Kabaka’s representatives in North America have distributed  the following press release from Katikkiro JB Walusimbi.

PRESS RELEASE

In 2008 the Kingdom of Buganda decided to hold the annual Youth Day celebrations for 2009 in Bugerere County following the successful celebrations held in Kyaggwe County. The objective of the celebrations, which are presided over by Ssaabasajja Kabaka, is to rally the youth to engage in social and economically developmental activities as well as to promote our culture values.

The Kingdom regrets that this year’s celebrations have been unduly politicized.

The Kabaka’s visit to Bugerere is lawful and constitutional and the reasons being given for blocking the Kabaka and the Katikkiro from accessing Bugerere are completely unfounded.

The Kingdom recognizes the cultural and ethnic diversity of its peoples. This is clearly demonstrated in the composition of its Cabinet and Lukiiko. The Banyala are part of Buganda and our history and culture recognizes the Namuyonjo as their cultural leader. The Namuyonjo and the overwhelming majority of the Banyala enjoy their culture and voluntarily pledge their allegiance to Ssaabasajja Kabaka of Buganda

The county of Bugerere comprises several ethnic communities including the Bakenye, Basoga, Bagishu, Baluuli, Baganda, Japadhola, Iteso, Sudanese, Kuku. All ethnicities have been living harmoniously until the recent creation of the institution of the “Sabanyala”.

The Kingdom of Buganda deeply regrets the loss of life and destruction of property that followed the refusal of the Katikkiro to access Bugerere. In addition, the Kingdom regrets and abhors the closure of its radio station CBS FM, something that has heightened to the unnecessary chaos and tension.

The Kingdom of Buganda remains committed to fostering peace, justice and the harmonious co-existence of all of the peoples of Uganda. We remain very resolute in our peaceful and democratic quest for the realization of our legitimate aspirations for a federal system of governance for the whole of Uganda and the unconditional return of our expropriated properties.

The Kingdom reassures the public that Buganda remains a peace loving Kingdom that thrives on ethnic diversity and mutual respect and urges all people to remain law abiding. The Kingdom is and has always been willing to engage in principled, transparent and constructive dialogue with the Government and all other communities of Uganda to ensure our peaceful co-existence for the future. Such dialogue ought to be structured, time-bound, free of intimidation and based on mutual respect.

We are still engaged with Government to ensure that Ssaabasajja Kabaka attends the celebrations in Bugerere in a peaceful and secure environment.

AWANGAALE SSAABASAJJA.

ENG. J. B WALUSIMBI,

KATIKKIRO.

10^th September 2009.

President Museveni ordered the closure of Kabaka’s CBS FM Radio after learning that the organizers of Ssabasajja’s tour of Bugerere had used it so effectively mobilize Baganda.  By Tuesday CBS the information put out on CBS by “commander” Betty Nambooze, the chief organizers of Kabaka’s tour of Bugerere has become so effective that some Mmengo officials were estimating that a few hundred thousand people would accompany Ssabasajja. When Wednesday came, the commitments exploded, especially after rumors spread that Kabaka Mutebi told Museveni off in a phone conversation.

In a clear sign that Museveni was losing control the Banyarwanda community, who are deeply entrenched in Museveni’s intelligence agencies, announced that they support Kabaka’s visit and donated twenty lorries. Similarly, Nubians, Iteso, Basoga and other communities started calling on all their members to accompany Kabaka Mutebi to Bugerere. Even FDC’s Besigye went to CBS FM to challenge Baganda who keep saying “woligwa wendigwa” to prove their commitment by going to Kayunga; promising that he was going himself. Soon Baganda analysts were estimating that about 1 million Baganda and others would be in Kayunga on Saturday.

According to state house sources, after the Kampala riots on Thursday, Museveni was advised by Robert Kabushenga and Temale Mirundi that hell would break lose by Friday if CBS Radio was left to control the news. Museveni instructed the Rwandese chairman of the Broadcasting Council, Godfrey Mutabaazi, to switch off both CBS channels,  88.8 and 89.2. The two FM stations went off the air a little after 5:30 PM on Thursday.

The local press has quoted Buganda’s  information Minister, Medard Lubega Sseggona saying that military officials had forcefully switched off the main mast that is erected at Buziga Hill in Kampala. However, the disconnection would not affect the planned Youth Day Celebrations at Kayunga. The Kayunga celebrations are scheduled for Saturday September 12, 2009.

At the time of posting this report, the organizers had gone to Plan B, using SMS messages to continue taking directions from the Nambooze committee.

On September 28, 2008 someone posted a  video titled “Museveni and Child Soldiers” on YouTube.com  in an apparent effort to alert the world community about President Museveni’s possible crimes relating to the use of child soldiers. At the time, a vote was about to be taken on whether to allow Uganda to become a member of the UN Security Council.

In the video, Mr. Museveni explains his use of child soldiers with:  “In Africa here even by the age of four you learn to fight. This is our tradition; you fight with sticks, with spears and with arrows. “ And he dismisses children rights activists who oppose use of child soldiers with: “If you think that this [child soldiering] will disorient them psychologically, that is not the case.”

Click here to see the video.

The United Nations, Denmark, the European Union and the USA are all officially against the use of child soldiers.  There are credible reports, as recent as 2008, that President Museveni’s government has been using child soldiers, especially in the war against an Acholi rebel group led by Joseph Kony.  The Danish embassy is intimately knowledgeable about these and other gruesome human rights violations by Mr. Museveni’s government, yet they continue to aggressively support  his programs, including those that may lead to more conflicts in future.

Possibly the most controversial of these program supported by Denmark and the European Union in Uganda today s is Mr. Museveni’s efforts to illegally steal 9,000 of native lands from the Baganda people and to dismantle their cultural institutions and kingdom.  He has passed several target anti-Baganda political and property rights laws which are even illegal under the United Nations charter and protocols with tacit support from the Danish, Norwegian and British ambassadors.

The consensus among all the Baganda intellectuals we interviewed for this article is that Denmark’s support for Mr. Museveni on the question of Buganda self-determination is driven by deep subconscious racism, greed for business opportunities and corruption in their Kampala embassy.  Because Denmark is a kingdom that claims to support human rights and has done so in Europe, Asia and Latin America, they have no logical excuse for using DANIDA to fund programs to dismantle another kingdom, Buganda, about as big as their own.  The consensus is that the Danes have a subconscious racist belief that black people are all the same- they don’t need or deserve kingdoms of their choice ; they just need food and medicine.

A Muganda historian based in Kampala has assured this writer that  Mr. Museveni’s claims that child violence is an African tradition are untrue, especially in relation to the Buganda kingdom and  some other parts of Uganda. He explained: “ It is true that among Mr. Museveni’s the Bahima/Tutsi cattle keepers fighting with sticks to settle personal disagreements is usual, the practice is not a in many African communities. For example,  in Buganda courts to settle personal issues were in operation well before European came to the area in the 1880’s. Buganda had a standing army of thousands of adults only (around 15 years and up) and its role was to fight national enemies. A court system which extended down to village level (kitawuluzi) handled personal criminal and civil cases, including the crime of fighting with sticks. Similarly, Banyoro, Batoro and Basoga do not have a culture of training 9 year olds to kill.”

Two independent sources with connections to the Uganda President’s state house have sent emails to this writer revealing Mr. Museveni’s plan to use the current confusion around the Kyabazinga elections and create 11 separate  minor kingdoms out of Busoga. According to the more detailed source, Mr. Museveni decided to personally interfere with the Kyabazinga  elections to make sure that the Basoga clans do not agree on a single clan head to lead Busoga.

“Mr. Museveni cannot allow a strong Kyabazinga to emerge in Busoga at this time since it would create the risk of Basoga developing nationalistic tendencies and maybe even starting thinking in a block like Baganda. That is why he intends to give a new car to  each of the warring clan leaders who declares his county a separate kingdom. Like his Sabanyala and Sabaluuli in Buganda each minor king would also get a monthly payment of 5 million shillings ($2,610).

The strategy is to create 11 weak minor kingdoms in Busoga who owe their survival to Mr. Museveni. Then connect them to Sabanyala and Sabaluuli to more effectively fight Buganda nationalism in the long term. In the short term, it would also disorganize DP and  FDC and other opposition structures in a  Busoga that is no more.”

According to the sources, Mr. Museveni was visibly happy over the weekend after he met Basoga clan leaders for the second time in less than two months. The meeting is supposed to have agreed to hold a re-run of the  Kyabazinga elections which took place on October 31, 2008. However, Mr. Museveni is reportedly very confident that the Basoga will never agree and that is why he is preparing to help each of them create his own kingdom, making today’s Busoga history.

The Busoga monarchy was created by British colonialists in 1906 out of  a collection of small municipalities, each with its own hereditary ruler. The throne to the resulting Busoga kingdom is supposed to be held by a descendant of one of the municipalities on a rotating basis. The sitting Busoga king is called the Isebantu Kyabazinga. The first ruler of a united Busoga was a Muganda called Semei Kakungulu, of Mmamba clan. Kakungulu’s regime lasted from July 1906 to January 1914 when he handed over to a Musoga, Isebantu Kyabazinga OBODHA.

The last Kyabazinga of Busoga, Henry Wako Muloki, died on September 1, 2008 at the age of  87. On October 31, six clan leaders  elected Edward Columbus Wambuzi Muloki to replace his late father, Henry Wako Muloki. The remaining 5 boycotted the elections, calling them illegal under Basoga culture. It is this conflict which gave Mr. Museveni the opening to interfere even though, according to his own Uganda constitution, as a politician, he is not supposed to interfere with cultural issues such as the election of a Kyabazinga.

Sources close to the Uganda North American Association (UNAA) Vice President, Moses Kalemba, tell this reporter that NRM operatives have a plot to derail Ttabamiruka ’09 during the next Ggawangamujje Boston general meeting. The meeting is to be held on November 9, 2008, and according to our sources in Boston, the strategy that Kalemba and Bukenya emphasize first changing the Ttabamiruka date from September to May. Bukenya is a diehard NRM who, like Kalemba, takes the view that Baganda events like Ttabamiruka must not become an alternative to their UNAA Convention. However, they support similar conferences by Basoga, Bakiga, Bamasaba, Acholis and other nationalities.

According to the sources, the Kalemba/Bukenya team scored first when they bulldozed a clearly weak Ggwangamujje Executive to agree that changing of the Ttabamiruka ’09 date to May or July be put to a vote in a general meeting. And now they are engaged in a well funded intense ground campaign (“kakuyege”) to get very many of their supporters to the November 9, 2008 meeting and vote for the date change they want.  Apparently, they are confident that, once the date is changed to May 2009, there simply will not be enough time for the Ggwangamujje Executive to organize a serious Ttabamiruka. So, in short order the powerful Baganda conference which shook Museveni in 2007 and 2008 will be dead.

Members of the Ggwangamujje Boston Executive include Reverend Nakabaale (President), NRM’s Bukenya (Vice President), Prof. Lugira, Kato Kajubi, Samalie Kajubi, Ssali, Mark Kizza, Mayanja and Dan Nvule. Historically, the Boston chapter of Ggwangamujje has suffered from NRM manipulation, placing a cloud of doubt over the overall loyalty of Boston Baganda to their Kabaka and nation. The immediate past president of Ggwangamujje Boston is Abdul Kimbugwe who simultaneously held that position with Chairmanship of UNAA. Kimbugwe was later widely reported to be an ISO operative who was later recalled by State House and given a consultant job in Uganda Revenue Authority. All evidence so far is that Reverend Nakabaale and a few others on his Executive may be committed to the Buganda cause but they simply don’t have the experience and organizational skills to fight off the NRM.

Bukenya is Vice President of Ggwangamujje Boston but also, together with Kalemba,  one of the UNAA Convention organizers.  He is one of the NRMs strongest activists and has on many occasions spoken against Ttabamiruka. He has never attended a Ttabamiruka conference but was one of the key organizers of the UNAA convention in Florida. Moses Kalemba is Vice President of UNAA and a well known opponent of Ttabamiruka. This reporter has reliably learnt that Moses Kalemba is a Muganda or Mmamba but opposed to Baganda only affairs.

On September 25, 2008, Buganda Post broke the story that Boston Baganda were  threatening to report, directly to Kabaka Mutebi that NRM activists in the USA who had accepted money from Kampala were plotting to sabotage the next Ttabamiruka conference.  This reporter kindly requests all those who will attend the November 9, 2008, Ggwangamujje general meeting to send your observation to info@bugandapost.com.

In addition to giving the late Kyabazinga of Busoga Henry Mulooki a state funeral and declaring a public holiday in his honor, President Museveni has dished out at least 11 cows to each of the eleven hereditary Busoga chiefdoms: Bugabula, Bulamogi, Kigulu, Luuka, Bukono, Busiki, Bugweri, Bukooli, Bunya, Bunyole and Butembe. Mr. Museveni “generosity” has excited many Basoga, who now are among the poorest and most backward populations in Uganda. At the same time, it has upset the more educated ones who, like most political analysts in Uganda, see it as a transparent case of mass bribery and arrogance.

One banker, a staunch supporter of FDC’s Abdu Kantuntu (MP for Bugweri), told this reporter that many educated Basoga in his circles are outraged that, after impoverishing Basoga to the bone, President Museveni is exploiting the death of their leader to dupe them into supporting his schemes. The engineer accused Mr. Museveni of using Mulooki’s death as an excuse to bribe heavily in Busoga,  ahead of the 2011 elections.  He also alleged that Museveni also has a program, spearheaded by Kirunda Kivejinja, to get  a new Kyabazinga who is willing to work with Bunyoro two create a Bunyoro-Ankole-Busoga axis against Buganda. “If you listen to the Government controlled media you will soon start hearing about Basoga and Banyoro being the same people. All in the name intimidating Buganda”, the banker claimed.

The late Kyabazinga of Busoga who died on September 1, 2008, was given a state funeral  by President Museveni.  And the date of the funeral, Monday September 8, 2008 was declared a public holiday at a short notice, inconveniencing scores of business and citizens. These actions seemed illogical to many Ugandans this reporter spoke to because the Kyabazinga was not a national leader and Mr. Museveni is on record, many times, saying that African traditional leaders are of little value.