When Museveni interrupted his tour of Buganda to go to Egypt he was extremely frustrated by the relatively small crowds and unfriendly questions from Baganda peasants about CBS FM Radio. The trip had been promoted as a “Bonna Bagagawale” (”prosperity for all”) tour, in the expecting that impoverished Baganda peasants were only interested in money.

The first sign that Museveni’s tour was in trouble were the relatively small crowds he got in most places in Kyaggwe and Kooki (see “Museveni’s State House Bars Pictures From His Buganda Tour As Crowds Dwindle“). They only showed one “cooked” image at a sports field next to a school, where the RDC had commandeered children from several schools in the area, to create a “crowd”. Our on the ground source tell us, however, that Mr. Museveni was most frustrated by what he calls “disrespectful peasants” who ignore his speeches and keep asking him to explain why he closed CBS Radio. Yet others ask him why he stops Kabaka from travelling freely.

The source told us that by the time Museveni returned to state house to prepare for the Egypt trip, he was so fed up and angry that everyone thinks that he might abandon the Buganda trip. Quote: “Baganda peasants had gotten to his nerves with their questions about CBS Radio, Kabaka and, even Betty Nambooze. He was so angry that you can expect him to get even harder on the issue of reopening CBS Radio.”

According to the source, chances are quite high that Museveni will use the Egypt trip and a diversion so he can abandon his Buganda tour and avoid further embarrassment by poor peasants. Adding: “I think president Museveni is especially concerned about the possibility of Kabaka Mutebi going somewhere and getting his now standard mammoth crowds, on the same day when he (Museveni) is getting harassed by Baganda peasants.”

Uganda’s iron fisted dictator, Yoweri  Museveni, is in the middle of a hurriedly arranged tour of Buganda under the pretext of promoting  ”Bona bagagawale” (”prosperity for all”).  However, Mr. Museveni has attracted such small audiences that his state house has banned all newspapers from publishing photos from the rallies. The decision was taken as soon as Museveni’s handlers observed that when Museveni went to Kyaggwe, in the Kisoga area, he received  crowds that were substantially smaller crowds than the ones his opponent, Kiiza Besigye, had attracted  a few weeks earlier. To further complicate matters for Uganda’s warlord, his crowds tend to be dominated by village idlers and pickpockets and are not always friendly.

One email from a source close to Museveni’s state house says: “The state house simply had no choice but to stop everyone from printing pictures when the crowds in Kyaggwe and Rakai do not even come to even 20% of what Kabaka would attract. And they are also clearly smaller than what Besigye gets. To make things worse, when Kabaka goes places, people roll themselves in the dust on the road asking him to walk over their back. When  the president goes anywhere, people ignore his length speeches and as soon as he finishes start complaining  about everything from terrible roads, land grabbing by ‘foreigners’ and drunkard husbands. In a couple cases he has been asked to explain why he does not leave Kabaka alone.”

In a related development, another Uganda government source who is in contact with Mr. Museveni’s convoy in Rakai, Kooki county, sent us an email to say that Mr. Museveni is spending two days in the area to have more time with his local spies regarding the deteriorating security situation in both Buddu and Kooki counties. And, reportedly, to dish out bribes to local NRM operatives and other locals with a long-term goal of undermining  both Omutaka Kabumbuli and the Kabaka in Kooki.  Museveni reportedly gives out the bribe money  during secret night meetings and, while in the Kooki area, he is sleeping only about 3-4 hours a night.

On March 14, 2009 a conference of so called Uganda’s kings sponsored by president Museveni’s govenment resolved to support anti-Buganda laws such as Regional Tier. More than 50 kings, cultural leaders and chiefsand their prime ministers, and ministers, who met at Masindi Hotel under the chairmanship of he Omukama of Bunyoro, Solomon Gafabusa Iguru. Prominently present were Mr. Museveni’s recently created “minor kings” in Buganda, the Isaabaruuli of Buruuli, Mwatysansozi Mwogeza Butamanya Omubwijwa,  The Isaabanyala of Bunyala Capt. Kimeze Beeka Mpagi Byarufu. Wisely, Ssabajja Kabaka Muwenda Mutebi and the Buganda Mmengo were not involved at all.

According to the press statement circulated by the Press Secretary to the Omukama of Bunyoro,  Henry Ford Miirima, the European Community and the United States government, through the USAID, got directly and actively involved in activitites that appear to aim at dismantling the Buganda Kingdom.  Mr. Miriima’s statement says that the European Union “has pledged to give financial backing to the Kings Forum as long as the body is impeccably transparent” and USAID “assisted” the forum.

The Uganda kings’ forum report is reproduced in full below:

UGANDA KINGS’ FORUM REPORT

Uganda’s kings, cultural leaders and chiefs establish a uniting Forum at a one-day conference at Masindi Hotel March 14, 2009

A congregation of more than fifty of Uganda’s kings, cultural leaders and chiefsand their prime ministers, and ministers, who met at Masindi Hotel March 14, resolved to establish a legal Kings’ forum with a fully fledged Secretariat, based at Kabuusu, Kampala.

Chaired by the Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara, Solomon Gafabusa Iguru, the one-day conference attended by nearly all of Uganda kings and cultural leaders except the Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi, resolved to transform their forum into a registered legal entity with a permanent Secretariat located at Kabuusu in Kampala on a land which was donated by the Kamuswaga of Kooki, His Highness Apolo Isansa II.

To kick-start the Kings Forum their majesties contributed nearly fifteen million Uganda Shillings. While the Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitasra chaired the conference, the Master of Ceremonies was Bunyoro-Kitara’s Speaker of the kingdom’s Parliament, Orukurato Orukuro orw’obukama bwa Bunyoro-Kitara, Rev. Fr. Bonevantura Kyaligonza.

The Speaker informed the Forum that the European Union, which is already organizing another large Cultural Heritage conference in Bunyoro-Kitara in May this year, has pledged to give financial backing to the Kings Forum as long as the body is impeccably transparent and has in place qualified and highly responsible officials to manage the funds of the Forum. Other bodies to assist the Forum are the Uganda Ministry of Gender and USAID.

Noting the absence of the Buganda kingdom delegation, the Kamuswaga of Kooki, Apolo Isansa proposed, and the proposal was adopted, the Forum  send a high-powered delegation to Buganda Kingdom Government to explain the kingdom the benefits and objectives of the Kings’ Forum and how it is intended to uplift the economic, cultural and social well-being of the population in their regions.

Their Majesties made it very clear that the Kings and all Traditional and Cultural leaders need the participation of Buganda Kingdom in this Forum.

Conspicuously present and seated next to the Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara, were The Isaabaruuli of Buruuli, Mwatysansozi Mwogeza Butamanya Omubwijwa,  The Isaabanyala of Bunyala Capt. Kimeze Beeka Mpagi Byarufu.

The Traditional Rulers of Acholi, Alur, Bamasaaba, Tororo, Teso, attended in person.

Nine resolutions adopted.

The Forum which consisted of Kings, Traditional rulers and cultural leaders, chiefs and their Prime ministers, Principal Private Secretaries, and other ministers, all totaling over fifty, passed the following nine  resolutions:

1. All kings, cultural leaders and chief to speak with one strong voice.
2. The Forum to urge the Uganda Government to speed up the formation of the Regional Ties system which was agreed upon by Uganda’s Parliament.
3. The Forum to urge the Uganda to resume the policy of paying royalities to kings and cultural leaders as it was in the past.
4. The Forum to support Bunyoro-Kitara’s demand for the Uganda Government to redress the historical wrongs and injustices in the form of the seven lost counties which were donated and annexed to Buganda kingdom to reward Buganda for her role in assisting British colonizers to colonise Uganda.
5. To register the forum as the National Kings, Cultural leaders and chiefs Forum so that it acquires legality.
6. To streamline the cultural institutions so that there is no consideration of anyone of them as being on top of the others.
7. To strongly advocate and initiate policies to develop, promote and teach our cultural languages and begin examining them from infant schools up to University level.
8. The Forum Secretariat to organize regular press conferences in order to create good, brotherly, and friendly relations with the press. At these press conferences all issues will be addressed by Forum officials either from the Secretariat or as the Forum will see fit.
9. To advocate for the unity of all the people of Uganda and African in general.

While all participants were given a chance to contribute ideas, the key note speech was given by the chairman of the Forum, His Majesty Rukirabasaija the Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara.

Omukama Iguru said, in part,

“We must, as kings, traditional rulers, and cultural leaders convey our collective gratitude to the Government of Uganda for creating an enabling climate for the kingdoms and cultural institutions, and chiefdoms to thrive and serve the people of Uganda with commitment to the sovereign state of Uganda.

“We resolved to speak with one voice but over the last year the kings, traditional rulers and cultural leaders have not been audible enough advocating  for critical, social and cultural development needs for their mutual benefits and the befits of our subjects.

“We decided to  open and facilitate a secretariat for the Forum of Kings, Traditional rulers and cultural leaders in Uganda to handle the day to day activities including transformation of the Forum into a legal entity.  This has not yet been done.

“There is need to urge the Government of Uganda to implement the Regional Tier that parliament has already enacted into law.  The delay has not been explained to our satisfaction. Our collective voice must be heard loud and clear.

There is need to call upon all stakeholders to know the value of land, to protect their rights on it, to correct all historical errors related to land and to secure appropriate legal rights.

There is need for collective mobilization for development of all our subjects that willingly pay allegiance to kings and traditional rulers and cultural leaders. Our subjects must see opur functional value.

After our last meeting came the Lira Declaration that we all signed and have a duty to implement through collective development programmes for cooperating kingdoms and chiefdoms of Uganda and together seeking development partners to fund them and in particular the European Union and other  willing partners. We cannot afford to lose this opportunity.

It is a felt need  in all our institutions that we must ask the Government of Uganda to resume payment of royalties to kingdoms and chiefdoms on forests, game reserves, plantation agriculture and minerals/oil and gas and other natural resources in the various kingdoms and chiefdoms and to lobby members of Parliament in the various kingdoms and chiefdoms to support related changes in the constitution and laws of Uganda.

It is now obvious that we must work together to promote the unity  of Uganda, Eastern Africa, and the entire continent of Africa.

We must call upon development partners to identify themselves with the Forum of Kings, Traditional Rulers, and Cultural Leaders and to support their collective programmes and activities.

There is need for cultivate productive partnership between the press and Kings, Traditional Rulers nd /cultural leaders in Uganda for mutual benefit to replace current malicious publication and sensational reporting by a section of the press.

We need to workd together to promote peace, reconsilitation and ethic co-existence and reverse the historical distortions and errors that have led to ethnic strife emanting from colonial rule.

We need to pool resources to promote and support research, documentation and preservation of culture, arts, languages, customs and our entire cultural heritage and encourage cultural exchange and sharing of experience through inter-kingdom exchanges and meetings.

Finally, it is with great pleasure that I invite you to Hoima to participate in the Europe-Uganda Cultural Village scheduled to be mounted at Hoima in May 2009.

Ends the key note address by Omukama Soloomon Gafabusa Iguru.

Report by;

Henry Ford Miirima
Press Secretary of the OMukama of Bunyoro-Kitara