Friday, March 19, 2010

PRESESS RELEASE

Dear Fellow Ugandans:

RE: KASUBI ROYAL TOMBS RESTORATION FUND

An emergency meeting for Baganda residing in Southern California was held on Thursday 18, Mar 2010 at 9411 Burnet Avenue, North Hills CA 91343 at 7:00PM.

The meeting was called by Lt. Frank Musisi to discuss the issue of the destroyed Kasubi Royal Tombs and the Way Forward.

THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS WERE MADE AND ADOPTED IMMEDIATELY:

1.      To send a sympathy message to the Royal family of Buganda and to the entire Buganda kingdom for the loss of the royal regalia which was gutted in the inferno of last Tuesday’s that destroyed the Kasubi Royal Tombs.

2.      Pledged to restore the Kasubi Royal Tombs in collaboration with Mengo establishment, Buganda Kingdom, and the Baganda in Diaspora by mobilizing and contributing the necessary financial resources for this job.

3.      Established a special fund, ” Kasubi Royal Tombs Restoration Fund (KRTRF)”.

4.      A sum of $1 million is to be raised in between 8-12 months if at least 1000 Baganda and friends of Buganda in the United States each contribute $1000.

5.      An Interim Organizing Committee was put in place consisting of the following members to spearhead the project, KRTRF:

a.       Chairman:                                                          Lt. Frank Musisi

b.      Vice Chairman:                                                Mr. Damiano Kigoye.

c.       Secretary:                                                        Mr. Fredrick Mwanje.

d.      Treasurer:                                                         Ms. Prossy Musoke.

e.       Publicity Secretary and mobilization:            Mr. Dennis Nnyondo

f.       Assistant publicity Secretary/ Mobilization:  Mr. Arthur Ssembusi.

Interim Committee Advisors:

a.       Mr. Dennis Kavuma, Buganda Tourism ZSAR in the U.SA.

b.      William Ssenkumba, Buganda Tourism Commissioner

c.       Mr. Moses Male, Buganda Tourism Commissioner

d.      Mr. Siraje Mugambe- President of the Ugandan Community Organization in California (UCOC).

6.      Members present pledged a sum of $11,480 immediately to the KTRF

7.      Members resolved to send the Chairman, Lt. Frank Musisi immediately to Mengo to meet with Buganda Officials and update then on formation of the” Kasubi Tombs Restoration Fund (KTRF)” and way forward.

8.      Members resolved to advise the Buganda Leadership not to seek assistance from Uganda Politicians but rather concentrate on the generosity and spirit of the loyal Baganda and friends of Buganda around the globe.

For more information on how you can contribute towards the KTRF please contact:

Chairman, Lt. Frank Musisi (818)-994-1485,

Vice Chairman, Mr. Damiano Kigoye ( 310-227-9253),

Advisor, Buganda Tourism Zsar, Mr. Dennis Paul Kavuma at 818-620-9448,

and others on the Committee.

Awangaale Ssabassajja Maggulunnyondo, Wa Buganda.

Yours Sincerely,

Dennis Nnyondo (818-201-7048)
Publicity Secretary & Mobilizer
Kasubi Tombs Restoration Fund
Los Angeles, California (USA)

Below is the the Luganda statement that the Katikkiro of Buganda, Eng. JB Walusimbi, issued on the burning of Buganda’s sacred Kasubi Tombs. The main highlights of the statement are as follows;

• Katikkiro sends condolences to Ssaabasajja Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, ba Nnaalinnya, Abalangira n’Abambejja, and the whole of Buganda.
• The Ekibira section, the the remains of the former kings (Ssekabaka) are located suffered serious but limited damage.
• The Buganda kingdom will officially mourn for the loss of Kasubi for one week, starting on March 22, 2010.
• A committee of Buganda officials has already been formed to start investigating what materials and budget would be required to rebuild 130 year old highly unique structure.
• A special session of the Buganda Great Lukiiko has been called to discuss the grave situation on March 22, 2010.

The full text in Luganda is shown below;

March, 17, 2009

EKIWANDIIKO KYA KATIKKIRO KU KW’OKEBWA KWA MASIRO GE KASUBI

Owek. Katikkiro wa Buganda ne nnaku nyingi ategeza Obuganda n’abantu bonna aba Uganda nti enyumba enkulu Muzibuazaalampanga, omwagalamizibwa ba Ssekabaka ba Buganda bana, mu Masiro e Kasubi, abantu abettima abatannamanyibwa baagiteekedde omuliro n’ebengeya mu kiro eky’akeesezza olunaku Lwokusatu nga 16, March 2010.

Katikkiro asaasidde nnyo nnyo Ssaabasajja Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, ba Nnaalinnya, Abalangira n’abambejja n’Obuganda bwonna. Gutusinze mukama waffe.

Ekibira ba Ssekabaka gyebaagalamizibwa abaddukirize baakoze buli ekisoboka okutaakiriza yo ne watayonooneka nnyo. Olubiri luno olwakubibwa Ssekabaka Muteesa 1 emyaka egisoba mu 130 gwe mutima gwa Buganda.

Obuganda buli mu biwoobe era tutandiise okukungubaga. Okukungubaga okutongole kujja kutandika ku Lwokusooka nga 22 March era kujja kumalira ddala sabbiiti nnamba okutuuka nga 26 March 2010. Emikolo girikomekkerezebwa mu Masiro e Kasubi.

Akakiiko ka baminisita kateekeddwawo okukola enteekateeka y’okukungubaga eye sabbiiti ennamba, era kajja kutegeeza Obuganda enteekateeka nga bwe zinatambula.

Olukiiko lwa Buganda Olukulu luyitiddwa bukubirire ku Lwokusooka nga 22 March, 2010 ku ssaawa 4.00 ez’enkya tusobole okuteesa ku nsonga eno enkulu.

Watekeddwawo akakiiko kabakugu akagenda okwekenneenya ebyetaagisa (materials) n’ensimbi ezeetaagisa okuzzaawo Amasiro.

Obuganda butegeezebwa nti Obwakabaka busazeewo okuzzaawo Amasiro ga ba Ssekabaka gano, ng’akabonero k’omwoyo gwa Buganda ogutafa, ogutatya era ogutaggwawo.

Ssaabasajja Kabaka Awangaale!

Eng. J.B. Walusimbi

KATIKKIRO

Most Baganda in North America have reached one conclusion about the fire that gutted Buganda’s national shrine, Amasiro ge Kasubi, the royal cemetery where 4 late kings (Bassekabaka) and many other royals are buried. They put the blame squarely on president Yoweri Museveni and his NRM government. And their suspicions were strenghtned by reports that on Wednesday, scores of Baganda were shot by NRM military police because they gave a hostile audience to Museveni. Museveni went inspect the ashes in the place where the royal tombs once stood. Based on the emails we have received from all over the world, it appears that a huge majority of Baganda view Museveni’s visit as a case of the criminal returning to the scene of the crime.

According to the March 17, 2010 Ekiba Kibe broadcasts, Baganda held big Ggwangamujje mourning gatherings in Boston, New Jersey and Los Angeles on Tuesday and Wednesday. Mourning is expected to go on for sometime but no end dates have been announced.  On the same program, the Chairman of Ggwangamujje Boston describes the various ways Museveni has impoverished, robbed and even killed Baganda. As examples, Mr. Mayanja mentions the young virgins of Budo Primary School who were sacrificed in a ritual dormitory fire, other school fires, the destruction of Buganda agriculture, the closure of CBS, the theft of Buganda’s native lands and the murder of ordinary Baganda. Mr. Mayanja announced more mourning meetings, indicating that in America Baganda might mourn for the Kasubi tombs for longer than the one week which Mmengo wants for Buganda.

Click on Ekiba_Kibe17Mar10C and on Ekiba_Kibe17Mar10D to listen to the Ekiba Kibe programs of March 17, 2010.

Based on the emails we are receiving from Baganda all over the world, Kabaka Mutebi’s subjects are clearly boling with anger. Most of the emails are too graphic and provocative for us to publish. Below is one example from Mr. A. Kyobe:

STALKING THE LION
A. Kyobe

Burning down Buganda’s royal tombs is the kind of provocation that this government under the generalship of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is hunting for (yes, Uganda is under military rule—case in point, see Museveni’s martial strut after the Bududa landslides dressed in army uniform with a Kalashnikov across his chest).

This military president and his bush war comrades know they are getting close to the sensitive nerve that their armed-to-the-teethtribalistic government is hunting for in Buganda.

In fact, all their criminal acts against the people of Buganda are carefully thought-out stratagems to deprive the kingdom of its cherished culture and freedoms:

What with rigged elections, corruption, a malicious constitution that denied us our right to a federal system of government, murdering our Kikubo business corps and blaming it on armed robbers, burning our schools, grabbing our lands and creating false chiefdoms within our kingdom, and making business and economic progress nigh near impossible for the people of Buganda.

Destroying Buganda’s sources of revenue and now this arson….. The result shall be insurrection!

Such is the nerve that Museveni is probing for, prodding us into rebellion; his UPDF/NRM government is provoking us to go into the swamps as we protest these injustices so that they can unleash their lethal police force under Gen.Kayihura, and their illegal militias under the command of the likes of that madman Maj. Kakooza Mutale, and their kiboko-AK47-squads of the Banyankole-Batutsi element of UTODA, and of course the deadly beast of death that General Kaguta’s UPDF is (ask the people of Luwero, Acholiland, Teso, and Karamoja) .

Yes, these Musevenite armies are planning to grind Buganda and its king into smithereens.

And as Museveni’s blood brother, John Nagenda said, “there will not be a Buganda to make noise about but a Ruritanian jeremiad of an opera to amuse the republic.”
Long live the Kabaka.

The four insurgent generals are stalking your every movement with deatth.

You will hear, physically hear, more from us.

These will be good times to die.

Today’s broadcast of Ekiba Kibe program announced that Baganda in Boston, USA, were to have a wake (lumbe) over the burning of the Kasubi tombs (see “Kasubi Tombs Burnt To The Ground, Day Of Mourning”).  The wake was planned for Tuesday night. Also during the program, the presenter Robert Kabuye interviewed a few Boston Baganda. The consensus by the people which Kabuye interviewed was that Museveni is the one who ordered the burning of the tombs.

Click on Ekiba_Kibe16Mar10A to listen to the March 16, 2010 broadcast of Ekiba Kibe on Free Buganda Radio.

March 16, 2010 will be a day to remember for all future generations of Buganda; it will be a day of mourning. The much revered Kasubi tombs were burnt to the ground by unknown arsonists around 8:30 PM. According to eyewitness reports, the grand structure which housed the remains of four Buganda kings (Bassekabaka) and other members of the royal family, was set alight by people who intended to finish it. Interestingly, the two NRM government fire trucks which responded to the fire, turned out not to have any water , making them useless. This, combined with the fact that Uganda government security men tried to disperse the crowd of Baganda who tried to bring water in buckets, has left many of Kabaka’s subjects bitter.

Four Kabakas (Bassekabaka) are buried at Kasubi tombs, namely:

1.  Muteesa I (1835-1884)

2.  Basamula Mwanga II (1867-1903)

3.  Daudi Chwa II (1896-1939)

4.  Fredrick Walugembe Muteesa II (1924-1969)

Although there is no word yet on who set the sacred Baganda royal cemetery to fire a vast majority of Baganda lay the blame squarely on Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni.  Many point out that Mr. Museveni has laid siege on Buganda since 2009, putting travelling restrictions on Kabaka Mutebi,  shooting dead  over 30 Baganda who protested when the Kabaka was stopped from visiting Kayunga (Bugerere), closing Radio Buganda and persecuting many of the Kabaka’s officials.

The Ekiba Kibe program on the SMS based Free Buganda Radio is now announcing Kabaka’s birthday at least two times a day. The presenter Mr. Robert Kabuye e Boston makes sure to remind his listeners to get ready to celebrate the birthday of the Lion of Buganda, Ssabasajja Kabaka, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II.  Buganda Post has received reports from Baganda in places like United Arab Emirates, Durban South Africa, and different parts of the USA and Europe saying that they get Ekiba Kibe and it keeps Kabaka’s birthday in their minds.

Ssabasajja Kabaka wa Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Walugembe Mutebi II  was born at Mmengo  Lubiri on April 13, 1955. The Lion of Buganda (Emplogoma ya Buganda) is the  son of  Ssekabaka (past Kabaka)  Edward Frederick William David Walugembe Mutebi Luwangula Muteesa II, who reigned between 1939 and 1969. His mother was Omuzaana Sarah Nalule, Kabejja, of the Nkima (monkey) clan. He was educated at Budo Junior School, King’s Mead School in Sussex and Bradford College. He then entered Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he read Law.

Click on the following links Ekiba_Kibe14Mar10A,  Ekiba_Kibe14Mar10B,  Ekiba_Kibe14Mar10C or Ekiba_Kibe15Mar10A and to listen to four different Ekiba Kibe broadcasts from March 14 and March 15, 2010.