Four loyal subjects of Kabaka Muwenda Mutebi of Buganda have taken the NRM Buganda occupation government to its own constitutional court, requesting the jurists to rule the blocking of the Kabaka’s visit to Bugerere county unconstitutional. The petitioners are Omutaka Edward Kamya Lugonvu who is the Katikkiro of Mamba clan, Omutaka Dr Adam Kimala, also an elder in the Mamba clan together with Charles Ssenkungu Walugendo and Ms Sayida Najjuka who are both residents of Bugerere county (Bagerere).

On behalf of the their clients Balikuddembe and Co Advocates and Godfrey Lule Legal Consultants, petitioned the Uganda constitutional court to rule that in barring the Kabaka and his Katikkiro Eng. John Baptist Walusimbi from visiting Kayunga in Bugerere County on September 12, the government contravened various provisions of the Constitution, including Article 21 which outlaws discriminatory acts.

Dr. Adam Kimala is a leading Muganda conservative intellectual. He and his lawyer, Godfrey Lule, were among the closest supporters and advisors to former Katikkiro Daniel Muliika as he (Muliika) taught Mmengo and Buganda how to “wake up” and resist the occupation.

Omulongo Kamya submitted an affidavit t stating that, among other things, while the Baganda, including those in the Diaspora are not compelled to pay allegiance to the Kabaka in any way, loyalty is rendered on their “own free will” and to prevent the kingdom’s people from associating in their diverse cultural norms “violates” their constitutional right to freedom of association.

The Attorney General of the NRM occupation government, Kiddu Makubuya, has up to 14 days within which to formally respond to the petition.

The current Uganda constitution was enacted in 1995 against the wishes of Baganda, the most influential and wealthiest of Uganda’s many ethnic groups. According to the Odoki Commission which surveyed Ugandans for input into the  new constitution, 90% of Buganda residents demanded federal form of government.  However, with support from Norway, Denmark and Sweden, Museveni’s NRM froced an arbitrary “decentralization form of government” into the constitution . Despite heavy promotion by Museveni co-conspirator at the time, Jaberi Bidandi Ssali, Baganda rejected Museveni’s decentralization and immediately started to agitate for the federal (federo) constitution. It is the 10 years of Buganda agitation for federo and Museveni’s brutal response that led to the huge demonstrations of September 10-11, 2009 and Museveni’s massacre of 30 Baganda. Over 65% of Uganda’s armed forces are now stationed in Buganda, 20% of the size, which puts the kingdom under armed occupation by the NRM government and its Banyankore, Bakiga, Banyarwanda and other collaborators.

Uganda’s vice president, Dr. Gilbert Bukenya has told Kabaka Mutebi and his subjects to forget about  the Federo, which they are agitating for.  Bukenya is supposed to have made these statements in an interview that is published in government owned and controlled Sunday Vision of September 6, 2009. Bukenya was echoing the statement made by president Museveni, during a July 12, 2009 public debate On WBS TV, where he (Museveni) declared: “I can never allow Federo for Buganda”.

August 16, 2009 Bukenya attended the Coronation Anniversary celebrations in Lubiri where Omutaka Nakirembeka chided the vice president and other Baganda members of the NRM government for  parroting their anti-Buganda bosses. Kabaka Mutebi , in what appeared to be a veiled reference to Museveni’s TV declaration, made clear that Buganda would not tolerate any more double-talk on Federo. The Kabaka said: “When we hear some people saying that they don’t know what Federo means, I think they have failed to understand what we mean. You should reply to them that Federo is all about justice and truth, and this is what we demand.”

On his part, Bukenya told Kabaka Mutebi and the tens of  thousands of Baganda present that:  ”Buganda’s Federo concerns are genuine and we need to talk about them seriously. I will make sure to recommend to the appropriate authorities that they be handled.”  Apparently  Bukenya  chose the newspaper interview format to inform  Kabaka Mutebi and his subjects to forget Federo, only saying, “We are giving them a regional government.”

Below is what Bukenya told Moses Mulondo of the new vision in response to a question on Federo. According to our sources in Ugandan media, Bukenya and Uganda state house were involved in composing both the question and the answer . Moreover, Bukenya’s answer was first  shown to the Uganda state house, by Robert Kabushenga, before publication. Therefore, all the vagueness (kavuyo) it contains is intentional.

Question: Do you think Buganda’s demands on federalism are genuine?

Answer: Lets  first of all make this very clear. Long time ago when the Europeans came to the centre of Africa here, there was an absolute monarchy. All the power and the leadership was enthroned in the king of that kingdom. He would even order for the killing of a person if he wanted. When the British came in they started taking away power from the king and giving it to the chiefs.

That was the beginning of process of reducing absolute monarchism. By 1950 monarchism was beginning to die out because the colonialists had introduced elections. Once they introduced the system of one  man one vote, democracy began to take over from the monarchy. Today you would be wasting time or dreaming if you thought of going back to the absolute federalism of the monarchy we used to have before the colonialists

But the Buganda kingdom is not demanding for the federalism it had before colonialism, rather, it is demanding for the federalism it got in 1962 after we had acquired independence

But the 1962 federalism is what we are giving them. We are giving them a regional government. They told you to manage many things; I do not know what they were told to manage in 1962. However, I want this to be re-emphasised for it seems to be our major disagreement. In a democratic arrangement you cannot expect that there will ever be a leader of a government without their being voted for by the population. It’s not possible.

That is why we have been saying, ‘why we don’t dissolve some power by creating regional governments whose leaders will be voted for by the people?’ The central government can give some power and you can call that federalism. But the previous federalism of an absolute monarchy is gone forever.

The full interview is available in the Interview sections of the Sunday Vision at www.sundayvision.co.ug.

On August 16, 2009, Ssabasajja Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II excited Baganda all over the world when he made it clear that, despite president Museveni thinking that Federo is out of question, Buganda will continue her fight for self-determination and ultimately win. Kabaka Mutebi was addressing tens of thousands of Baganda who turned up at Lubiri to celebrate the 16th anniversary of his coronation onto the Namulondo of Buganda.

Kabaka Mutebi, who returned from a 3 day tour of his Buvuma county during the middle of last week, drew thunderous cheers when he said: “When we hear some people saying that they don’t know what Federo means, I think they have failed to understand what we mean. You should reply to them that Federo is all about justice and truth, and this is what we demand.”  The Kabaka made it clear that Federo, with some powers leaving the center and going to regional governments like Buganda, is essential for Uganda to be stable and grow. And he lamented the fact that, even the colonialists practiced more justice than seen today. He told his attentive audience: “If someone is fighting for what has been stolen from him, you may not be able to stop him. It may be impossible for you to make him forget his cause. Whenever our people talk about Federo, what they mean is ‘we want justice’.”

Before the Kabaka spoke, the Chairman of Abataka Abakulu b’Ebika, Omutaka Nakirembeka, Alan Waliggo, told the mammoth crowd of Baganda that President Museveni’s claim that Buganda will never get Federo should be a warning to us, to be careful about voting for non-Baganda leaders.  He said: “We are fed up with being used and abused. We shall remain in constant tears until we are in charge of what we get instead of letting others decide.”

The crowd broke into extended laughter when Kabaka’s Minister of State for Information, Medard Lubega Sseggona, told President Museveni’s vice, Gilbert Bukenya: “Please go and educate you friends on how to be loyal to the Kabaka of Buganda.” According to our sources in Mmengo, Bukenya takes full advantage of his very close and long friendship with Katikkiro JB Walusimbi to get himself invited to virtually every public event attended by Kabaka Mutebi.

While it is too early to tell, reports from around Kampala, Mukono and Entebbe, as well as emails from Los Angeles, London and Nairobi, suggest that Baganda here and overseas are very pleased by the Kabaka’s performance. One short email from London fairly represents the general pleasure expressed by Baganda we have heard from: “Nakato: I don’t know if you guys are reporting the news from Kampala about Kabaka’s and Omutaka’s statements in Lubiri. Emplogoma ebogodde! We feel much better after the weak and safe voices of the last 10 days. Awangaale Ssabasajja!”.

A source in the Uganda Media Centre, has told this reporter that one of the best known Baganda clan leaders is the main author of Namwatulira, a pro-Museveni propaganda column in a government owned newspaper. The same clan leader is reported to have been on Museveni’s payroll, on and off, for many years. The Namwatulira column is specifically designed to send subconscious level messages to Baganda to always be moderate and patient when dealing with Mr. Museveni. From time to time it pretends to speak against government decisions on Buganda while also consistently painting Mmengo as unreasonable. Indeed, over the past several months it has been softly promoting negotiations and reconciliation between President Museveni and Kabaka Mutebi.

According to the source, “This elder has a long history in the journalism field. The problem is that he is permanently faced with major financial problems due his show-off lifestyle. President Museveni noted these weaknesses in the early 1990s and recruited the gentleman elder to spy on Mmengo and Banda and to quietly push for government’s position on things like Butikiro and Regional Tier. His busiest and most profitable time was when Muliika was the Katikkiro. Because he is much discredited among ordinary Baganda, especially since Katikkiro Ssemwogerere left, writing Namwatulira is now his primary way to earn his state house income, via the government paper.”