biri ‘ He cannot serve two masters. Kabaka and M7 !
In fact if M7 ever power BAGANDA are going to demand justice for the abuse , bigotry , Occupation, and the merciless rape of BUGANDA fueled and abatted by people like Walusimbi, Bukenya, Nsibambi, Ruth Nankabirwa etc…
http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4195&Itemid=59
July 9th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Tara,
There is this saying that “birds of a feather flock together”. Are you forgetting the fact that Baganda ministers in M7 government such as Nsibambi and Bukenya talk like M7 with their eyes wide open and sometimes also are wont to wear the balalo hats like their master? Why should Eng. Walusimbi be any different any way? He admires M7 in the same way Nsibambi and Bukenya do. They all have an inferiority complex. Anyhow, I do agree with all those who suggest that Owek. Walusimbi does no longer fit to be Buganda’s Katikiro. We can’t have a Katikiro like Walusimbi who behaves like M7’s RDC or press secretary. As a matter of fact, the earlier Mr. Walusimbi voluntarily resigned his office of Buganda – Katikiro, the better for him and all the Baganda in general. He no longer represents the interests of the majority Baganda, of the Buganda Kingdom and those of the Ssabasajja. He can then comfortably serve in M7’s government as an RDC or whatever and continue providing his engineering services to the Kampala military junta without any apparent incumberances as the case appears to be in his current situation and status.
Wangaala nnyo Ayi Ssabasajja Kabaka Maggulunnyondo Lukomwanantawetwa Musota Cucu Mwenyango Empologoma Ya Buganda!