The president of the NRM occupation government in Uganda is stubbornly continuing with his tour of Buganda despite increasing rejection by the citizens of the kingdom. After getting embarrassingly small and hostile crowds in Kyaggwe, Butambala, Buddu and Bugerere counties, the Ugandan dictator decided to take his tour to Busiro, where he fought much of the guerrilla war that brought him to power. But his statehouse decided to change tactics after getting reports that, even there, Baganda were plotting to embarrass him by not attending his functions or with tough questions about CBS PM Radio.

A source close to the presidential protection brigade has informed our stringer in Entebbe that Museveni’ s new tactic for the rest of his Buganda tour will be to avoid big public venues and direct contact with politically bold Baganda peasants. The focus is now to be put to reaching as many places as possible but in impromptu meetings at family homes where even if only 30 people come it is not bad. As part of this tactic, state house will arrange for the president to inspect farms and businesses where it is easy to claim that the purpose was not to get big crowds. It is also much harder for the villagers to ask Museveni challenging questions about CBS FM radio or Kabaka when only a few people are around.

Our source also said that Museveni’s new tactic helped him avoid a major embarrassment in Kakiri, Busiro, two days ago. According to the source: “Museveni made a blunder of going to Kakiri, where Kabaka got crowds of tens of thousands of people only a few months ago. State house found out late that the people could be too few so they arranged for him to visit a few farmers and a widow. They also hurriedly arranged for him to stop at Masulita Secondary School and pretend that he went there to open a building, although it had not been on the original program. Obviously they also got the big crowd of the students.”

The source claims that Museveni will not abandon his Buganda tour again, as he did late last year, because he is not willing to allow Kabaka Mutebi or Baganda to determine what happens at the 2011 elections or after. He said: “Museveni will continue with the tour and continue giving bribes to grass roots people, researching why people love the Kabaka, and collecting information on NRM opponents. And they will only have rallies in places where they can bring in people. You are not likely to see too many photos or TV video even in government owned papers and stations because people will automatically compare to Kabaka Mutebi’ s huge crowds.”

An email from a source close to president Museveni’s state house reveals that, since October  2009  the Ugandan dictator’s people have been struggling to put together a real plan to deal with the accelerating anti-Museveni and anti-NRM feelings in Buganda. The people who seem to be the brains behind the plan include Museveni himself, John Nagenda, Tamale Mirundi and one Mafabi. Also involved in some meetings are Museveni’s half brother Salim Saleh (Caleb Akandwanako), David Tinyefuza, David Magara, Wabudeya, Kirunda Kivejinja, Moses Kigongo, Hope Mwesigye, Robert Kabushenga, Namayanja and others.

According to the email: “A lot of experiments have been made to see how to change Baganda either through fear or love. Nothing seems to work. For example, Museveni started a tour of Buganda after the Kayunga riots with plans to give out cash to key NRM people to bribe villagers. But the tour has been terrible from last year.  Whether it is in Butambala, Kyaggwe, Bugere  or Buddu, every place the president goes Baganda have been coming in small numbers and only demanding for the opening  of CBS.  Even when state house decided to show power by having mambas go with the president to Kyaggwe the people were not impressed and only put up more pictures of Kabaka Mutebi and Nnabagereka in their taxis and shops.”

The president’s people are sort of divided according to our source.  Tinyefuza, Janet Museveni,  Magara, Otafiire and sometimes Saleh, lead the group which wants to use straight force. This group pressured the president to force Kabaka Mutebi to come to the infamous “gun on your head” Entebbe meeting late last year, where the Lion of Buganda refused to be bought. The group also claims that Museveni did not go far enough in crashing the Kayunga disturbances. Salim Saleh is also on the second side with Kivenjinja, Kuteesa, Tamale Mirundi, Mwesigye, Nagenda and others. This “divide and conquer” group prefer to isolate Kabaka from Baganda by destroying Mmengo as an institution and confusing people until the 2011 elections are over.  This team believes that if the Europeans and the USA are happy with the elections, which Museveni is guaranteed to win, Buganda will have nowhere to start.  Museveni would very much like to use force but  he also knows that Baganda youths have become too strong to let him win on force while America and Europe are watching. For now he is siding with the second team.

Our source adds: “Recently a plan was kicked off for president Museveni and Salim Saleh to soften the tone on Buganda and show respect to Kabaka Mutebi and leave people like Mirundi, Nagenda, other Baganda and even Tinyefuza or Otafiire to be the bad guys. That is why Museveni went to Kayunga (Bugerere county) and said that the county can never leave Buganda. This is the man who has been calling the county Bunyala for 6 months and stopped the Kabaka  from going there without permission from his Sabanyala. The problem for state house is that again, most peasants had boycotted Museveni’s visit. The 400 or so people at the rally were 80% schoolchildren who were brought in by lorries. And that is why the crowd was never shown on any TV stations.

“Salim Saleh did not do any better when he went to Kalisizo (Buddu county) to speak the at the funeral rites (lumbe ceremony) of Tamale Mirundi’s father. Saleh used the opportunity to claim that he wished Buganda well and was involved in the tough job of bringing Kabaka Mutebi and Museveni to together. He even asked the crowd to pray hard for him. However, the peasants were not impressed at all. They insisted that if he wants their prayers he must fist deal with the problem of opening CBS. Chaos followed when Tamale Mirundi asked local NRM officials to stand up for introduction. First they seemed to be afraid to do so and when they did, people started to boo them and call them traitors. Then Tamale tried to let a senior NRM official from Kampala to say a few words. The people told him not to do so or they (the villagers) would walk away. That is when Tamale Mirundi turned to Saleh and said ‘Afande nawe obirabye, mu gombolola zino NRM telinaamu kalulu’ (‘As you can see the NRM has no votes in these sub-counties’).”

The email from our source also says that, as part of a state house propaganda kick off, John Nagenda started his bad guy activities with his New Vision column last Saturday. In his column, he trashed the Mmengo institution, suggested that it is irrelevant and claimed that it will die. Nagenda also arranged for the Banyankore owned Luganda daily paper Kamunye to print negative stories about Kabaka Mutebi. Kamunye is a sister paper to the Red Pepper which also recently printed another Nagenda planted story saying that the NRM government was going to take over Bulange. Red Pepper was originally sponsored by Salim Saleh.

On February 7, 2010, the SMS based Ekiba Kibe program which is broadcast on Free Buganda Radio reported that Beti Kamya had been endorsed by  Katikkiro JB Walusimbi to campaign for Federo. The same program then asked Ms. Kamya to explain what the Katikkiro’s endorsement means.  The presenter,  Robert Kabuye of Boston tells Ms. Beti Kamya in Luganda: “MP owa Lubaga North, … Beti Kamya, watugambye eggulo nti wagenze ewa Walusimbi Katikkiro n’akwendosiinga ogende oyigirize Federo… Katikkiro oyo yayimirira mu lukungaana lwa Baganda nagamba nti Abaganda tuleme kweyisa nga bajulizi. Kati nnyabo, MP, gwe olina bukakafu ki nti taveyo naggamba nti oleme kwefula mujulizi?” (“Lubaga North MP, … Beti Kamya, yesterday you told us that you went to Katikkiro Walusimbi and he endorsed you to go teach Federo…. That same Katikkiro told a Baganda meeting that we, Baganda, must stop sacrificing for our nation as if we want to become martyrs. Now, Ms. MP, how do we know that he will not come out and similarly tell you not to sacrifice.”

Kabuye adds: “Bino ebitu tetwelabira. Abaganda aberabira baafa!” (“On these matters, we shall not forget.  The Baganda who forget died a long time ago.”)

Click on Ekiba_Kibe07Feb10 to listen to Kabuye’s full February 7, 2010 broadcast in Luganda.

A few months ago, Buganda Post was the victim of unknown electronic hooligans, who hacked and corrupted our databases (see  “Buganda Post Hacked By Unknown Hooligans” and “NRM Might Be Behind The Attacks On Baganda Web News Outlets“). We still do not know who did it and why but we notice that the same or similar cyber thugs are still attempting to hijack Buganda Post.

To get a long-term solution to the above problem, the Buganda Post website is undergoing a full redesign.  We expect to launch the redesigned Buganda Post site by March 2010.

The redesigned Buganda Post will be more professionally laid out and with better opportunities for Buganda citizens and others interested in the kingdom to exchange information and ideas.  We are doing our best to make sure to keep the familiar, simple look and color scheme of Buganda Post , even as we add more features. For example, we have already put Buganda Post on both Twitter and Facebook.  Another example is that Buganda Post will include a few blogs, where some of our readers will be able to freely express their opinions on issues that are important to Buganda. If you are interested in having your own blog on Buganda Post, please contact me at pnakato@bugandapost.com – only 2-4 blogs will initially be included.

The biggest Baganda student and youth organization in Buganda, Nkoba za Mbogo, made history December 17, 2009, when they started publishing a professional newspaper – Eddoboozi. According to our source in Mmengo Bulange, Eddoboozi is the result of more than a year of careful planning and hard work by patriotic youths, and their advisors, in the midst of numerous roadblocks by the occupation NRM government and its agents.  To deliver this project,  Nkoba za Mbogo received assistance and mentoring from seasoned Baganda journalistssuch as Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda and Kalundi Serumaga as well as Baganda elders and ordinary kingdom citizens.

The really big day for the staff of Ddoboozi and the entire Buganda Kingdom came last week, when Ssabasajja Kabaka, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II chose to officially launch the paper (Photo courtesy of Eddoboozi). The lion of Buganda, who appeared very pleased by his subjects’ work, wrote and signed an autograph on one Eddoboozi copy. The Buganda minister for youth, Owek. Mathius Mpuuga presented the Ddoboozi project to Ssabasajja Kabaka.

The electronic version of Eddoboozi is available at www.eddoboozi.co.ug.

Baganda, especially in Kampala and Masaka, have welcomed Ddoboozi with much excitement. The Luganda paper comes four months after the oppressive NRM occupation government illegally closed CBS FM Radio, the official radio station of Buganda.  Response in the dispora has been slower only because of lack of awareness. However, it is steadily growing the day.

One of the main writers at Buganda Post chief writer and moderator, Ms. Aisha Nankya, had this to say about the new Baganda newspaper:  “Every Muganda who loves his or her Kingdom and Kabaka must be proud of what  these gallant sons of daughters of Buganda have done. This is evidence that the best days for Buganda are ahead. Buganda Post has a national duty to support and promote Eddoboozi in all ways possible.

“Congratulations Nkoba za Mbogo, congratulations Buganda, Ssabasajja Awqangaale!”

A Muganda youth named Tesian Batenda requested us to publish her her appeal to other young Baganda. We have a policy of not publishing atricles and letters are too long (more two and half pages in MS Word). However, we thought that Tesian’s article and its contents were too important to reject on that basis. We do expect that in future Tesian will write articles that make her major points in fewer words.

Below is Tesian Batenda’s article with minimal editing to remove grammar errors.

Baganda Youth be watchful, vigilant and resist manipulations!

Put Buganda First

By Tesian Batenda

Those of you the Baganda youth of today, who have analyzed the series of events in our nation Buganda and theirs Uganda, you have noted that several elements repeat themselves in these two nations.   This explains a great deal why Buganda Nation has failed till now to realize her aspirations namely among others self-rule.

Firstly, up to the present day, we have never had Buganda army and that explains why we are being tossed like ping-pong in the so-called negotiations.  The Buganda delegations in all the negotiations lost significance and weight right [from] the 60s when the Kabaka Yekkas  sold Buganda nation to Langis UPC by the 21 Baganda MPs (Ekitole made an alliance with UPC).  Today Buganda’s participation to any negotiation cannot be termed as equal partners but as “YES SIR Partners” and of course to [rubber stamp].

What went wrong?

With Mengo you will always expect surprises and sometimes [shocking] ones. What I remember from my dead father, strong supporter of DP, before he died, the man never stopped talking about the moral, psychological, cultural grief, torture and  bitterness he suffered from The Kabaka Yekkas.  Instead of voting for DP, my father like many Baganda,  voted Kabaka Yekka (KY) because of their loyalty to the Buganda Kingdom and their Kabaka.

Kabaka Yekka (KY) dumping Democratic Party, predominantly fellow Baganda and selling Buganda to Langis, the ordinary Baganda have never stomached it,  Till the present day  the Kabaka Yekkas have never officially apologized to Buganda Nation for this blasphemy.

Can we say today that the DPs were totally innocent in this impasse, personally I say no,  the DPs in their political agenda had very little place for Ssabassajja and Buganda Kingdom (Recall Ssebana Kizitos DP) statement just after the riots of last September  “If Museveni does n’t like kingdoms he should abolish them.” I want to remind Ssebana Kizito, that Buganda Kingdom is not only cultural institution as M7 dreams. [Buganda] is the full identity of Baganda people to which [Ssebana] belongs.  Ssabasajja Kabaka is not only a man so as you and me or the rest, but he is the living symbol of our identity and our ancestors. Awangale Ssabassajja!  Telling M7 to abolish the kingdoms if he does not like them, Mr. Ssebana (DP) exaggerated the powers of that dictator because we were Baganda before M7 came, we are Baganda, and we shall remain Buganda with or without M7.

One thing is clear. Kabaka Yekka officials of the 60s never realized that dumping their fellow Baganda and choosing Langis would cause the greatest disaster to the Buganda Nation, which up to the present day has never been fixed.  Can one tell us how many Baganda have been murdered because of this blunder?!

Should the young generation Baganda make the same mistakes as the old guard of Mengo 50 years ago?  Unacceptable! We should learn from the past mistakes to design our present and future. Kikafuwe nti our children and grand children are going to live in this Katogo, they will [curse] us as we are [cursing] the Mengo officials of the old.

We [the] young Buganda must know very well that Kabaka Yekka  old garde of the 60’s and Mengo institution were from top to bottom brainwashed and manipulated by the British people.  Knowingly or unknowingly they embraced the prejudice of the British peoples against the Catholics and other religions, given at the time that Mengo was predominantly Protestant. After the elections of 60s the Mengo old guard chose their fellow predominant protestants UPC to form any alliance dumping their fellow Baganda of the Democratic Party.   What is surprising here, Protestants and Catholics of the same clans during their respective cultural functions like Kwabya Nyimbe a protestant or a Catholic would be the Musika or Musumisi as long as one belonged to the clan and it was acceptable.  Why not in politics?

Did Mengo officials see beyond religion and religious bounds, were they aware that they were executing their colonial masters’ prejudices against other religious persuasions?  Did Mengo KY recognize that they were not the authors of this prejudice, did they realize that in Northern Ireland the same British people were oppressing the Catholics handling as second-class citizens.

Why didn’t Mengo Officials put Buganda first?  As [a] Muganda youth  I want  to remind the old guard of Mengo [that]  when Obote started killing Baganda with his slogan “A good Muganda is A dead one”  he did not [differentiate] between  a protestant and a Catholic. [When] Idi Amin started killing Baganda he  did not  filter who was  a protestant or a catholic. [And] Museveni has murdered [masses of] Baganda with his instrument ‘LET THEM TALK ….  KILL THEM IN SILENCE  (Recall M7’s speech in Kigali University) or his famous order SHOOT TO KILL.  This dictator has never selected which religion a Muganda belongs to, he kills whenever he wishes whoever Muganda he comes across.

The Baganda are killed as Baganda and because we are Baganda.

We the young generation [of] Baganda must not make any mistake now,  the British colonialist have gone who manipulated and brainwashed the Baganda old guard, now we have other manipulators namely:  Some fellow Baganda the collaborators of the occupiers or our homeland, the Rwandese and others and, most important, political parties.

We the young Baganda today must not make any mistake like the Old Baganda of the 60s

“We must put Buganda First”. Forget all those political parties coming up in all colours,  they replace the British peoples of the 60s, they will never help you as a person.  “Put Buganda first”.  It is the only solutions that will ever change our lives and stop the cold murders our people are confronted with everyday in our own motherland.

Mbakubira omulanga  mwena abavubuka Abaganda toyonona kalulu ko mbu olonda gundi wa Kibina gundi, tulina okukola ekitole nga abaganda  nga tulonda omuntu omu analwanirira Buganda era n’ababaka  betwekakasa nti bagenda kulwanirira Buganda wattu.

The foreigners have killed our dear ones, they have raped our children, and they have stolen our land and so forth… Ggwe Omuvubuka omuganda bwoyagala okufuuka ndiwulira [nga] batema mu kasooli olyesanga mu ntamu nga batokosa.  Kunno kwekulabula okusembayo eri mwe abavubuka abaganda.

Abavubukka mweddize obuyinza bwa Buganda bwemuba nga ebigendererwa byamwe bilongofu eri Ssabasajja Kabaka ne nyaffe Buganda.  Bwetutakola tutyo twelinde okuyiwa omusayi ate nno tewerimba nti banno banamawanga  bagenda kutta bakadde.  Nendda, bagenda kutta ffe Abavubuka. Tewelimba nti bagenda kutta Acholis oba Bakiga oba Batoro oba Banyoro, Balango etc…, awo  welimba.  Abavubuka, Baganda ffe tuli ku waiting list.

If you put your stomach first because of some few coins you get from NRM, to promote NRM’s anti-Buganda agenda in [the]Buganda nation, they are using you like toilet paper. [When] they don’t need you anymore,  you will not escape them, if you do, your children will not escape them.  Ask Professor Gilbert Bukenya who now calls himself the Vice president of that country Uganda. If he is honest to himself and to you, he will tell you that money is not all what you need to be happy in life!

We the young generation Baganda today are suffering now [because of]  the mistakes made in the past.   You the Mengo officials must know very well that we are not going to follow your path.  Never make any mistake to sign any agreement with that country Uganda without prior consultations with the youth of our nation Buganda.  [Realize that] it is the Baganda youth of today who are being murdered or sleeping with empty stomachs due the decisions you made in the 60‘s [and other times in the past].

The institutions of our nation Buganda have always carried value and recognitions by the Baganda, young and old, and we believe in them. There is no Muganda who has ever been forced to respect the [Kabaka] and Buganda institutions at gunpoint, as what is happening in their country Uganda. Forget all about the integration with other tribes now because the terms of integration are not well defined  and that explains the Katogo we are navigating today.

The way forward:

We need a Buganda Block! It is only Buganda Block, which will promote our interest now. “Work with and for a Buganda nation ”.  Give your time and energy to liberate our motherland  Buganda nation so that we Baganda of today and our children can lead a dignified life, have and enjoy a feeling of security in our homelands.  Don’t forget we shall never have another life in another homeland. Buganda is our homeland our [ancestors] have fought and sacrificed their lives so that we the Baganda of today and those to come have a place to live.  Likewise, we are obliged to do the same for our children and grandchildren to come after us.

Baganda youth, resist any manipulations of any kind.  M7 calling Ssabasajja his colleague all along from London, and during the war was meant to manipulate the ordinary Baganda.  M7 has lost ground in Buganda, he knows very well that his days in Buganda are numbered. [However he remains a dangerous manipulator]. [Being  an opportunist],  he only invited Ssabasajja  together with the Bataka to meet and discuss the current crisis. Dear the Baganda Youth, are you so simple to believe this cynical invitation?  M7 knows that by appearing on a photo with Ssabasajja Kabaka and [the] Abataka of Buganda he will have the [evidence] to launch his propaganda [of] a cooperative and collaborative Buganda in the NRM occupation agenda for our Buganda Nation.

M7 needed [Kabaka and the Bataka only for] that one second [when] photographer pressed the Camera button, with  M7  standing near Ssabasajja Kabaka, [surrounded by] the  Bataka . That photograph is only enough for a dictator to show to the rest of the world and ordinary Baganda that all problems are resolved and the situation is normal.  We cannot permit our Nation Buganda to become  a new Palestine. They come wherever they come from to fight their wars in Buganda and who dies? The Baganda!

Baganda Youth never and never accept to devalue our mother Nation Buganda, and you should make it clear to your respective Batakas that our support and recognition of Buganda institutions has to depend on their conduct and loyalty to Buganda Nation.

Source of skepticism

As a young, concerned, devoted Muganda activist, I have profound reasons to fear decisions of Mengo officials and I urgue all the Baganda youth to be very critical and watchful of  all the movements taking place at Mengo.  Mengo officials are [supposed] not to serve two nations but one and that is Buganda Nation.

Some months ago I could not believe my eyes when I [heard about] Akena the son of Obote entering Bulange and the Lukkiko giving him a profound applause.  Bearing in mind that in politics you have not to hold permanent enmity,  your enemy today is tomorrow your coalition partner, however applauding for a son of a man who has humiliated and devasted our identity as Baganda this was a dose to much to stomach.  Is this due to desperation of Mengo Lukiiko, opportunism, or short memories of Baganda?  Did Akena come to apologize to the Baganda due the humiliation and murders the Bagandas have suffered committed by Langis? Did he denounce his late father’s dictatorship and murders committed on our Land?

[At about the same time] Omara Atubo (Minister of Lands in their Country Uganda), [another] Langi, declared his triumph [over] the land bill, [which land bill ensures that] ensures that the Kabaka of Buganda is no longer the [Ssabataka] of Buganda Those of you who [better know the] history of our Buganda Nation and their country Uganda, do you have [any evidence] that in the past our ancestors attacked Langis, humiliated them, graded their land, raped their women as what they have done to Buganda?

If I was in Bulange that day when Akena came to Bulange I could not see myself applauding for this man.  I would have reacted differently to express my opinion over Langis. Not necessarily violent but at least a moment of silence as a symbol of respect of the murdered Baganda and the physical, psychological, moral damage we have suffered from these people.

I have to remind the Mengo Officials that going to statehouse of that country Uganda is an act that absolutely not appreciated by Baganda now because you are not going to talk to leaders of our neighbors the Ugandans instead you are going to talk to thugs and murders of our children and rappers of your daughters.

Message to foreigners in Buganda

When we the Baganda activists demand secession of Buganda Kingdom from the country Uganda, how do they react? [They say], “That is Baganda arrogance, they don’t know what they [want], they consider themselves a superior race? [They claim] superior economic wealth and superior  political traditions and so forth!”  It is a real dilemma you and me will never solve, the Baganda people who are so arrogant, bossy with a superiority complex over other tribes yet they can’t miss us. I think if these [accusations they make] over Baganda [were] true and valid in their minds, then the day we demand our independency they would all go party to celebrate the departure of the arrogant, bossy Baganda.  Instead, the more mentally dependent they become on us as if their further life is totally impossible without Buganda. This shows you how far different our understandings and backgrounds are. The general and simple concepts are interpreted differently [and] this means to me even if the western countries transfer half their wealth tomorrow and pump it in Uganda and the occupied Buganda we shall remain poor, even [get] poorer.

The citizens of Uganda make their heads sick [over] the position of Ssabassajja Kabaka of Buganda. Well, to the contrary,  no Muganda is busy [opposing] the way Basoga or Batoro or Acholis or Banyoro govern themselves.  If you decide to come and settle in Buganda you are going to settle here on our terms, not the opposite.   Failure to do so, you will vacate no doubt about that.  If Baganda happen to come to your homelands and tell you how you have to govern yourself, make them vacate your homelands.  We have accommodated everyone in Buganda, you have all what you have on our land yet we are the arrogant bastards? Fine! Think what you think, do what you do, we are not going to live on your terms in our home lands. “This to the last Muganda”.   You are very soon facing the hard truth.  We are working around the clock to liberate our Nation Buganda from captivity.

Last Appeal to all Baganda youth

To all the Baganda youth, it is our time today and not any other time. We have to realize and make everyone know that Buganda self-rule is our future, our security and our development.

You should all know that our greatest realization in this coming decade will be SELF RULE of our Buganda Nation.   Everyone has to play his or her role according to one’s capacity. If we have to change our lives, we have to be very vigilant, and critical to resist all kinds of manipulations. Put Buganda first! Form ekitole kya  Buganda, with the guidance of the wisdom of the past you are the future of Buganda.  Make Buganda shine again!!! We have profound trust in you our youth!!

Tesian Batenda

According to the  July 8, 2010 issue of NRM government mouthpiece, the New Vision newspaper, Buganda minister of information, Owek. Charles Peter Mayiga has disowned popular Buganda Hussein Kyanjo’s statements that, if  Museveni’s government fails to adhere to democratic principles and the rule of law, the people of Buganda would take up arms. The New Vision further says that Owek. Mayiga dismissed Kyanjo’s the remarks as his (Kyanjo’s) personal opinion. Mayiga is quoted as saying:“Kyanjo is not the spokesperson of the Buganda kingdom. He is not a Mmengo official. Those remarks he made were his personal opinion.” However, there is no indication that Mayiga explained his claim that Mmengo officials represent the kingdom of Buganda.

Museveni’s New Vision says that Owek. Mayiga explained Mmengo’s disagreement with Kyanjo by saying: “Our strongest weapon is dissemination of information regarding our legitimate cause. If voters are informed, they don’t need to pick up arms to get what they want because our Constitution says power belongs to people.”

When Buganda Post contacted a prominent lawyer and Buganda analyst based in the United Kingdom, he responded that both Mayiga and Kyanjo refer to the Museveni’s constitution appropriately but if Mayiga is quoted correctly then he is being dishonest. The analyst also questioned Mayiga’s alleged claim that only Mmengo speaks for Buganda. The analyst explained: “Mayiga focuses on Article 1 of Museveni’s constitution, which says ‘power belongs to the people’. Mayiga, Makubuya and ordinary Baganda know that by bribing MPs to change presidential term limits, invading Congo without consulting parliament, ignoring the popular call for Federo, stealing elections and committing similar illegal acts, Museveni and the NRM usurped the people’s power and broke the constitution.

“Unlike Mayiga, Kyanjo is reading both Article 1 and Article 3 of Museveni’s constitution. And Article 3 says that ‘(4) All citizens of Uganda have a right and duty to protect the Constitution.’ and ‘(5) Any person who defends and protects the Constitution commits no offence…’ without limiting the means of defending the constitution. Mayiga and Makubuya know that Kyanjo’s position is 100% correct and legal under Article 3. It appears that  they have been compromised either by personal interests and mere cowardice.”

On the matter of who speaks for Buganda, our analyst first clarifies that, for centuries, Baganda believe that power in Buganda is vested in the institution of Kabaka, since, as Ssabataka who is not tied to one clan, he can lead and guide all Bataka and their grandchildren (Baganda) wisely and fairly. That is why the Kabaka consults and weighs everything very carefully before he speaks and why Baganda do not criticize him publicly. The top Mmengo official is the Katikkiro of Buganda, who is appointed by the Kabaka, after wide consultation with clan leaders, religious leaders and many other Baganda. All Mmengo officials are deemed to have been appointed by Kabaka and to speak for Buganda but, in reality, they are screened and selected by the Katikkiro and other Mmengo officials before presentation to the Kabaka.

He then said: “If you compare the strong statements and decisions that Kabaka Mutebi has made over Federo, Buganda land, the attempted firing of Nambooze from CBS and freedom and justice for Baganda and those made by Walusimbi and Mayiga you can see that the Katikkiro and his friend are outright disobeying the Kabaka. Don’t forget that that it was Mayiga, John Katende, Apollo Makubuya and Katikkiro Ssemwogerere who lied to Kabaka and Buganda that Museveni’s Regional Tier was good for Buganda in 2006. If Mmengo speaks for Buganda, why did the Buganda Lukiiko soundly reject Regional Tier on February 7, 2006?

“Baganda are not stupid. They can see when Mmengo is no longer serving the Kabaka or his subjects’ interests. If that is the case, then how can Mmengo claim to be to only spokesmen for the Kingdom? Mmengo is not even recognized in Museveni’s constitution, which Mayiga constantly quotes!  I disagree. I think that by siding with and appeasing the occupation NRM government so frequently, Mmengo has lost the minds and hearts of Baganda. Ordinary Baganda, who are 80% youths, are more interested in what Nambooze or Kyanjo or Nsambu or Ssemujju says than what Walusimbi or Mayiga announces. In reality, Nambooze, Kyanjo,  Nsubuga Nsambu and Ssemujju speak more for Buganda than the compromised Mmengo leaders. That is why Kabaka Mutebi has found himself having to speak out, to cancel the misinformation by Walusimbi and Mayiga. The bottom line is, every Muganda now has a duty to fight for Buganda’s freedom from the current armed occupation.”

On January 6, 2010 Ekiba Kibe program, which is broadcast to cellular telephones via multi-media message service (MMS), has accused Mmengo of incompetence and appealed to Baganda to realize that they do not need to rely on Mmengo to fight for Buganda’s rights and freedom (see “Mmengo Is Unqualified To Fight For Buganda, Diaspora MMS Radio Says“.)

Last weekend, during the burial ceremony for former Bishop of Masaka, Adrian Ddungu, two Buganda ministers squirmed like children and begged Uganda dictator, Yoweri Museveni, to reopen CBS radio. The two were Jolly Lutaaya (with VP Bukenya and Katikkiro Walusimibi in photo), minister of Local Government, and Charles Peter Mayiga who holds the Information portfolio.  The funeral was in Masaka, Buddu.

Lutaaya appeared to have lost control of himself when he told Museveni: “Mr. President, our people say to you that they have learnt a lesson, and are begging you to switch their radio, CBS, back on.” Owek. Lutaaya went on to promise the Ugandan warlord that, if the people were cheering in response to his (Lutaaya’s) mention of CBS, then they would certainly be forever grateful after Museveni reopened the CBS FM radio.

Unsure if he had impressed the now smiling Museveni, Lutaaya, who appeared fully sober, went on to equate the Buganda nation and her Kabaka to children with the Uganda dictator as their father. To the dismay of many Baganda, Owek Lutaaya told Museveni: “Since you are the father of our nation, we beg you to treat us the way a father treats a child who has erred. Please punish but do not kill.” Museveni is the 9th president of Uganda and took power in 1986, a good 24 years after Uganda was declared and independent nation by the British.

Supporting Mr. Lutaaya, Owek. Peter Mayiga, who represented Katikkiro Walusimbi, pleaded with the then belligerent-looking Museveni to kindly listen to people’s requests. Museveni, who has in the past called Mayiga and other Mmengo officials “dishonest hyenas”, took advantage of the situation to further humiliate the two Mmengo officials. He told the crowd: “I have worked with the Kabaka from 1981, in London and through the liberation war. Then people like this Mayiga come to deceive you.” Museveni repeated his familiar claims that Buganda issues can only be solve through direct negotiations between him and Kabaka Mutebi.

The head of the NRM occupation government went on to call himself Buganda’s best friend and whine that, in its 10 years on the air, CBS FM never broadcast anything good about him. Amusingly, when he asked the crowd, “Has CBS ever broadcast anything good about me?”, the people shouted back in unison, “Yes!”

Jolly Lutaaya is one of the longest serving ministers in Buganda government. He is a wealthy real estate owner, trader and contractor. He, reportedly, became suddenly wealthy in the 1980’s, after getting fired by a major international company amid accusations of embezzlement. Like Katikkiro Walusimbi, Owek. Lutaaya’s Marvel Road Contractors heavily relies on government construction contracts. During the preparations for Kabaka Mutebi’s wedding Mr. Lutaaya was removed from the organizing committee and the Buganda cabinet after his was caught by palace guards (abambowa) driving away with building materials that Baganda donated to the Kabaka. He bounced back as minister by offering major funding to Mmengo and with support from then Katikkiro Joseph Mulwaanyamuli. Owek. Jolly Lutaaya is a member of the “Rich People’s Association” (Bagagga Bagalana), which is dominated by former convicts, money launderers, smugglers, and loan shacks. Sudhir Ruparelia, Godfrey Kirumira and Karim Hirji are some of the other well known members.

Owek. Charles Peter Mayiga has also been a Buganda official for at least 10 years. He, John Katende and Apollo Makubuya assisted former Katikkiro Mulwaanyamuli to develop the infamous Regional Tier agreement with Museveni in the late 1990s. In July 2004, members of Museveni’s sate house leaked evidence to the press that Mr. Mayiga, a lawyer with Buwuule and Mayiga Advocates, was involved in a Shs 800m bribe that Museveni paid to Mmengo to kill a Federo demo. In 2008 Owek. Mayiga was kidnapped by Uganda police, along with Betty Nambooze and Lubega Sseggona right after the First Buganda Conference. Curiously, Mr. Mayiga later admitted, he was well treated by the police and was never charged. On the other hand, Nambooze and Lubega were held under inhuman conditions and later charged with sedition and annoying Museveni.