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.

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.