The latest we have from the world of Buganda and Ugandan conferences is that Radio Free Buganda will broadcast live from Ttabamiruka ’10. The Chairman of the Ttabamiruka organizing committee confirmed this in an interview with the host of Enyanjanja Temanyirwa program on www.ekibakibe.com.  The interview was first broadcast last Saturday night but it continues to be repeated on www.ekibakibe.com  during the Program Enkadde times.

According to the  event program at www.ttabamiruka.com, the Baganda conference will be opened on September 4, 2010 by none other than the Lion of Buganda, Ssabasajja Kabaka, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II following the introduction of the Buganda Royal Family. Below are extracts of the program which this writer has copied from www.ttabamiruka.com.

SATURDAY:

SUNDAY:

According to a press release issued by the Uganda Democratic Federal Union (UDFU), the organization will host a summit on human rights on May 1, 2010. UDFU is led by Mr. Remigius Kintu, a long Washington DC Muganda resident. At least two times this year Mr. Kintu attended and spoke very prominently at the Boston Buganda emergency meetings hosted by Ggwanga Mujje Boston. For about  4 or 5 weeks Ekiba Kibe program on Free Buganda Radio has been advertising that Ggwanga Mujje Boston will host a Buganda liberation conference on May 1, 2010 (see “Ggwanga Mujje Boston To Hold Buganda Emergency Conference On May 1st”).

The decision by Mr. Kintu’s group to announce a competing conference on the same day as the Boston Baganda meeting, so late in the game, may not go well with the Boston group led by Mr. John Mayanja.

Mr. Remigius Kintu describes himself on the Linked In network as the owner of  Blue Nile Trading Corp. and International Trade and a development consultant. Among the other speakers at the UDFU summit is Dr. Sulayman S. Nyang  professor and chairman of the African Studies Department at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Dr. Nyang is a Gambian who previously worked as an advisor to the NRM government. Also among the speakers is Mr. Yoga Adhola, a UPC activist and former editor of Milton Obote’s The People newspaper. When he writes to Internet discussion groups, Mr. Adhola usually finishes with: “Mr. Adhola belongs to the UPC’s conservative wing of leftist purists and was editor of the party’s newspaper, The People, during Obote II”. Milton Obote is the former Uganda president who overthrew the Uganda constitution in 1966, exiled Ssekabaka Edward Muteesa II, and is blamed for poisoning the former Kabaka.

The UDFU press conference is reproduced in full below:

Columbia, MD, April 29, 2010 – Urgent Conference on Uganda: Saturday, May 1, Washington, DC

The Uganda Democratic Federal Union (UDFU), led by Remigius Kintu, will host a summit on human rights, “Urgent Conference on Uganda,” Saturday, May 1, in Washington, D.C. Presenters will address President Yoweri Museveni’s eradication of open elections, his massacre of all Ugandans who oppose him, and the conflict in U.S. policy which simultaneously denounces and supports his regime.

 “UDFU’s open forum will feature defenders of political freedom from all over the world,” said Kintu. “Speakers and attendees will develop strategies to expose and redirect the Obama administration’s support of Uganda’s oppressive government.” Saturday’s program will be held at the University Graduate School, 1325 D Street, S.E., Washington, D.C., from 1:00 to 7:00 pm.

 The UDFU believes Uganda can be democratically governed in the future once Museveni has been ousted. “We hope to establish a more democratic regime as early as 2011,” said speaker Deo Kawunde-Miti. “We will bring the best players together to devise ways of running upcoming campaigns, utilizing new social media in the villages to circumvent Museveni’s blockade of conventional news media, and contest every elected official from East to West.”

 The conference will also address the Obama Administration’s ongoing support of Museveni despite the dictator’s abysmal human rights record and authoritarian rule that stand in opposition to President Obama’s and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton’s stated foreign policy objectives.

 The opposition to Museveni contends the United State’s support of democracy in Africa is tempered by policy considerations that elevate U.S. strategic interests in the resource-rich African great lakes region over traditional American values. The United States State Department, Central Intelligence Agency, and other federal agencies use Uganda as a central stage for operations throughout the African great lakes region. Museveni has curried favor with US administrations by assisting in the war against terrorism and by contributing 3,000 Ugandan soldiers to the peacekeeping efforts in Somalia.

 Uganda is the latest example of United State’s support of dictatorial regimes in Africa, Asia, and Latin America – a policy that extends back to Guatemala in the 1950s, Chile under General Pinochet in the 1970s, and Saddam Hussein in Iraq in the 1980s and 1990s.

Museveni first seized power in Uganda in 1986.  He continued to rule in the 1990s through sham elections. In 2001, he had the term limit provision of the Ugandan constitution eliminated so that he could, in effect, be “President for life.”

The urgency of this conference is underscored by Museveni’s escalating human rights violations. In April, Museveni’s security officers shot and killed in cold blood 20 Ugandan students engaged in a nonviolent demonstration against Museveni in Kampala.

“The 24 years of Museveni and his NRM* dictatorship; its effect on Uganda and the great Lakes region” by Mr. Yoga Adhola, political activist and former editor of The People Newspaper. (*Museveni’s National Resistance Movement)

 “Non-violence through Economic Boycott and Embargo” by Dr. John DiJoseph Ph. D., Professor of Non-Violence Studies, Loyola Graduate University, Columbia, MD.

 “The Discovery of abundant oil and gold in Uganda. Is it a blessing or a curse?” by Mr. E. Leopold Edwards, founding member of TransAfrica Forum; Chairman, National Coalition on Caribbean Affairs Inc., Silver Spring, MD.

 “Federal Governance in Uganda” by Mr. Remigius Kintu, Chairman, UDFU, and author, Africa, My Beloved: A Liberation Plan for a Free & Sovereign Continent, American Heritage Publishers.

“Uganda After Museveni and his NRM Regime” by Mr. Deo Kawunde-Miti, Educator; Graduate of Makerere University, political Activist with Uganda Young Democrats.

 Closing Remarks by Remigius Kintu will be followed by a question and answer period and discussions. There is a $20 tax-deducted donation suggested. Refreshments will be served.

The Buganda Liberation conference that Mr. Robert Kabuye has been announcing on his SMS based Ekiba Kibe program  for the last 4-6 weeks is all set for Saturday May 1, 2010. According to an email we received from a source in Boston who is close to the organizers, the Baganda conference will discuss two key topics. The first topic is the progress made so far on the work of liberating Buganda. The second topic is how to deal with the coming 2011 elections. The email from our source did not provide details about speakers.

It is not yet clear why a conference that is supposed to be about how to liberate Buganda from occupation by the Uganda army will spend half of its attention on the next Uganda elections, which are organized by the occupation NRM government. Similary, we do not yet have information on the speakers. In the past only Baganda politicians have attended Boston Baganda conferences – Abed Bwanika, Hussein Kyanjo and Betty Kamya.

The “Olukiiko Lw’Okununula O’Buganda” conference will be held at Our Lady Comforter of The Afflicted, 920 Trapello Road, Waltham, MA 02462.

According to the Waltham page under www.boston.com, non-Baganda Ugandans in the Boston area: “will gather at Waltham Square Saturday to share their condolences and raise money for the Kasubi Tombs, an important Ugandan landmark that was destroyed in a fire last month.” Many Baganda were not impressed and mounted  a campaign to boycott the NRM funded event and, if possible to have Mmengo reject the funds.  Click  on Ekiba_Kibe22Apr10A to listen to the campaign by Baganda using Ekiba Kibe program on SMS based Free Buganda Radio.

The online article quotes Ruth Ndyabahika,  a Rwandese and one of the event organizers saying that: “the tombs are culturally important to Ugandans and many are feeling the loss.”  This writer has also seen information from the organizers showing that the event is sponsored by non-Baganda groups of Ugandans like Twegayite and Banyakigezi. Ironically, members of these same group openly made fun of Buganda and labelled the Kabaka of Buganda a trouble-maker. When Baganda in Boston and New York/New Jersey organized events to mourn the loss of Kasubi Tombs these non-Baganda kept away.

As of Friday April 23, 2010, the NRM’s chief agents in the USA, Perez Kamunanwire and Ruhakana Rugunda planned to attend, with Rugunda as chief guest. Funding for the event reportedly came from the New York NRM station chief, Rugunda.

The main concerns are that (a)  organization such as Banyakigezi and Twegayite never send any condolences to established Baganda institutions like Ggwangamujje NY/NJ or Ggwangamujje Boston or to the elected Kabaka’s representatives in area, (b) in the organizers minds, Kasubi Tombs are just a Uganda landmark or tourist attraction, As one email we got from Boston put it: “Bano Abakiga n’Abasoga abamu balowooza nti obukulu bwa Kasubi tourism. Kiringa Omuyitale obutamanya nti Vatican eri ku mutima gwa buli Mukatuliki, ye nalowooza nti omugaso gwaayo kuleeta balambuzi mu Yitale.” (“Some of these Bakiga and Basoga think that the most important things about Kasubi is being a tourist site. It is like an Italian who does not understand that the hearts of Roman Catholics and thinks that the Vatican is an Italian tourist attraction.”)

The campaign by the NRM to promote Kasubi as a “Ugandan” historical site is especially sensitive to Baganda because it suggests intentional cultural genocide. To them, Kasubi is an active burial site for Buganda’s Kabakas and all grand children of its founder, Ssekabaka Muteesa II. Members of the fast reviving Basamize (Buganda native religion) movement believe that the spirits of all the four Kabakas buried at Kasubi live in the  Kibira section of the tombs. Miraculous, the Kibira was not destroyed by the Kasubi fire on  3/16 due to a sudden cloud of rain that fell for a few minutes just before the whole building could get destroyed.

A man who claimed to be a Rwandese former soldier in both Uganda and Rwanda, went on SMS based Free Buganda Radio and called on Baganda to wake up and liberate their country Buganda. Without giving many details, the Rwandese talked in Luganda about the experiences of Rwandese refugees in Uganda and how they fought to take power in their country. He encouraged Baganda to wake up to the reality that their fight would even be much easier because they have many technology advantages, especially the internet and modern communications. He warned that Museveni only works on the basis of lying and betraying others. Without going into details, the Rwandese claimed that Museveni made do a lot things after making promises to them only to betray them.

The mysterious Rwandese told Robert Kabuye on Ekiba Kibe program that his name is Ntare which means a lion in Kinyarwanda. Ntare said that, while in Mr. Museveni’s NRA, he served in Lubiri, Katabi, Mbarara, Toro, the North, and other places.

Asked by Mr. Kabuye if Buganda can liberate herself since she is much bigger than Rwanda, Ntare replied in Luganda: “Abaganda muli bangi era mwesobola. Musomye, mulina sente, mulina abaana, mulina baakapu mu nsi yonna… Muve mu kutya.” (”You Baganda have a large population and are very capable. You are well educated, have money, have children, and have a based around the world… You must stop being cowards!”).

Click on Ekiba_Kibe23Feb10D and Ekiba_Kibe23Feb10E to listen to Robert Kabuye’s two part interview with Ntare.

Robert Kabuye says no to the claim by UDII members that every one against the presidency of Yoweri Museveni is fighting for the same thing. In his Ekiba Kibe program of February 8, 2010, Mr. Kabuye make it clear that when he organized the Baganda demonstration of January 26, 2010 at the United Nations, he advertised that it was about the liberation of Buganda.  He says: “Buganda Post kyeyayogera kyali kituufu..byetwakootinga byaali bituufu. Kubanga ffe twategeka okwekalakaasa kwe New York era kwali kuyitibwa ‘Okununula Buganda’” (“Buganda Post was correct. What we quoted was correct. Because we organized the New York demonstration and it was called ‘Liberating Buganda’”). Mr. Kabuye requests the UDII people to come out and state what their true objectives are [not just saying that they are against Museveni].

Mr. Kabuye and his Ekiba Kibe program are  probably the most visible action ever by disapora Baganda to advocate for Buganda liberation without apology or signs of “ate banagamba batya?” (“what will the others say?”). According to our sources in Boston, many older Baganda with dreams of becoming major political figures in Uganda have made attempts to claim closeness to Kabuye. Even Ruhakana Rugunda, the NRM ambassador  to the UN, has reportedly paid people to set up fronts to recruit Kabuye and then disorganize him. However, most of the them have been disappointed when the Ekiba Kibe program and Bu man has stubbornly insisted that anything he does must be focused on the liberation Buganda from Museveni, the NRM and their occupation Uganda constitution. Kabuye says on his program that Buganda must be ruled as an independent kingdom with Kabaka on top. And he has previously explained that the independent nation system worked for over 600 years. Yet the foreign systems of Unitary, Regional Tier, Decentralization, and Federo have all failed to work for Buganda and Uganda in the last  40 years.

In a related story, we have been able to confirm reports that Kibanda Cinema (video hall) operators in Wandegeya (Kyadondo county), Kalisizo (Buddu county) and Mukono (Kyaggwe county) were caught by the NRM police playing Ekiba Kibe programs to their customers and were told to stop or they will be arrested. The CDs with the recordings were also confiscated.

Click on Ekiba_Kibe08Feb10B to listen to the February 8, 2009 Ekiba Kibe broadcast.

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.

The Baganda nationalist group, Abazzukulu ba Buganda, insists that the Kingdom of Buganda has no legal or political obligation to Uganda.  A statement that was issued to Baganda communities around the world on January 6, 2010 by Abazzukulu says that in 1962 the an independent Buganda nation entered into a legal agreement with 14 other territories to form one country called Uganda. The statement goes on to explain that in 1966, the then legal government of Uganda unilaterally violated and abrogated the 1962 contract. This violation of the Uganda national contract both expelled Buganda from Uganda and made the presence of the Uganda government on Buganda territory illegal.

Abazzukulu ba Buganda argue, therefore, that Buganda has no legal obligation to have a political relationship with Uganda, or any other party, and Buganda is free to declared herself a free and independent country. The statement, which was signed by the chairman of Abazzukulu, Mr. Junju Kamulari, concludes that: “What is called the ‘Uganda Government’ exists illegally. And for Buganda to be free and independent, she does not need to secede from Uganda; she just needs to recognize and make her 1966 expulsion from Uganda official.”

The original statement, in Luganda, is reproduced below:

DDEMBE LYA BUGANDA OKWEFUGA YOKKA

Mu 1962, Buganda yatuula n’amawanga amalala 14 e London nebakola endagaano eyali ettondawo ensi entongole Uganda eyawamu ne Gavumenti y’ayo. Endagaano eyo n’eteeka amawanga 15 agaagikola wansi w’obufuge bwa Gavumenti ya Uganda.Era omwo Buganda mweyapangisiza  Gavumenti ya Uganda ettaka ly’eKampala n’eNtebe ekolereko emirimo gyayo. Okufanana amawanga amalala 14, Buganda endagaano yagiteekako omukono ng’eGgwanga ettongole.

Mu 1966 eyali gavumenti ya Uganda entuufu endagaano eyali egitondawo ng’egiwa ebbeetu okufuga Buganda yagimenyawo. Kino kyali kitegeeza era kikyategeeza

nti Buganda yagobwa mu Uganda mu 1966. Era nti Gavumenti ya Uganda yeegoba yokka ku ttaka lye’Kampala ne Ntebe.

Kino kitegeeza nti kati Buganda terina ndagaano ya Bufuge na muntu yenna era nti kati Buganda erina ebbeetu OKWEFUGA YOKKA.  Kitegeeza nti kati tewateekwa kubeerawo, kiyitibwa oba kyeyita “Gavumenti ya Uganda”. Kitegeeza nti kati ekyeyita oba ekiyitibwa “ Gavumenti ya Uganda” kiriwo mu bumenya bw’amateeka.Kitegeeza nti kati Buganda okwefuga tekigyeetaagisa kwekutulako ku Uganda, wabula kigyetaagisa kukkiriza bukkiriza kugobwa kwaayo mu Uganda.

M. Junju Kamulari  (Ssentebe)

Olukiiko lw’Abazzukulu ba Buganda