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“.)

Buganda Post has received a few letters from Baganda, reacting to the December 17, 2009 Buganda Conference. All of them, without exception, express different levels of anger about the patronizing speeches made by non-Baganda (Bannamawanga) Kanyeihamba, Mao and Pulkhol, as well as Museveni’s abusive speech, which was delivered for him by Kakooza Mutale. Most of the letters praise the defiant and determined positions taken on Buganda’s demands by Kabaka Mutebi and his men Hussein Kyanjo and Nsubuga Nsambu.

Below, we publish the letter that best represents how upset the Baganda have written to us about the Buganda conference are. This letter was written by one Hannia Musemba and it is directed to Katikkiro JB Walusimbi and those who support his policy of begging non-Baganda to support Federo. The letter says that the only way forward for Buganda is independence.

Baganda we are missing the point the 100th time!

Since CBS station was knocked off from air, we are missing the point and this time around I find it very serious!  I read only about CBS as the fundamental human right deprived of us by this so-called Uganda Govt.

People lost their jobs (livelihood) that is brutality!  I wholeheartedly admit, so as you do, however this was not more brutal than our fellow innocent Baganda murdered in cold blood in the recent riots.  Please fellow Baganda we have missed a point the 100th time since the independence of that thing called Uganda.   We need CBS station, it is our right to have it, but it is not much important than all our dear ones who have been slaughtered like animals by these people:   Ben Kiwanuka, Andrew Kayira, the Muslims of Mbarara, massive innocent Baganda in Luwero, should I continue mentioning which month will I stop.  The point for Buganda now is Buganda’s Independence.   That is the point.

The question that has to break our minds now is not CBS or CBS only, but how can we throw these fellows away from our Land.  One day when Buganda Nation is independent we shall open 200 CBSes at once and no one will utter a word.  90,000 sq. kilometres [Editor: should be 9,000 sq. Miles] and more of our undisputable ancestral land are in hands of these same fellows.   If we remain so naive and indifferent, we are slaves now, our children and grand children are going be slaves as we are today.

From the bottom of my heart, I congratulate those two Buganda heroes Owekitiibwa. Nsambu and MP Kyanjo and those others who have bravely stated the fact of Buganda’s Independence. 

All the so-called negotiations going on with [Museveni], please I wonder why our Beloved Kabaka goes in such a mess!  Ssabassajja is a voice of more that 5 million Baganda and by fooling our King around and the Buganda delegation repeatedly, I have an impression that they consider us non-existent.

The man [Museveni] is using you and he will continue using you up till you break your last shoes.  Please don’t involve our King in such nonsensical talks with M7.  He  has proved all along that negotiations and agreement don’t exist in his vocabulary.

If you are realistic enough you would have noted already that these other tribes in the thing called Uganda will never wish Buganda to win, unless you are a day dreamer who thinks that Buganda has to go to these tribes and if need be dans on their rhythm asking them to accept Federo of better independence.

They will never accept. [Don’t have] illusions over that, live with me here on the Earth. Look at the Northern tribes, the people there after more that ten years war they have been left with nothing, still according Mr. Mao and DR Kanyeihamba we Buganda we have to go and beg these people to accept Federo system whereby they avail their own parliament and budget to develop their own region benefitting directly their own people.  If they are satisfied with their situation now,  I don’t find any reason why we should convince them to go federo. Let them wait for [Museveni] however they will have to wait much longer.

I know very well our ancestors signed treaties presided by then British civil servants which  under normal circumstances should be respected,  however [Museveni]  has never asked permission from the steak holders of that thing called Uganda as Rwandese to wage war in a foreign land called Uganda.  Therefore there are more that 101 ways to break away from this [dysfunctional] thing.

If you‘re near them ask them, how many jobs have been created by the thing called Uganda Govt in the Northern Uganda in the last 20 years?  How many people have been resettled back in their homes after the war.  Don’t they have eyes to see that? That all the money that would create such jobs or create resettlement programs for the northerners find their way out of the system through corruption and all is spent in Buganda region, then the question here!, “is Buganda the greatest loser with this corrupt system”?

Mr Mao asks Buganda to repackage the federo to win support from other tribes. Next time you come across him tell him, let the northerners draft their own version of federo system if really they need it, we shall sit down on a round table and talk. Otherwise let them keep and warm the camps in which their people are living now, in conditions much worse than animals in zoos. By the time they will wake up, the thing called Uganda Govt will have already sold their homelands to Chinese for their rice fields.

At one time I am not talking about 50 years ago even, Busoga was the economic heart of that thing called Uganda.  All Factories [burned]out or shifted to Buganda.  What did the so-called Uganda Govt do to [re-channel] or compensate these employment losses for Busoga?   [What you expect] if half of the so called Cabinet ministers spend indefinite hours on the CBS commission to defend their great divine master’s NO to the reopening of CBS Radio station, as if that is why they were made ministers.

Should Buganda go to the knee of King Kyabazinga of Busoga to convince him that the Basoga are one of the poorest tribe in Uganda now,  while one time the richest?  Has King Kyabazinga forgotten the lost glories of Busoga and Jinja town? Please don’t make us ridiculous if other tribes refuse deliberately to see it or they see it but they prefer to stay in the thing called Uganda that has milked their people to the last coin.  Let them do so.  The decisions you make save you or damn you!

One time Eritrea was Ethiopia and Ethiopia was Eritrea.  Now no more!  And in real terms Eritrea is one of the first growing economies of Africa. One time Monaco was France and France was Monaco.  Now no more!.  Now Monaco is one of the economic powers of Europe.

This thing called Uganda has systematically and consistently blocked Buganda’s development.  Our People are living in conditions much worse than in the medieval times. Go to Ki Mombasa, go to Makerere Kivulu, go to Mulago ghettos and so on and so forth.  Do you need a drawing to make you convinced?  Buganda shouldn’t miss the point once again!  Wake up!   Freedom is calling tomorrow! And [it is] our time!   Buganda Independence!

 Hannia Musemba