According to reports from Chicago, USA, Deputy Katikkiro, Owek. Emmanuel Sendaula is expected to attend the UNAA conference in that city on the America Labor Day weekend. Owek. Sendaula will lead a Mmengo team, which will include Minister for Tourism, Nakiwala-Kiyingi. It is still unclear what role the Deputy Katikkiro will play at UNAA, which is expected to be attended by at least 50 Uganda governmental officials. However, there are reports that Minister Nakiwala-Kiyingi will announce one well known NRM as Buganda’s tourism representative in USA and Canada. We have already received an email claiming that certain Baganda who want to see more transparency and support for Kabaka from Mmengo plan to demand “okunyonyolwa lwaaki Ssabasajja n’abataka tebawagirwa kimala” from the Deputy Katikkiro. The same Baganda also plan to demand that Minister Nakiwala-Kiyingi explain what qualifications her choice of Buganda tourism representative in North America has for such a sensitive job. And why she selected him in a non-transparent and suspicious way, typical of NRM.
The decision by Katikkiro Walusimbi to send a Mmengo delegation to UNAA could be seem as clear evidence that his commitment is with the NRM dominated Uganda politics than Buganda’s fight for her rights which Kabaka Mutebi is talking about. That is because last year, Katikkiro Walusimbi boycotted the Baganda international conference, Ttabamiruka ‘08. According to www.ttabamiruka.com, the planning for Ttabamiruka ‘10 should be already going on. Ttabamiruka focus on Buganda issues only and does not allow any Uganda style politics.
The UNAA conference this year is expected to be most affected by Uganda politics in history. There is concern by the organizers that Uganda style politics will take over during the elections of the new UNAA leadership because Mr. Museveni is determined to control UNAA. The current president, Frank Musisi is competing against Edward Wilson and Flex Kabuye, younger brother Colonel Kayanja of the infamous Operation Wembley. Musisi beat Wilson two years ago. Supporters of Mr. Musisi, who is independent of Uganda politics, are upset about the close relationship his two opponents have with the NRM government. In places like Boston, Edward Wilson and Flex Kabuye are routinely referred to as the NRM candidates . Musisi’s supporters are genuinely afraid that one of the NRM candidates will declare support for the other one (whoever appears to be strongest) in order to beat Musisi through a Uganda style kavuyo.
In the meantime, the UNAA organizers chose to give the conference a truly Ugandan flavor by inviting Illinois Senator Roland Burriss as the keynote speaker. Senator Roland is a colorful man who was appointed to the senate by former Governor Rod Blagojevich in the middle of impeachment proceedings involving the selling of President Obama’s former seat. During the impeachment trial, tapes were audio tapes were publicly played where now Senator Burriss discussed raising funds for the Governor and at the same time expressed interest in being appointed to replace Obama to the Senate seat.
