On August 24, 2009, Kabaka Ronald Mutebi II decried the growing mod violence by land squatters (bibanja holders) against legal land owners.  The Kabaka was opening the 17th session of the Great Lukiiko (Buganda national parliament) . The Kabaka said:  ”"For generations  in Buganda there has been a smooth  working relationship between land owners and bibanja holders.  Now, there is no harmony between the two sides because each suspects the other one. ”  He called for a solution to be found to stop the situation from getting out of control.

The Kabaka did not blame any party for the violence. However, according to sources at Mmengo, Kabaka Mutebi is very concerned about the ongoing FM radio campaigns by John Tamale Mirundi, encouraging squatters to attack land owners. Mirundi uses Star FM, TOP Radio and other FM stations to tell his targeted listeners: “When those land owners bring court brokers or surveyors and try to evict you, defend your selves. Be ready to use pangas  (machetes), sticks and fire to get rid them.”  In the last two months, mobs of bibanja holders have murdered two landlords in Bugerere county alone. In Makukulu Village, Sam Kubo was lynched last week when he went to survey his land in the area.  And on July 31, 2009, squatters in Namatogonya village, also in Bugerere,  beat  the owner’s agent, Livingstone Ssekamate, unconscious and then burnt his alive.

Along with Robert Mukhooli Kabushenga, Tamale Mirundi is believed to be one of Mr. Museveni’s two most trusted strategy advisors on Buganda.  As Mr. Museveni’s Presidential Press Secretary, Tamale Mirundi is widely believed by rural land squatters to be speaking on behalf of the Ugandan strong man. The emerging consensus among Buganda analysts is that president  Museveni may be creating the terror because Mmengo seems to have successfully blocked his Land Act Amendment of 2009 the way they did with the his Regional Tier. But there are some who believe that Mr. Museveni is popularizing violence as part of a bigger vision to create a genocide in Buganda.

This is not the first time that Museveni and Tamale Mirundi have engaged in FM radio campaigns to promote violence in Buganda. In January 2009 we reported that Mirundi and his boss were engaged in an intense anti-Buganda FM Radio campaign similar to the  ones that were blamed for the 1994 Rwanda genocide (see “Museveni Sending Dangerous Message Through Tamale Mirundi“).

Mr. Moses Bukenya, the current Vice Chair of Gwangamujje Boston has made a posting on Buganda Post where he says that his character was slandered when, according to him, it was suggested that he supports the NRM. Bukenya specifically requested that a correction be made to reverse the impression that he is an NRM supporter and the implied accusation that he had committed the “heinous crime” of plotting against the kingdom. Mr. Bukenya’s posting does not however deny his involvement in the changing of the Ttabamiruka ’09 date from Labor Day weekend to May or July. For many Baganda all over the world, changing the Ttabamiruka date to make it less convenient to attendees is viewed as sabotage.

When contacted about Mr. Bukenya’s posting, our Boston source argued that Bukenya was trying to deflect the most important questions, “Did he, Kalemba and others (not yet to be mentioned) meet on October 26th and change Ttabamiruka ’09 to July 4, which, by coincidence, agrees with what the NRM needs?  Or is it still September 4th? And, is he a key UNAA organizer (New York and Florida), which UNAA has accepted money from Mr. Museveni’s NRM government through one Byaruhanga?”

In light of the response from our original source for the story n Boston, this reporter makes the correction requested by Mr. Bukenya. For the record, Mr. Bukenya, the Vice Chair of Ggwangamujje Boston, is not a supporter of the NRM. And he is not knowingly “working with any individual or government while transacting Gwangamujje business and/or other affairs.” We regret anyinconvenience caused.

However, we stand by our story that on October 26, 2008 Mr. Bukenya joined Mr. Kalemba and others, yet to be named, at a meeting in the greater Boston area and agreed to change the Ttabamiruka ’09 date from the first weekend in September to July 4th, 2009. And that they did it fully aware that it would advantage the UNAA convention at the expense of Ttabamiruka ’09. Additionally, Mr. Bukenya has been actively involved in the organization of UNAA conventions; and UNAA officials have received large cash contributions from Uganda’s NRM government in connection with their organizing and their conventions.

Mr. Bukenya’s unedit posting is reproduced below:

My name is Moses Bukenya, current vice chair of Gwanga Mujje Boston Chapter and I’d like to express my utter shock at the article you authored that implicated me being an nrm supporter and the insinuations that myself together with others are planning to sabotage the planned ttabamiruka convention here in Boston.

For the record, i am not an NRM supporter, am not working for any individual or government while transacting Gwanga Mujje business and/or other affairs. I AM A PROUD MUGANDA AND MY FAMILY ARE PROUD BAGANDA WHO HAVE SERVED THE KINGDOM WITH DISTINCTION. I feel betrayed that a publication like yours that claims to lobby for and advance Buganda’s interests can publish such a story without seeking out comment from the main people i.e myself you wrote about and hearing their side so as to present balanced reporting and let the readers decide who is telling the truth. If you had contacted me prior to your publishing your article, i could have said on the record that i am not a supporter of NRM and do not work for them or any other apart from doing my best to serve Buganda’s interests. And most importantly, I’d have challenged anyone to produce evidence and/or proof that i work for the NRM and that i am sabotaging Buganda’s interests here in the diaspora and in Uganda.

I will not stand for having my character slandered, defamed and dragged through the mud. Now it is true that there are differences in opinion in the way we percieve issues in the running of Gwanga Mujje in Boston and in my opinion that’s understandable among cilivised folk. But to label all those one disagrees with as NRM insiders without backing up those claims really defeats the purpose of all those fighting for Buganda’s cause and i count myself among them.

The main purpose of writing this letter is to request you and/or your editorial staff to correct this anomaly. I have been wrongly accused of what i consider to be a heinous crime i.e plotting against the kingdom and i strongly demand that the record be set straight. My email address is momobukenya@gmail.com and my cell is (617)913-5793. I am doing this because i believe in due process and due diligence. There is nonthing here that in my opinion can not and/or could not have been resolved with a simple phone call. I expect to hear from you ASAP. I believe we can clear the air promptly. I however reserve the right to seek redress, legal of otherwise if the record is not set straight.

sincrerely,
Moses Bukenya
Vice chair
Gwanga Mujje Boston

Kampala Mayor and convicted money launderer, Nasser Sebaggala, has declared  “war” on Betty Nambooze, for what he claimed to be her disrespectful behavior towards him. Nambooze was the moderator of a Democratic Party leadership meeting that sat at Christ the King church conference hall. Problems started when, before the first item on the agenda was touched,  Sebaggala demanded that Nambooze give him the microphone to address the meeting because he had to rush to another meeting.  Nambooze resisted what was apparent indiscipline on the part of Mayor Sebaggala, explaining that the conference should follow the agenda and all speakers should contribute in the pre-determined order, to maintain  a sense or organization.

In a move that did not surprise those familiar with the current state of in the DP, President General Ssebaana Kizito and Secretary General Mathias Nsubuga openly disagreed with Nambooze’s call for discipline and order behavior. Indeed the added to the chaos when Nsubuga, with cheering from Ssebaana Kizito, grabbed the microphone from the speaker who had the floor and gave it to Sebaggala.

Sources in DP have told this reporter that the events at Christ the King are only symptoms of the high tension in the party between the “Buganda” wing and the “Uganda” wing. People like Nambooze and Lukwago are in the Buganda wing and they are highly suspected to be putting Buganda first and the party second.  For example when Nambooze gained freedom from captivity after Mr. Museveni ordered his kidnap, chose to suspend her DP activities for a couple of months but kept speaking for Buganda even while in the hospital.  Nambooze also works closely with other Buganda champions from other parties, like Daudi Mpanga (Independent), Beti Kamya (FDC), Hussein Kyanjo (Jeema), Lubega Sseggona (Independent), Kaddu Mukasa (Independent), etc. Overall, these people are not corrupt and are highly popular in Buganda.

According to the sources, the DP old-guard like Ssebaana and Sebaggala are scared that the focus that young Baganda in DP are putting on Mmengo and Buganda, is making them irrelevant.  To them, the popularity that Nambooze, Lukwago their colleagues enjoy  in Kampala and Buganda is undermining DP in other areas.

The mistreatment of Nambooze by Sebaggala and Ssebaana comes at a time when Kiiza Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) is also in a miserable campaign to discredit Lubaga North MP, Beti Kamya, apparently for committing the same crime as Nambooze – putting Buganda first. Beti has already publicly declared her intention to make respect for Buganda’s interests the litmus test for any politician who wants to engage the new generation of Baganda.  Conventional wisdom in Buganda is that FDC is all but dead in Buganda because, at this time, Besigye and his team are still holding on to the illusion that they are the future saviors of Kabaka Mutebi’s people.

The government of China has donated one billion Uganda Shillings for the construction of schools in Uganda, starting with Kawanda Secondary School in Mawogola County of Buganda. The Chinese Ambassador to Uganda, His Excellency Sun Heping made the official announcement at the school’s ground breaking ceremony in Sembabule, Mawogola.

According to the ambasaddor, the Republic of China will spend 700,000 US dollars this year, about 1.1billion Uganda shillings to improve the education and health sector in the country. The construction of Kawanda and Kirihura schools are part of school projects in eight areas earmarked by the Chinese government to enhance China-Africa cooperation.

A Chinese construction company, Jiangxi International will do the construction of Kawanda secondary school.  Construction work will be completed in a period of 6 months. The school will have 6 classrooms, 1 ICT Laboratory, 2 science laboratories, a library, 3 dormitories, and a basketball court.

Mawogoola is one of the counties worst hit by the collapse of the Uganda education system over the last 20 years.  President Museveni’s Universal Primary Education (UPE) program has lowered standards to where some children complete 7 years of school without mastering Multiplication and Division in Math. There is a severe shortage of teachers, due to low pay compared to the now popular Iraq security guard jobs. And the ferrying of thousands of Rwandese and Balaalo into the area by Mr. Museveni’s government is creating an artificial explosion of child population in the countty that boarder Ankole.

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.

In an apparent jab at Kabaka Mutebi, President Museveni’s primer minister, Apollo Nsibambi praised the late Kyabazinga of Busoga, Henry Mulooki for “following the national constitution and not engaging in politics, like other cultural leaders I will not mention.” Nsibambi was representing Mr. Museveni’s government at the Sunday funeral services for the late Kyabazinga at the Church of Uganda cathedral in Bugembe, outside Jinja.

Early in 2007, Ssabasajja Kabaka, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi rejected Mr. Museveni’s planned amendments to the Land Act of 1998, which would, among other things, enable Banyankore, Bakiga, Rwandese, Indians and others to permanently take 9,000 square miles of Buganda native lands. The Kabaka also instructed his subjects to oppose the draft bill. Frustrated that Baganda are massively obeying their Kabaka and opposing the proposed law amendments, Mr. Museveni and his assistants accuse Kabaka Mutebi of playing politics and breaking the constitution. In July 2008, Mr. Museveni’s government kidnapped three Kabaka’s officials who have spoken out against Mr. Museveni’s land reforms and illegally tortured and held them in captivity for nearly a week. They were later charged with sedition but the cases appear to have been abandoned by Mr. Museveni.

Prime Minister Nsibambi’s veiled attack on Kabaka Mutebi took place in the presence of the Kabaka’s wife the Nnabagereka of Buganda, Sylvia Nnaginda and Deputy Katikkiro of Buganda, Emmanuel Ssendaula. Nsibambi is himself a Muganda, of Ffumbe (civet cat) clan and used to be a highly respected Kabaka’s official before being appointed Prime Minister by Mr. Museveni.

President Museveni is not coming to the UNAA convention after all. A member of the UNAA convention organizing committee has informed Buganda Post, on condition of anonymity, that President Museveni dropped plans to attend the UNAA convention in Florida, USA due to lack of cooperation from a few of the organizers, especially UNAA President, Lt. Frank Musisi. The source did not give details regarding the decision but speculated that President Museveni was unwilling to come to a conference where things could become unmanageable.

Buganda Post broke the story about President Museveni’s plan to attend the convention on August 15, 2008 (see President Museveni Set for UNAA Conference). Lt. Musisi, the UNAA President disputed the story in his blog which we also reported on August 19, 2008 (UNAA President Denies President Museveni is Coming to Florida Convention). It is not clear whether Lt. Musisi had been left out of the plans to bring Mr. Museveni or if he publically refuted the Buganda Post story to send a clear signal that he would fight Mr. Museveni’s attendance.

In a related development, our UNAA source told Buganda Post that former Katikkiro Mulwaanyamuli Ssemwogerere might arrive late or, maybe, even fail to attend the Florida convention due to flight connection problems. According to Lt. Musisi’s blog, Owek. Ssemwogerere will represent the Buganda government during Land Bill discussions.

In a move that could signal attempts to diminish the influence CBS Radio, Katikkiro JB Walusimbi held a high profile meeting with a delegation from Uganda government owned Bukedde FM Radio in his office yesterday. The Bukedde FM delegation included Bill Tibingana, Bill Mboigana, Kolumbasi Olunya, Paul Kaddu and Helene Nakacwa. The Buganda government side included Katikkiro Walusimbi, Information Minister Charles Peter Mayiga and Tourism Minister Florence Kiyingi. Bukedde FM radio is a Luganda radio station that was opened only months ago after public statements by President Yoweri Museveni that he would fight CBS Radio propaganda with his own radio.

CBS Radio, which is the official radio station of Buganda government and Ssabasajja Kabaka, is by far the most popular Luganda radio station in the country. After more than 10 years in operation and carrying popular personalities such as Betty Nambooze, Betty Kamya, Hussein Kyanjo and Medard Lubega, it’s considered the source of truth by a majority of Baganda. Since the departure Katikkiro Mulwaanyamuli Ssemogwerere President Museveni has regularly accused CBS Radio station to be the mouth piece of his Statehouse opponents and frequently threatens to close it. On July 18, 2008 Mr. Museveni took the first steps towards closing CBS Radio when Mmengo officials, Betty Nambooze, Peter Mayiga and Medard Lubega were kidnapped and held captive for a week, apparently for using CBS Radio to “abuse” the NRM government. Not to upset Mr. Museveni Katikkiro Walusimbi ordered CBS Radio management to tone down all their programs and to discontinue broadcasts by Betty Nambooze, only to be overruled by Kabaka Mutebi.

During their visit to Bulange, Bukedde FM management assured the Katikkiro that the Uganda government owned radio was ready to be a channel for the Buganda government to communicate to Kabaka’s subjects, very much like Bukedde newspaper. They praised Katikkiro Walusimbi for what they called his great efforts to eradicate poverty in Buganda. And they bought Buganda certificates worth 2 million Ushs. However, they reported to the Katikkiro that there are certain Mmengo officials who “harass” them and deny them cooperation.

A jovial Katikkiro Walusimbi expressed his gratitude to the Uganda government radio station, Bukedde FM, and requested the management to add programs that “tell people the truth” and help them develop. He added that it is necessary to fight laziness among Baganda and promised. He revealed that that he was going to start coordinating his plans with LC 5 chairmen to fight poverty starting with making sure that bars can only open after 5 P.M.

Since Kabaka Mutebi’s intervention against the Katikkiro’s decision to discontinue Betty Nambooze from CBS Radio, Katikkiro Walusimbi appears between a rock and a hard place. On one hand he cannot directly disobey Kabaka Mutebi and on the other he cannot afford to ignore Mr. Museveni’s demands that CBS Radio be tamed.

Taking the cue from President Museveni on Uganda politics and Dr. Besigye in FDC party politics many non-Baganda, especially in the American UNAA network, are drumming up hatred against Baganda on the Internet. Ironically, the founders of UNAA and about 90% of the organizers of the UNAA convention are Baganda. However, thanks to funding by President Museveni and Vice President Bukenya, the organization has become the NRM’s most important tool for fighting Baganda organizations in the diaspora.

Below, this columnist shares one example of the anti-Gandaism that is rampant on the UNAA network. In the message below, one Engineer David Basobokwe (dbasobokwe@yahoo.co.uk) demonstrates the type of anti-Ganda rhetoric that Baganda who lead UNAA will happily live with, in exchange for Mr. Museveni’s money. Note that this man, if this is his true name, lives in Kampala, Buganda.

This columnist argues that Baganda, starting with Katikkiro Walusimbi, must realize that no type of appeasement or negotiations can deal with the type of hatred expressed by Engineer David Basobokwe against Baganda. And it is the hatred that is responsible for the land grabbing in Buganda, impoverishment of Baganda and other targeted anti-Buganda programs. These Basobokwe types  must be isolated and fully exposed for what they are.

From: David Basobokwe
To: Oryema Johnson
Cc: ugandans-at-heart@googlegroups.com ; northernlightnet@yahoogroups.com ; mulindwa@look.ca ; north south
Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2008 2:05 PM
Subject: Baganda Nonsense.

Eng.David Basobokwe
 
Kampala.

On January 27, 2008, Sekanyolya requested Katikkiro Walusimbi to "drop" Gilbert Bukenya and start to lead. This was when newly appointed Walusimbi had jointly appeared at ceremonies with Museveni’s Vice President Bukenya, where he publically advocated for negotiations between Kabaka Mutebi and Mr. Museveni. The events that have unfolded in Buganda over the last ten days seem to confirm that Sekanyolya’s legal advisor was corrrect after all when he said "“I know J B well but we must wait before we can say whether he has the guts and strategic skills to match even 50% of Muliika." Sekanyola’s full posting of January 27, 2008 is reproduced below:

Katikkiro Walusimbi Urged To Drop Bukenya And Start Leading

The word on Ganda Street is that, based on first impressions, Katikkiro J B Walusimbi needs to change gears fast if he is to allay Baganda’s fears that he might too politically naïve to deal with the extermination war that Museveni is waging against Buganda. One Makerere Nkoba za Mbogo student echoed the feelings of most in Sekanyolya’s favorite Nakulabye joint when he said, “The problem with Walusimbi is that he does not understand that images matter. It was a disgrace that, he chose to announce his new plans for Buganda in the company of Gilbert Bukenya, a Museveni boot licker. Bukenya represents the most negative things about Baganda and has no use for us 80% of Baganda who are younger than 30 years, poor, unemployed, being chased off their land, and helpless.” Sekanyolya’s Kampala legal consultant, who is a fixture in the Nakulabye joint, went as far as accusing Sekanyolya of misleading Baganda that Walusimbi will not disappoint them as Katikkiro (See “Kabaka Appoints Highly Credible Muganda Katikkiro and Brings Muliika Back to Mmengo”. He said, “I know J B well but we must wait before we can say whether he has the guts and strategic skills to match even 50% of Muliika. The only major things that Walusimbi has done so far is say that he wants Baganda to stop talking and start working but he also wants to negotiate with Museveni. Is he trying to tell Baganda that he is the only one allowed to talk – with Bukenya and Museveni – the way Katende, Mulwaanyamuli, Mayiga and Makubuya did? If I could, I would urge J B to shift gears away from Mmengo’s old focus on Museveni and his men. If he wants Baganda to work then he must first assure them that he is a solid leader capable of resisting Museveni’s conspiracies. But he cannot do that when his favorite hobby is hanging out with Museveni’s Bukenya, schoolmate and fellow Catholic or not.”