The Observer Newspaper, where Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the man who made Museveni sweat on TV (see “Semujju Nganda Made Museveni Sweat On TV“) works, has translated the full text of the speech that Kabaka Mutebi made when opening the Lukiiko on August 24, 2009. As is customary, the Kabaka made his speech in Luganda, the national language of Buganda. The Observer’s loose translation is as follows:

BUGANDA’S WELCOME

We first of all want to thank God for the good He has done for us and console all those who have encountered problems in the past.

We greatly thank Buganda for showing us such great joy during the 16th coronation anniversary since the installation of the kingdom.

Buganda has spent more than 300 years welcoming people to prosper as a nation and by the mid 19th century, Buganda was the most powerful kingdom in central Africa.

To date, Buganda is still welcoming people. But we would not like the people Buganda has welcomed to create and build their own nations here in Buganda. Buganda’s boundaries are well outlined in Uganda’s constitution.

Therefore, it is very painful to the Baganda if other kingdoms are formed in Buganda. We beg that the welcome we extend to everyone should not be abused.

RETURN MORE EBYAFFE

In these 16 years, there are some things the government has returned to Buganda, and for that we are very grateful; and there are many others that haven’t yet been returned.

There is land at the counties and sub-counties headquarters in the whole of Buganda and buildings that haven’t been returned.

Right now there are Baganda nomads because they don’t have land yet the land that was returned to us by the colonialists in 1962 and later grabbed in 1967 is yet to be returned. The Baganda want the land that was forcefully grabbed returned to Buganda.

STOP THE LAND KILLINGS

There is another thing that is worrying us here in Buganda. Every other day people are killed over land wrangles, particularly between landlords and tenants.

There was a time here when mailo land owners lived in harmony with the tenants on that land.  We pray that that harmony and peaceful co-existence returns. Blood should not be shed because of land; if in the past there was peaceful co-existence, then it is also possible now.

Now there is no harmony between the land owners and the tenants; none of them can use the land, they are both in fear. A solution to this must be found so that peace returns to Buganda.

God bless you.

For a related Buganda Story go to “Kabaka Concerned, Museveni and Mirundi Promoting Landlord Murders“. To visit the Observer Newpaper online go to www.observer.ug.