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.

There are signs that a still unknown group could be getting training and carrying out terror operations in Buddu county, reportedly in demand for Buganda Federo.  Since January 2009, the group has harassed or killed over 50 people around Kyanamukaaka, Kyesiiga, Kiziba, Mutondo, Bisanje and surrounding areas in Kabaka’s Buddu county.  According to local residents, the group previously dropped leaflets in the area warning area MP and Museveni confidant, Edward Sekandi, to resign as MP and speaker of parliament if he cannot support Federo for Buganda. According to reports, the victims tend to be either Banyankore or Banyarwanda, even though some use Kiganda names.

The affected areas are generally along the Masaka to Mutukula road.  Since 2006, these areas have reportedly seen an influx of money, believed to be from either Uganda government or Rwandese sources, to enable Banyarwanda to buy huge pieces of local land. In mid 2008, violence broke out when a Rwandese national bought 1.5 square miles of settled land from a Muganda and started evicting Baganda bibanja (plot) holders, making them homeless. There is a high level of frustration and anger among Baganda, especially unemployed youths, about what they see as neglect and victimization by Mr. Museveni’s government in favor of foreigners.

Both the commander of Uganda police, Kale Kayihura, himself a Munyarwanda, and Edward Sekandi, the area MP, told the government New Vision newspaper on July 10, 2009 that the night killings are the work of criminal thugs. However, neither of them could explain why in many cases the killers, who mostly use machetes (pangas) leave behind easy to carry expensive property.

According to a source close to Mr. Museveni’s state house, the president first received intelligence reports over 1 year ago that Baganda might start an insurgency against government.  The source claimed: “Except if he is pretending and it is his own terror operation, president Museveni seems to be confused about how to face Baganda armed groups on Buganda territory. Given the extreme levels of corruption in the security organizations the intelligence reaching the President, especially about the loyalty of Baganda NRMs is often faulty and misleading. For example, it appears that many local Baganda in Masaka have a lot of information, which they are not sharing with the local DISO or police because they strongly disagree with Museveni on land and Kabaka issues. Some of these NRM officials are the ones who call Mambo Baado on CBS Radio and say, ‘Tukooye abasajja!’ (‘We are fed up with these people!’). Others also feel that Museveni is going and they now want to keep their distance”.

A  New York based Muganda analyst and thought leader thinks that Baganda need more information before getting excited about this so called Baganda insurgency for Federo. He explained: “First, the tactic of terrorizing civilians in the area which is supposed to benefits from a new war has Museveni’s fingerprints all over. Many Luwero veterans have publicly admitted that the NRA used staged ‘Obote murders’ in Bulemeezi and north Kyadondo to recruit unsuspecting relatives to fight for Museveni. Therefore, I would not be shocked if this is an NRM group created to terrorize Baganda in Buddu and to trap potential volunteers. But even if it is not Museveni, one still has to ask if this could not be Acholis, Rwandese or anti-Museveni Balaalo trying to once again ‘use’ Baganda as stepping stones.”

The analyst added: “Remember that in 1995 Museveni started a policy of cutting down all forests in Buganda, even Mabira. The job to carry out the policy was assigned to Bakiga to be supervised by Kahinda Otafiire and Salim Saleh. Most Ugandans mistakenly believed that the objective was just to make money from timber. Yes, Kahinda Otafiire, Saleh and even Mrs. Janet Museveni made millions of dollars from timber but to Yoweri Museveni, the key thing was to wipe out all possible training grounds for anti-NRM forces in Buganda. Why did Museveni leave the forests in southern Buddu untouched? If he did it intentionally for future covert operations or as a possible escape route, then there is a 75% chance that the Buddu insurgency is a Museveni ‘kiwaani’ (fake) to terrorize Baganda and trap his potential enemies. If it is not, we will find out soon enough.”