We have learnt from highly reliable sources in  President Museveni state house apparatus that the Ugandan strongman may soon disown the brutal actions of Uganda police against Baganda youths in Kayunga.  According to an email message sent through an intermediary, the source says: “Ugandans are going to be surprised when Mr. Museveni will claim that he only learnt about the problems in Kayunga  on Tuesday or Wednesday. He also intends to attack people who claim that he has anything to do with the threatening letter that his minister Kirunda Kivejinja wrote, warning Kabaka not to go to Kayunga, in Bugerere county.”

Our source could not confirm when Mr. Museveni will make the public statements but speculated that he (Museveni) might do it when he meets MPs who come from Buganda on Thursday or Friday.  As for why Museveni plans to do this the source said: “Museveni has no choice this time. He fully understands that  he underestimated the Kabaka and Baganda on this issue of Bugerere. He also knows that he overestimated the influence that Katikkiro Walusimbi and his supporters still have on Kabaka Mutebi’s decisions. The only option he has, as a military man, is a tactical withdraw. And, based on his past behavior he may blame everything on  Kirunda and [Rwandese police commander]  Kale Kayihura.” The MPs are expected to ask Museveni to explain which his government is blocking Kabaka Mutebi from freely moving in Buganda simply because 22 people demonstrated with sigs that they don’t want him to visit without first consulting their leader, who happens to be an active member of the Uganda army.

In May 2009, the Aga Khan’s The Monitor newspaper printed a Uganda government sponsored story claiming that  Kabaka Mutebi postponed his planned  tour of Kayunga, in Bugerere county, due to fear that Banyala residents might demonstrate against him (see “Kabaka Will Visit Bugerere When Youths Are Home “).  This writer established at the time that the true reason was because Kabaka was traveling to Europe on official duties.  Due to conflict with another tour of Buvuma in July/August, the Bugerere trip was finally rescheduled to start on September 12, 2009.

Since Monday, the Uganda police, under the command of Rwandese refugee Kale Kayihura, has obstructed Baganda youth trying to prepare the site for Kabaka’s main ceremonies at Kayunga. They even fired teargas canisters into the car of  Mengo officials who had gone to Kayunga to oversee  the preparations. The Police also kidnapped Baganda youths who were erecting stalls and held them incommunicado for a day. Earlier, a Musoga minister in Museveni’s government, Kirunda Kivejinja wrote to Mmengo, warning that the Kabaka should not go to Bugerere without the agreement of one Baker Kimeze, the Museveni appointed first king “Bunyala”. Museveni created the pseudo kingdoms of Buruli and Bunyala within Buganda, in direct contradiction of his own Uganda constitution, which does not recognize ‘subkingdoms’ within Buganda.

Despite Museveni’s threats and brutal police actions, Kabaka Mutebi instructed his trusted officials like, David Mpanga, Lubega Ssegona, Betty Nabooze, Kabuuza Mukasa and several others, especially in Nkoba za Mbogo, to spearhead “Operation See You in  Kayunga”.   Through these ‘warriors” Kabaka Mutebi informed his subjects that he was determined to go to Kayunga and not allow a repeat of what happened in Buruli.  According to information from the operational command post, headed by Betty Nambooze,  tens of thousands of Baganda are expected to descend on Kayunga on Saturday, based on contacts with Gombolola and Miruka chiefs across Buganda. President Museveni’s internal security organization has informed their boss of these facts. The main reason why Museveni is backing down is because he has no confidence that his police can handle the situation if they try to stop the Baganda.

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.