Uganda NRM government has announced plans to move over 10,000 Bagisu victims of recent landslides in Eastern Uganda to Bugerere of Buganda Kingdom. The county is densely populated and very  politically charged and many Baganda see the move as an effort to reduce their Kabaka’s influence in the area. Bugerere county, and Kayunga town in particular, was the focal point of a confrontation between Uganda’s NRM government and Buganda Kingdom, which led to the massacre of over 30 Baganda.

The Kayunga crisis started when president Museveni ordered his police and army not to allow the Kabaka of Buganda to officiate at a youth function in Kayunga town until the Katikkiro (prime minister of Buganda Kingdom) obtained permission from an NRM installed lead of the minority Buganda ethnic group called the Banyala. The Banyala make up less than 5% of Bugerere’s population.  Kabaka’s government rejected the government’s conditions and sent the Katikkiro to supervise the preparations for Kabaka’s visit. Mr. Museveni’s police and army blocked the Katikkiro and the action led to major rioting throughout major Buganda cities. In the capital, scores of businesses, cars and other properties were destroyed and the NRM police and army killed over 30 Baganda. Hundreds more are feared to have been murdered after thousands were later arrested and many disappeared without trace.

Uganda Bureau of Statistics data shows that 23,000 Bagisu live in Bugerere county already, along with 47,000 Basoga, 95,000 Baganda, and other small groups.  The mud slides were concentrated in  the Bududa area of Bugisu.

According to sources, the NRM government will move between 10,000 and 20,000 Bagisu to Bugerere as soon as possible. The NRM government is soliciting assistance of Red Cross International, UNDP and UNICEF in the move. The three organizations have already helped the government to temporarily house the mudslide victims in secondary schools. The sources add that although there is much more open land in Busoga and other parts of Buganda, the NRM government sees this as a big opportunity to reduce the numeric advantage of Baganda in Bugerere county.

Other sources have told this writer that plans by the NRM to bring over 10,000 Bagisu to an already volatile Bugerere county have raised fears of possible future genocidal violence among both Bagisu and Baganda residents of the county. Some of the long time Bagisu residents of Bugerere who see themselves as Kabaka’s subjects are fearful that they will be lumped together with the new Bagisu invaders. And some Baganda fear that the NRM is doing as a long-term plan to make Baganda a minority in their native lands and create tensions that can lead to genocide in future. If the Red Cross and UN blindly support massive settlement of Bagisu in Bugerere, they could be involved in planting the seeds of future genocide in Buganda.

On March 1, 2010, the host of SMS based Ekiba Kibe program told a man who claims to be a Rwandese soldier that, this time, Buganda does not need foreigners to liberate her. Mr. Kabuye was responding after the man called Ntare described himself as a Cuban traine freedom fighter who ready to fight to liberate Buganda. Mr. Kabuye told Mr. Ntare that the problem is that the people of Buganda are not will anymore to trust foreigners to liberate them.

At one point in the interview Mr. Kabuye asked Mr. Ntare: “Okimanyiiko nti Museveni Munyarwanda?” (”Are you aware that Museveni is Rwandese?”). Ntare replied:

“Museveni Munyarwanda kikumi ku kikumi. Njagala mbategeeze nti Museveni ne Kagame bakolera wamu.” (”Museveni is 100% a Rwandese. 1 want you to know that Museveni and Kagame work together.”).

Later in the interview, Ntare said: “I am a Canadian citizen kikumi ku kikumi, ekyokubiri ndi ready okulwanirira Buganda” (”I am a Canadian citizen 1 00%, secondly 1 am ready to fight for Buganda.”). Mr. Kabuye responded: “Awo abantu kyetutakiriziganya nakyo ssebo … Abaganda … bagamba nti eyali alumiddwa ku musota tosobola kusaawo kugulu nga ogulabye.” (”That is where we cannot agree with you sir. .. Abaganda … have a saying that if you were bitten by a snake before, you cannot put your leg forward when you see a snake.”). Mr. Kabuye continued: “Njagala otuwe birowoozo naye tosobola kutulimba nti ogenda okutulwanirira.” (”I want you to just give us your ideas but do not lie to us that you are going to fight for our liberation.”

Mr. Ntare told Ekiba Kibe listners that he is a Canadian citizen who first run to the USA after running into problems with both the NRM and the Rwandan governments. He says that he moved from the USA to Canada because he believed that he can be more secure there.

On February 23, Ntare told Free Buganda Radio listeners that he was a former soldier in both Uganda and Rwanda (see “Rwandese Former Soldier Says Baganda Must Stop Being Cowards“).

Click on Ekiba_Kibe01Mar10 to listen to Mr. Kabuye’s March 1,200 interview with Mr. Ntare.

The president of the NRM occupation government in Uganda is stubbornly continuing with his tour of Buganda despite increasing rejection by the citizens of the kingdom. After getting embarrassingly small and hostile crowds in Kyaggwe, Butambala, Buddu and Bugerere counties, the Ugandan dictator decided to take his tour to Busiro, where he fought much of the guerrilla war that brought him to power. But his statehouse decided to change tactics after getting reports that, even there, Baganda were plotting to embarrass him by not attending his functions or with tough questions about CBS PM Radio.

A source close to the presidential protection brigade has informed our stringer in Entebbe that Museveni’ s new tactic for the rest of his Buganda tour will be to avoid big public venues and direct contact with politically bold Baganda peasants. The focus is now to be put to reaching as many places as possible but in impromptu meetings at family homes where even if only 30 people come it is not bad. As part of this tactic, state house will arrange for the president to inspect farms and businesses where it is easy to claim that the purpose was not to get big crowds. It is also much harder for the villagers to ask Museveni challenging questions about CBS FM radio or Kabaka when only a few people are around.

Our source also said that Museveni’s new tactic helped him avoid a major embarrassment in Kakiri, Busiro, two days ago. According to the source: “Museveni made a blunder of going to Kakiri, where Kabaka got crowds of tens of thousands of people only a few months ago. State house found out late that the people could be too few so they arranged for him to visit a few farmers and a widow. They also hurriedly arranged for him to stop at Masulita Secondary School and pretend that he went there to open a building, although it had not been on the original program. Obviously they also got the big crowd of the students.”

The source claims that Museveni will not abandon his Buganda tour again, as he did late last year, because he is not willing to allow Kabaka Mutebi or Baganda to determine what happens at the 2011 elections or after. He said: “Museveni will continue with the tour and continue giving bribes to grass roots people, researching why people love the Kabaka, and collecting information on NRM opponents. And they will only have rallies in places where they can bring in people. You are not likely to see too many photos or TV video even in government owned papers and stations because people will automatically compare to Kabaka Mutebi’ s huge crowds.”

Robert Kabuye says no to the claim by UDII members that every one against the presidency of Yoweri Museveni is fighting for the same thing. In his Ekiba Kibe program of February 8, 2010, Mr. Kabuye make it clear that when he organized the Baganda demonstration of January 26, 2010 at the United Nations, he advertised that it was about the liberation of Buganda.  He says: “Buganda Post kyeyayogera kyali kituufu..byetwakootinga byaali bituufu. Kubanga ffe twategeka okwekalakaasa kwe New York era kwali kuyitibwa ‘Okununula Buganda’” (“Buganda Post was correct. What we quoted was correct. Because we organized the New York demonstration and it was called ‘Liberating Buganda’”). Mr. Kabuye requests the UDII people to come out and state what their true objectives are [not just saying that they are against Museveni].

Mr. Kabuye and his Ekiba Kibe program are  probably the most visible action ever by disapora Baganda to advocate for Buganda liberation without apology or signs of “ate banagamba batya?” (“what will the others say?”). According to our sources in Boston, many older Baganda with dreams of becoming major political figures in Uganda have made attempts to claim closeness to Kabuye. Even Ruhakana Rugunda, the NRM ambassador  to the UN, has reportedly paid people to set up fronts to recruit Kabuye and then disorganize him. However, most of the them have been disappointed when the Ekiba Kibe program and Bu man has stubbornly insisted that anything he does must be focused on the liberation Buganda from Museveni, the NRM and their occupation Uganda constitution. Kabuye says on his program that Buganda must be ruled as an independent kingdom with Kabaka on top. And he has previously explained that the independent nation system worked for over 600 years. Yet the foreign systems of Unitary, Regional Tier, Decentralization, and Federo have all failed to work for Buganda and Uganda in the last  40 years.

In a related story, we have been able to confirm reports that Kibanda Cinema (video hall) operators in Wandegeya (Kyadondo county), Kalisizo (Buddu county) and Mukono (Kyaggwe county) were caught by the NRM police playing Ekiba Kibe programs to their customers and were told to stop or they will be arrested. The CDs with the recordings were also confiscated.

Click on Ekiba_Kibe08Feb10B to listen to the February 8, 2009 Ekiba Kibe broadcast.

A few months ago, Buganda Post was the victim of unknown electronic hooligans, who hacked and corrupted our databases (see  “Buganda Post Hacked By Unknown Hooligans” and “NRM Might Be Behind The Attacks On Baganda Web News Outlets“). We still do not know who did it and why but we notice that the same or similar cyber thugs are still attempting to hijack Buganda Post.

To get a long-term solution to the above problem, the Buganda Post website is undergoing a full redesign.  We expect to launch the redesigned Buganda Post site by March 2010.

The redesigned Buganda Post will be more professionally laid out and with better opportunities for Buganda citizens and others interested in the kingdom to exchange information and ideas.  We are doing our best to make sure to keep the familiar, simple look and color scheme of Buganda Post , even as we add more features. For example, we have already put Buganda Post on both Twitter and Facebook.  Another example is that Buganda Post will include a few blogs, where some of our readers will be able to freely express their opinions on issues that are important to Buganda. If you are interested in having your own blog on Buganda Post, please contact me at pnakato@bugandapost.com – only 2-4 blogs will initially be included.

The Baganda nationalist group, Abazzukulu ba Buganda, insists that the Kingdom of Buganda has no legal or political obligation to Uganda.  A statement that was issued to Baganda communities around the world on January 6, 2010 by Abazzukulu says that in 1962 the an independent Buganda nation entered into a legal agreement with 14 other territories to form one country called Uganda. The statement goes on to explain that in 1966, the then legal government of Uganda unilaterally violated and abrogated the 1962 contract. This violation of the Uganda national contract both expelled Buganda from Uganda and made the presence of the Uganda government on Buganda territory illegal.

Abazzukulu ba Buganda argue, therefore, that Buganda has no legal obligation to have a political relationship with Uganda, or any other party, and Buganda is free to declared herself a free and independent country. The statement, which was signed by the chairman of Abazzukulu, Mr. Junju Kamulari, concludes that: “What is called the ‘Uganda Government’ exists illegally. And for Buganda to be free and independent, she does not need to secede from Uganda; she just needs to recognize and make her 1966 expulsion from Uganda official.”

The original statement, in Luganda, is reproduced below:

DDEMBE LYA BUGANDA OKWEFUGA YOKKA

Mu 1962, Buganda yatuula n’amawanga amalala 14 e London nebakola endagaano eyali ettondawo ensi entongole Uganda eyawamu ne Gavumenti y’ayo. Endagaano eyo n’eteeka amawanga 15 agaagikola wansi w’obufuge bwa Gavumenti ya Uganda.Era omwo Buganda mweyapangisiza  Gavumenti ya Uganda ettaka ly’eKampala n’eNtebe ekolereko emirimo gyayo. Okufanana amawanga amalala 14, Buganda endagaano yagiteekako omukono ng’eGgwanga ettongole.

Mu 1966 eyali gavumenti ya Uganda entuufu endagaano eyali egitondawo ng’egiwa ebbeetu okufuga Buganda yagimenyawo. Kino kyali kitegeeza era kikyategeeza

nti Buganda yagobwa mu Uganda mu 1966. Era nti Gavumenti ya Uganda yeegoba yokka ku ttaka lye’Kampala ne Ntebe.

Kino kitegeeza nti kati Buganda terina ndagaano ya Bufuge na muntu yenna era nti kati Buganda erina ebbeetu OKWEFUGA YOKKA.  Kitegeeza nti kati tewateekwa kubeerawo, kiyitibwa oba kyeyita “Gavumenti ya Uganda”. Kitegeeza nti kati ekyeyita oba ekiyitibwa “ Gavumenti ya Uganda” kiriwo mu bumenya bw’amateeka.Kitegeeza nti kati Buganda okwefuga tekigyeetaagisa kwekutulako ku Uganda, wabula kigyetaagisa kukkiriza bukkiriza kugobwa kwaayo mu Uganda.

M. Junju Kamulari  (Ssentebe)

Olukiiko lw’Abazzukulu ba Buganda

A Muganda youth named Tesian Batenda requested us to publish her her appeal to other young Baganda. We have a policy of not publishing atricles and letters are too long (more two and half pages in MS Word). However, we thought that Tesian’s article and its contents were too important to reject on that basis. We do expect that in future Tesian will write articles that make her major points in fewer words.

Below is Tesian Batenda’s article with minimal editing to remove grammar errors.

Baganda Youth be watchful, vigilant and resist manipulations!

Put Buganda First

By Tesian Batenda

Those of you the Baganda youth of today, who have analyzed the series of events in our nation Buganda and theirs Uganda, you have noted that several elements repeat themselves in these two nations.   This explains a great deal why Buganda Nation has failed till now to realize her aspirations namely among others self-rule.

Firstly, up to the present day, we have never had Buganda army and that explains why we are being tossed like ping-pong in the so-called negotiations.  The Buganda delegations in all the negotiations lost significance and weight right [from] the 60s when the Kabaka Yekkas  sold Buganda nation to Langis UPC by the 21 Baganda MPs (Ekitole made an alliance with UPC).  Today Buganda’s participation to any negotiation cannot be termed as equal partners but as “YES SIR Partners” and of course to [rubber stamp].

What went wrong?

With Mengo you will always expect surprises and sometimes [shocking] ones. What I remember from my dead father, strong supporter of DP, before he died, the man never stopped talking about the moral, psychological, cultural grief, torture and  bitterness he suffered from The Kabaka Yekkas.  Instead of voting for DP, my father like many Baganda,  voted Kabaka Yekka (KY) because of their loyalty to the Buganda Kingdom and their Kabaka.

Kabaka Yekka (KY) dumping Democratic Party, predominantly fellow Baganda and selling Buganda to Langis, the ordinary Baganda have never stomached it,  Till the present day  the Kabaka Yekkas have never officially apologized to Buganda Nation for this blasphemy.

Can we say today that the DPs were totally innocent in this impasse, personally I say no,  the DPs in their political agenda had very little place for Ssabassajja and Buganda Kingdom (Recall Ssebana Kizitos DP) statement just after the riots of last September  “If Museveni does n’t like kingdoms he should abolish them.” I want to remind Ssebana Kizito, that Buganda Kingdom is not only cultural institution as M7 dreams. [Buganda] is the full identity of Baganda people to which [Ssebana] belongs.  Ssabasajja Kabaka is not only a man so as you and me or the rest, but he is the living symbol of our identity and our ancestors. Awangale Ssabassajja!  Telling M7 to abolish the kingdoms if he does not like them, Mr. Ssebana (DP) exaggerated the powers of that dictator because we were Baganda before M7 came, we are Baganda, and we shall remain Buganda with or without M7.

One thing is clear. Kabaka Yekka officials of the 60s never realized that dumping their fellow Baganda and choosing Langis would cause the greatest disaster to the Buganda Nation, which up to the present day has never been fixed.  Can one tell us how many Baganda have been murdered because of this blunder?!

Should the young generation Baganda make the same mistakes as the old guard of Mengo 50 years ago?  Unacceptable! We should learn from the past mistakes to design our present and future. Kikafuwe nti our children and grand children are going to live in this Katogo, they will [curse] us as we are [cursing] the Mengo officials of the old.

We [the] young Buganda must know very well that Kabaka Yekka  old garde of the 60’s and Mengo institution were from top to bottom brainwashed and manipulated by the British people.  Knowingly or unknowingly they embraced the prejudice of the British peoples against the Catholics and other religions, given at the time that Mengo was predominantly Protestant. After the elections of 60s the Mengo old guard chose their fellow predominant protestants UPC to form any alliance dumping their fellow Baganda of the Democratic Party.   What is surprising here, Protestants and Catholics of the same clans during their respective cultural functions like Kwabya Nyimbe a protestant or a Catholic would be the Musika or Musumisi as long as one belonged to the clan and it was acceptable.  Why not in politics?

Did Mengo officials see beyond religion and religious bounds, were they aware that they were executing their colonial masters’ prejudices against other religious persuasions?  Did Mengo KY recognize that they were not the authors of this prejudice, did they realize that in Northern Ireland the same British people were oppressing the Catholics handling as second-class citizens.

Why didn’t Mengo Officials put Buganda first?  As [a] Muganda youth  I want  to remind the old guard of Mengo [that]  when Obote started killing Baganda with his slogan “A good Muganda is A dead one”  he did not [differentiate] between  a protestant and a Catholic. [When] Idi Amin started killing Baganda he  did not  filter who was  a protestant or a catholic. [And] Museveni has murdered [masses of] Baganda with his instrument ‘LET THEM TALK ….  KILL THEM IN SILENCE  (Recall M7’s speech in Kigali University) or his famous order SHOOT TO KILL.  This dictator has never selected which religion a Muganda belongs to, he kills whenever he wishes whoever Muganda he comes across.

The Baganda are killed as Baganda and because we are Baganda.

We the young generation [of] Baganda must not make any mistake now,  the British colonialist have gone who manipulated and brainwashed the Baganda old guard, now we have other manipulators namely:  Some fellow Baganda the collaborators of the occupiers or our homeland, the Rwandese and others and, most important, political parties.

We the young Baganda today must not make any mistake like the Old Baganda of the 60s

“We must put Buganda First”. Forget all those political parties coming up in all colours,  they replace the British peoples of the 60s, they will never help you as a person.  “Put Buganda first”.  It is the only solutions that will ever change our lives and stop the cold murders our people are confronted with everyday in our own motherland.

Mbakubira omulanga  mwena abavubuka Abaganda toyonona kalulu ko mbu olonda gundi wa Kibina gundi, tulina okukola ekitole nga abaganda  nga tulonda omuntu omu analwanirira Buganda era n’ababaka  betwekakasa nti bagenda kulwanirira Buganda wattu.

The foreigners have killed our dear ones, they have raped our children, and they have stolen our land and so forth… Ggwe Omuvubuka omuganda bwoyagala okufuuka ndiwulira [nga] batema mu kasooli olyesanga mu ntamu nga batokosa.  Kunno kwekulabula okusembayo eri mwe abavubuka abaganda.

Abavubukka mweddize obuyinza bwa Buganda bwemuba nga ebigendererwa byamwe bilongofu eri Ssabasajja Kabaka ne nyaffe Buganda.  Bwetutakola tutyo twelinde okuyiwa omusayi ate nno tewerimba nti banno banamawanga  bagenda kutta bakadde.  Nendda, bagenda kutta ffe Abavubuka. Tewelimba nti bagenda kutta Acholis oba Bakiga oba Batoro oba Banyoro, Balango etc…, awo  welimba.  Abavubuka, Baganda ffe tuli ku waiting list.

If you put your stomach first because of some few coins you get from NRM, to promote NRM’s anti-Buganda agenda in [the]Buganda nation, they are using you like toilet paper. [When] they don’t need you anymore,  you will not escape them, if you do, your children will not escape them.  Ask Professor Gilbert Bukenya who now calls himself the Vice president of that country Uganda. If he is honest to himself and to you, he will tell you that money is not all what you need to be happy in life!

We the young generation Baganda today are suffering now [because of]  the mistakes made in the past.   You the Mengo officials must know very well that we are not going to follow your path.  Never make any mistake to sign any agreement with that country Uganda without prior consultations with the youth of our nation Buganda.  [Realize that] it is the Baganda youth of today who are being murdered or sleeping with empty stomachs due the decisions you made in the 60‘s [and other times in the past].

The institutions of our nation Buganda have always carried value and recognitions by the Baganda, young and old, and we believe in them. There is no Muganda who has ever been forced to respect the [Kabaka] and Buganda institutions at gunpoint, as what is happening in their country Uganda. Forget all about the integration with other tribes now because the terms of integration are not well defined  and that explains the Katogo we are navigating today.

The way forward:

We need a Buganda Block! It is only Buganda Block, which will promote our interest now. “Work with and for a Buganda nation ”.  Give your time and energy to liberate our motherland  Buganda nation so that we Baganda of today and our children can lead a dignified life, have and enjoy a feeling of security in our homelands.  Don’t forget we shall never have another life in another homeland. Buganda is our homeland our [ancestors] have fought and sacrificed their lives so that we the Baganda of today and those to come have a place to live.  Likewise, we are obliged to do the same for our children and grandchildren to come after us.

Baganda youth, resist any manipulations of any kind.  M7 calling Ssabasajja his colleague all along from London, and during the war was meant to manipulate the ordinary Baganda.  M7 has lost ground in Buganda, he knows very well that his days in Buganda are numbered. [However he remains a dangerous manipulator]. [Being  an opportunist],  he only invited Ssabasajja  together with the Bataka to meet and discuss the current crisis. Dear the Baganda Youth, are you so simple to believe this cynical invitation?  M7 knows that by appearing on a photo with Ssabasajja Kabaka and [the] Abataka of Buganda he will have the [evidence] to launch his propaganda [of] a cooperative and collaborative Buganda in the NRM occupation agenda for our Buganda Nation.

M7 needed [Kabaka and the Bataka only for] that one second [when] photographer pressed the Camera button, with  M7  standing near Ssabasajja Kabaka, [surrounded by] the  Bataka . That photograph is only enough for a dictator to show to the rest of the world and ordinary Baganda that all problems are resolved and the situation is normal.  We cannot permit our Nation Buganda to become  a new Palestine. They come wherever they come from to fight their wars in Buganda and who dies? The Baganda!

Baganda Youth never and never accept to devalue our mother Nation Buganda, and you should make it clear to your respective Batakas that our support and recognition of Buganda institutions has to depend on their conduct and loyalty to Buganda Nation.

Source of skepticism

As a young, concerned, devoted Muganda activist, I have profound reasons to fear decisions of Mengo officials and I urgue all the Baganda youth to be very critical and watchful of  all the movements taking place at Mengo.  Mengo officials are [supposed] not to serve two nations but one and that is Buganda Nation.

Some months ago I could not believe my eyes when I [heard about] Akena the son of Obote entering Bulange and the Lukkiko giving him a profound applause.  Bearing in mind that in politics you have not to hold permanent enmity,  your enemy today is tomorrow your coalition partner, however applauding for a son of a man who has humiliated and devasted our identity as Baganda this was a dose to much to stomach.  Is this due to desperation of Mengo Lukiiko, opportunism, or short memories of Baganda?  Did Akena come to apologize to the Baganda due the humiliation and murders the Bagandas have suffered committed by Langis? Did he denounce his late father’s dictatorship and murders committed on our Land?

[At about the same time] Omara Atubo (Minister of Lands in their Country Uganda), [another] Langi, declared his triumph [over] the land bill, [which land bill ensures that] ensures that the Kabaka of Buganda is no longer the [Ssabataka] of Buganda Those of you who [better know the] history of our Buganda Nation and their country Uganda, do you have [any evidence] that in the past our ancestors attacked Langis, humiliated them, graded their land, raped their women as what they have done to Buganda?

If I was in Bulange that day when Akena came to Bulange I could not see myself applauding for this man.  I would have reacted differently to express my opinion over Langis. Not necessarily violent but at least a moment of silence as a symbol of respect of the murdered Baganda and the physical, psychological, moral damage we have suffered from these people.

I have to remind the Mengo Officials that going to statehouse of that country Uganda is an act that absolutely not appreciated by Baganda now because you are not going to talk to leaders of our neighbors the Ugandans instead you are going to talk to thugs and murders of our children and rappers of your daughters.

Message to foreigners in Buganda

When we the Baganda activists demand secession of Buganda Kingdom from the country Uganda, how do they react? [They say], “That is Baganda arrogance, they don’t know what they [want], they consider themselves a superior race? [They claim] superior economic wealth and superior  political traditions and so forth!”  It is a real dilemma you and me will never solve, the Baganda people who are so arrogant, bossy with a superiority complex over other tribes yet they can’t miss us. I think if these [accusations they make] over Baganda [were] true and valid in their minds, then the day we demand our independency they would all go party to celebrate the departure of the arrogant, bossy Baganda.  Instead, the more mentally dependent they become on us as if their further life is totally impossible without Buganda. This shows you how far different our understandings and backgrounds are. The general and simple concepts are interpreted differently [and] this means to me even if the western countries transfer half their wealth tomorrow and pump it in Uganda and the occupied Buganda we shall remain poor, even [get] poorer.

The citizens of Uganda make their heads sick [over] the position of Ssabassajja Kabaka of Buganda. Well, to the contrary,  no Muganda is busy [opposing] the way Basoga or Batoro or Acholis or Banyoro govern themselves.  If you decide to come and settle in Buganda you are going to settle here on our terms, not the opposite.   Failure to do so, you will vacate no doubt about that.  If Baganda happen to come to your homelands and tell you how you have to govern yourself, make them vacate your homelands.  We have accommodated everyone in Buganda, you have all what you have on our land yet we are the arrogant bastards? Fine! Think what you think, do what you do, we are not going to live on your terms in our home lands. “This to the last Muganda”.   You are very soon facing the hard truth.  We are working around the clock to liberate our Nation Buganda from captivity.

Last Appeal to all Baganda youth

To all the Baganda youth, it is our time today and not any other time. We have to realize and make everyone know that Buganda self-rule is our future, our security and our development.

You should all know that our greatest realization in this coming decade will be SELF RULE of our Buganda Nation.   Everyone has to play his or her role according to one’s capacity. If we have to change our lives, we have to be very vigilant, and critical to resist all kinds of manipulations. Put Buganda first! Form ekitole kya  Buganda, with the guidance of the wisdom of the past you are the future of Buganda.  Make Buganda shine again!!! We have profound trust in you our youth!!

Tesian Batenda

According to the  July 8, 2010 issue of NRM government mouthpiece, the New Vision newspaper, Buganda minister of information, Owek. Charles Peter Mayiga has disowned popular Buganda Hussein Kyanjo’s statements that, if  Museveni’s government fails to adhere to democratic principles and the rule of law, the people of Buganda would take up arms. The New Vision further says that Owek. Mayiga dismissed Kyanjo’s the remarks as his (Kyanjo’s) personal opinion. Mayiga is quoted as saying:“Kyanjo is not the spokesperson of the Buganda kingdom. He is not a Mmengo official. Those remarks he made were his personal opinion.” However, there is no indication that Mayiga explained his claim that Mmengo officials represent the kingdom of Buganda.

Museveni’s New Vision says that Owek. Mayiga explained Mmengo’s disagreement with Kyanjo by saying: “Our strongest weapon is dissemination of information regarding our legitimate cause. If voters are informed, they don’t need to pick up arms to get what they want because our Constitution says power belongs to people.”

When Buganda Post contacted a prominent lawyer and Buganda analyst based in the United Kingdom, he responded that both Mayiga and Kyanjo refer to the Museveni’s constitution appropriately but if Mayiga is quoted correctly then he is being dishonest. The analyst also questioned Mayiga’s alleged claim that only Mmengo speaks for Buganda. The analyst explained: “Mayiga focuses on Article 1 of Museveni’s constitution, which says ‘power belongs to the people’. Mayiga, Makubuya and ordinary Baganda know that by bribing MPs to change presidential term limits, invading Congo without consulting parliament, ignoring the popular call for Federo, stealing elections and committing similar illegal acts, Museveni and the NRM usurped the people’s power and broke the constitution.

“Unlike Mayiga, Kyanjo is reading both Article 1 and Article 3 of Museveni’s constitution. And Article 3 says that ‘(4) All citizens of Uganda have a right and duty to protect the Constitution.’ and ‘(5) Any person who defends and protects the Constitution commits no offence…’ without limiting the means of defending the constitution. Mayiga and Makubuya know that Kyanjo’s position is 100% correct and legal under Article 3. It appears that  they have been compromised either by personal interests and mere cowardice.”

On the matter of who speaks for Buganda, our analyst first clarifies that, for centuries, Baganda believe that power in Buganda is vested in the institution of Kabaka, since, as Ssabataka who is not tied to one clan, he can lead and guide all Bataka and their grandchildren (Baganda) wisely and fairly. That is why the Kabaka consults and weighs everything very carefully before he speaks and why Baganda do not criticize him publicly. The top Mmengo official is the Katikkiro of Buganda, who is appointed by the Kabaka, after wide consultation with clan leaders, religious leaders and many other Baganda. All Mmengo officials are deemed to have been appointed by Kabaka and to speak for Buganda but, in reality, they are screened and selected by the Katikkiro and other Mmengo officials before presentation to the Kabaka.

He then said: “If you compare the strong statements and decisions that Kabaka Mutebi has made over Federo, Buganda land, the attempted firing of Nambooze from CBS and freedom and justice for Baganda and those made by Walusimbi and Mayiga you can see that the Katikkiro and his friend are outright disobeying the Kabaka. Don’t forget that that it was Mayiga, John Katende, Apollo Makubuya and Katikkiro Ssemwogerere who lied to Kabaka and Buganda that Museveni’s Regional Tier was good for Buganda in 2006. If Mmengo speaks for Buganda, why did the Buganda Lukiiko soundly reject Regional Tier on February 7, 2006?

“Baganda are not stupid. They can see when Mmengo is no longer serving the Kabaka or his subjects’ interests. If that is the case, then how can Mmengo claim to be to only spokesmen for the Kingdom? Mmengo is not even recognized in Museveni’s constitution, which Mayiga constantly quotes!  I disagree. I think that by siding with and appeasing the occupation NRM government so frequently, Mmengo has lost the minds and hearts of Baganda. Ordinary Baganda, who are 80% youths, are more interested in what Nambooze or Kyanjo or Nsambu or Ssemujju says than what Walusimbi or Mayiga announces. In reality, Nambooze, Kyanjo,  Nsubuga Nsambu and Ssemujju speak more for Buganda than the compromised Mmengo leaders. That is why Kabaka Mutebi has found himself having to speak out, to cancel the misinformation by Walusimbi and Mayiga. The bottom line is, every Muganda now has a duty to fight for Buganda’s freedom from the current armed occupation.”

On January 6, 2010 Ekiba Kibe program, which is broadcast to cellular telephones via multi-media message service (MMS), has accused Mmengo of incompetence and appealed to Baganda to realize that they do not need to rely on Mmengo to fight for Buganda’s rights and freedom (see “Mmengo Is Unqualified To Fight For Buganda, Diaspora MMS Radio Says“.)