Apollo N. Makubuya

Dear Honourable Members,

I write further to Owek. Katikkiro’s letter to you on the Land (Amendment) Bill 2007 that is presently on the floor of Parliament.

The kingdom recognises the fact that there are many people suffering violent evictions from their homes and that ancestral grounds are being desecrated in gross violation of our cultural norms. However, we do not consider that the Bill addresses the twin evils of corruption and impunity, which are the root cause of the rampant evictions across the country.  Rather than solving the problem, this Bill sows the seeds of many more problems in the future.  It is bound to set communities against each other and further divide our people along social and economic lines.  Instead of helping people to live together in harmony, the Bill will exaggerate latent fault lines in our society and foster hatred and violence that may take generations to resolve. You must be aware already of the unfortunate cases where some occupants have killed innocent landlords to protect their interests.

In our view, the solution to illegal evictions lies in the enforcement of the current laws and not in passing of new ones. There is nothing today that stops the Police or other security organ from arresting, detaining and prosecuting individuals that illegally evict occupants of land. The Constitution of Uganda Art. 237 (8) and the 1998 Land Act guarantee security of tenure of lawful and bona fide occupants. This position has been reconfirmed by the Supreme Court of Uganda in the cases of Kampala District Land Board vs National Housing and Construction Corporation CA no. 2 of 2004 and Kampala District Land Board vs Babweyaka and 3 others CA No. 2 2007. In view of this, it is clear that the Bill is superfluous.

The Bill compounds the problem of Buganda’s expropriated land including the 9,000Sq miles that remain in the hands of the state. By entrenching the rights of all sorts of occupants of that land and making it impossible to remove them, except for non payment of ground rent, the Bill in effect completely alienates the said land and renders any “negotiations” for its eventual return futile. This, plus the fact that bibanja holdings are found mainly in Buganda makes the Bill particularly problematic for Buganda. Yet there are no limits on the size of bibanja.

We also consider that the failure to fully operationalise the 1998 Land Act must be addressed. The Bill will not have any real effect if the Land Act itself is largely dysfunctional. Substituting the role of the district land boards for example, with the minister in charge of lands can not be a solution to the problem.

Thus, like many other groups and individuals in the country, the Kingdom of Buganda opposes the Bill and presented its views to the Physical Infrastructure and the Legal Committees on April 10, 2009. We highlighted the dangers that lurk within the Bill and proposed an ideal, “win-win”, solution to the problem of violent evictions founded on the uniform and strict enforcement of existing laws. Sadly, it would appear that the Committee did not give adequate consideration to this presentation.

Land affects all of us.  We relate to it culturally, socially and economically.  Land nurtures us, sustains us and ultimately entombs us when we pass on. This makes land rights a very sensitive issue that should not be unnecessarily politicised or decided upon in haste.  I urge you to consult widely with your constituents and to search your conscience before making a decision. Please take note that your decision shall affect the cultural, social and economic wellbeing of millions of people in this generation and in generations to come.  I trust that you understand the value and wisdom of broad consensus in matters such as this one – for it is consensus that bestows any law with legitimacy.  This is truly a matter which calls for patriotism over partisanship or politics. Above all, take note that in casting your parliamentary vote, you stand before the Court of Posterity.

Honourable Member, the people of Buganda and Uganda count on your wisdom and integrity and trust that, together with your Honourable colleagues, you will handle this Bill objectively in order to engender peace, order, development and good governance in Uganda as prescribed by Article 79(1) of the Constitution.
I thank you for your kind attention.

Mr Makubuya is the Attorney General of Buganda Kingdom

Below is a statement from Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise executive director, Dr. Alan Bernstein.  The Enterprise (http://www.hivvaccineenterprise.org) is a global alliance of researchers, funders, policy makers and advocates that includes the African AIDS Vaccine Program, the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC), the AIDS Vaccine Asian Network, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative, the Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology, the Chinese AIDS Vaccine Initiative, the Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery (CAVD), the Department for International Development, the European Commission, Europrise, Eurovacc, GlaxoSmithKline, the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN), the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), Merck & Co. Inc., the National Agency for AIDS Research (ANRS), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Novartis Vaccines, sanofi pasteur, the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI), the U.S. Military HIV Research Program (MHRP), UNAIDS, USAID, Vaccine Research Center (VRC), Wellcome Trust and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Dr. Bernstein is available to speak with journalists to help put the Thai trial results into perspective and to comment on their significance for the future of HIV vaccine research.  To interview Dr. Bernstein, please contact Mark Aurigemma at (212) 600-1960, (646) 270-9451 or mark@aucomm.net; or Jennifer Brunet at (212) 46i-3693 or jbrunet@vaccineenterprise.org.

“This is a historic day in the 26-year quest to develop an AIDS vaccine.  The results of the Thai Phase III HIV vaccine clinical trial of the “prime-boost” combination of ALVAC-HIV vaccine and AIDSVAC B/E vaccine demonstrate that a safe and effective AIDS vaccine is an achievable goal. This trial is the first demonstration in humans that, with more research, it will be possible to develop a vaccine that is fully protective against HIV.

These results represent the most significant advance in HIV vaccine research to date, and a ray of hope for the more than 2.7 million women, men and children who become newly infected with HIV every year across the globe.  Current prevention efforts can lower HIV risk, but a safe and effective vaccine will be essential to ending this epidemic.

We owe an enormous debt of thanks to the people of Thailand, and especially to the more than 16,000 women and men who selflessly participated in this clinical trial. This significant scientific milestone – the first vaccine study to reduce HIV infections in humans – would not have been reached without their engagement and the efforts of the trial sponsors – Enterprise stakeholders including the U.S. Military HIV Research Program (MHRP), the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and sanofi pasteur – as well as the Thailand Ministry of Public Health and Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases (GSID).

The reduction in HIV infection risk measured in this study, 31.2 percent, was modest, but raises important implications for future research directions. HIV vaccine researchers, funders and advocates must now continue to work together, as quickly and effectively as possible, to understand why this vaccine regimen worked as it did, how its efficacy can be improved, whether and how it may work in other parts of the world, and how to develop new vaccine candidates that expand on the level of protection achieved here.

This study also demonstrates the importance of global cooperation and collaboration – the central values of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise – in accelerating the search for a safe and effective HIV vaccine.  Researchers, advocates, funders and policy makers are working together through the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise process to develop and test new vaccine candidates. Full data from the Thai trial will be presented at the Enterprise’s annual scientific conference, AIDS Vaccine 2009, in Paris on October 19-22. http://www.hivvaccineenterprise.org/conference/2009/

Finally, these results are an immediate call to action to governments, funders, policy makers, researchers and advocates to dramatically step up our efforts to develop and make globally available a safe and effective HIV vaccine. Stakeholders of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise will continue to lead this fight, but developing a safe and effective AIDS vaccine will require the full and collective efforts of every individual and organization worldwide committed to ending this devastating epidemic.

Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise partners will be working aggressively in the months ahead to address the many scientific questions raised by this study, and to develop and test other vaccine candidates.  The findings of this trial will also help inform strategies outlined in the updated Enterprise Scientific Strategic Plan, the global strategy for HIV vaccine research currently being developed by over 150 scientists from around the world, to be released in spring 2010.

We look forward to hosting the ongoing discussion of results of this trial and the discussion of next steps in the journey to find an AIDS vaccine at the AIDS Vaccine 2009 conference in Paris, October 19-22.

Elizabeth Musaazi is a daughter of pioneer Muganda politician Ignatius Kangave Musaazi.  Nakku Senkeeto says that she is a granddaughter of Jolly Joe Kiwanuka and a great granddaughter of former treasurer (Muwanika) of Buganda Serwano Kulubya. And Edirisa Kironde claims to be first nephew to former Uganda President Yusuf Kironde Lule. The three are leading the effort to recruit American Baganda into NRM, at Uganda taxpayer expense, to extend Mr. Museveni’s direct political power to America. Sources close to the Uganda state house have told us that Mr. Museveni’s government is still interested in UNAA and Ggwangamujje but they think that their best investment is NRM USA where they can directly control the leaders and the political message.  Some of the NRM USA leaders, including Twaha Bukenya, Edward Wanda and Edirisa Kironde were on the list of alleged Uganda Government spies which was widely circulated on Internet discussion groups in 2007.

In 2008 NRM USA held major event in Washington DC with direct financial and logistical support from Uganda ambassador to USA, Perez Kamunanirwe. This year their event will be at the Marriott Copley Place Hotel in Boston on September 26, 2009 and president Museveni is expected to attend.  A prominent Muganda lawyer in North East USA has told us that it is probably illegal in the US for NRM, a foreign ruling political party, to promote its government policies on US soil. He pointed out that, according to the www.NRMOBoston.com website, their objective is to “shed light on the economic, political and other matters of interest to many Ugandans both in Uganda and in the Diaspora” and expected attendees include “Uganda Government Officials and Policy makers.” The legal expert concluded: “In my humble opinion, what NRM is doing in the USA could well be in contravention of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).  And if Baganda victims of NRM policies take this on seriously with the Obama administration, Musaazi’s daughter and her friends could be in serious trouble. They are blindly trying to adopt NRM arrogance here in the USA and that cannot work for long. And, curiously, not single member of the prominent Banyankore or Balaalo family benefiting so much from the NRM rule is involved in this highly risky effort.”

Sources in Mr. Museveni’s state House tell us that from the time of Dan Muliika’s term as Katikkiro President Museveni authorized serious investment in USA organizations controlled by Baganda. He was concerned that if the nationalism which Muliika planted  here in Buganda spread to American and European Baganda, his plans for Buganda could fall apart. Baganda who still believe in Mr. Museveni’s style of democracy for Uganda were in control at the Uganda North American (UNAA) and the plan was to ensure that the organization leadership is dominated by NRMs. The bigger challenge was the Ggwangamujje Baganda who, by definition, focus on Buganda interests.

UNAA Baganda are divided between those who support Mr. Museveni’s regime, those who promote opposition parties (DP, FDC, JEEMA, etc.) and those who do not care about the parties but, like the others, have full faith that the current Ugandan democracy is good enough to work with. Uganda state house believes that at least 85% of UNAA members are Baganda, explaining why Mr. Museveni supports and funds UNAA. The president prefers that his candidates win the UNAA elections but even if they lose, he feels confident that he can manipulate and influence the majority of UNAA members.

Ggwangamujje Baganda reject the current political order in Uganda and insist on Federo or even independence if other Ugandans continue to violate Buganda rights and interests. Their major branches are in Boston, New York/New Jersey and London.  According to NRM sources, Mr. Museveni does not expect to control Ggwangamujje activities but aims are using plants to simply destroy them from within.  Ggwangamujje Boston is by far the largest branch. But some observers also believe that it is the one which Mr. Museveni’s agents have already infiltrated, as shown by the NRM-style atmosphere at its elections two months ago – the elections had to be cancelled. Ggwangamujje NY/NJ is smaller but believed to be the most serious after successfully organizing Ttabamiruka ’07 and Ttabamiruka ’08. As Beti Kamya has said on FM radios several times, she started her current campaign for a new federal style political system for Uganda after “getting enlightened at Ttabamiruka ‘08″. However, the fact that there is no word about Ttabamiruka ’09 up to now has left many Ggwangamujje Baganda all over the world concerned about the health of Ggwangamujje NY/NJ.