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.

One of the most corrupt governments on earth according Transparency International, now allows on duty police officers at religious events to participate in performing miracles. On February 19, 2010, pastor Samuel Kakande who owns the pentecostal Synagogue Church of All Nations, located at the Mulago-Kyebando roundabout, organized a large Christian crusade at Nakivubo stadium. At the event, on duty and uniformed police officers joined him in performing miracles by curing the sick when they ordered Satan to leave the victims’ bodies. Several senior Uganda police and NRM government officials attended.

Pastor Kakande has a  strong and public relationship with the NRM occupation government. As recently as November 2009, he and his church received public praise by president Museveni for their projects. Mrs. Museveni also claims to be a saved Christian although some in Uganda political circles accuse her of being too corrupt to  relate to Christianity.  Pastor Kakande runs one of the largest churches in Uganda and is in fierce competition with other church businesses around Kampala. Due to this competition, some of the other churches frequently accused him of various evil practices but he has never been convicted of anything.  The accusers include his ex-wife, Loyce Nana Kakande, who claimed that Kakande was engaged in witchcraft. Kakande went to marry another woman from the Republic of Congo. And in the mid-2009 he introduced yet another young woman from the Philippines as his new fiancée.

Uganda’s NRM government is now blaming Baganda musicians for composing popular songs which forced it to close the Buganda kingdom radio stations, CBS FM. One of the conditions that NRM gave for reopening CBS FM radio is that the Buganda must publically apologize for allowing anti-NRM government broadcasts on the radio. Last week a Uganda government committee on the closure of CBS FM Radio announced its evidence that CBS FM broadcast dangerous materials in September last year and causes the Kayunga riots. According to the Uganda government owned Luganda newspaper, Bukedde, that evidence includes popular Baganda songs. As part of the evidence the Uganda government blames CBS FM Radio for playing these songs so frequently that when the NRM blocked Kabaka Mutebi from going to Kayunga on October 10,2009, these dangerous songs gave thousands of youths ideas to riot.

The Buganda government has already ruled making a public apology as one of the many tough conditions that the NRM government gave for reopening CBS FM Radio. Evidence on the ground indicates that the Bataka (clan elders) and a large majority of ordinary Baganda are behind Mmengo’s decision not t apologize for without any clear statement of what Buganda did wrong. The NRM’s government Bukedde quoted Buganda Deputy Minister of Information, Medard Sseggona, as saying: “Bannaffe abo balimba, lwaki teboogera mazima nti balina fitina, n’empalana ku Kabaka okusinga okwekwasa obusonga obutaliimu?” (”Those people are lying. Why don’t they accept the truth that their problem is jealousy, envy and hate against the Kabaka?”). Bukedde also claims that Sseggona praised composers of pro-Kabaka songs and encouraged them to continue. The problem is that NRM government media have a record of twisting what Mmengo officials say, so it is difficult to know if Owek. Sseggona actually made these statements.

The song which is said to be most offensive to Uganda’s rulers is Landiroodi (slang for Land Lord). The song, by Ronald Mayinja, calls Kabaka Mutebi the Buganda landlord which translates to three different titles that Baganda have used on their Kabaka for centuries – Ssabataka (head of all land settlers) or Nanyini Nsi (owner or master of the country) or Nanyini Ttaka (owner or master of all land).

Other songs that are very upsetting to the NRM government include these below;

• Maaso Moogi (”Sharp Eyes”, another title Baganda have used to described their Kabaka for centuries) by Buddo Secondary School choir.
• Tuli ku Bunkenke (”We are in high risk times”) by Ronald Mayinja.
• Twagala Federo (”We want a federal system of government”) by Jjingo Show.
• Mambo Baado ( Swahili for “There are more issues to come”) by Joseph Mayanja (Jose Chameleone).
• Ensonga y ‘Ettaka (”The land issue”), believed to be by Monica.

Although none the so called dangerous songs talks about violence, rebellion or even political action, Uganda’s rulers, through their spokesman Aggrey Awori, claim that those songs contain enough hints of hatred and division that by playing them repeatedly, CBS FM Radio incited people to riot when the NRM government stopped Kabaka Mutebi from visiting Kayunga.

Mr. Museveni’s NRM government has told Buganda officials who were in the final stages of preparing to open a Buganda TV station to forget it. The order was given by the chairman of Mr. Museveni’s broadcasting council, Godfrey Mutabaazi. According to the Baganda Eddoboozi newspaper, the Kabaka of Buganda first thought of opening a TV station, to develop his kingdom,  a few years ago. Buganda government officials formed a separate company called Diamond Communications Limited to implement the Kabaka’s plans. And on February 24, the NRM government’s broadcasting council  issued a licence to Diamond to open the TV station. Since then, Buganda officials have been working hard, including ordering equipment from overseas, to put everything in  place for the Buganda TV station to open.

In announcing the surprise cancellation of the TV licence, Godfrey Mutabaazi claimed that the licence had to be cancelled because Buganda has taken too long to open the station from the date they got it.  Mutabaazi claimed that it was against the laws and regulations governing broadcast licences to delay as much as Buganda did. The TV licence cancellation comes only one week after the NRM government similarly the licence for a new Buganda radio station. The radio licence had also been obtained by Diamond Communications in 2008 and was not related to the CBS FM radio stations, which the NRM government closed late in 2009.

When the NRM government cancelled the new Buganda radio and TV licences, it completed a total radio and TV information blackout on Kabaka Mutebi and his development programs from the citizens of Buganda.  In October and November 2009, the NRM government ordered all media houses in Uganda to stop reporting might promote the image of Kabaka Mutebi or his programs or Buganda identity. And that was after Buganda’s main station CBS FM Radio and its two channels were illegally closed.  The timing of the cancellations and closures seem to be aimed at bankrupting Kabaka Mutebi’s projects and forcing Buganda to apologize for resisting the NRM government’s plans for the kingdom.

Now, the only public channels in Uganda which the Kabaka can reliably use to guide his subjects in development are two Baganda owned newspapers, Eddoboozi and Ggwanga. However, the two publications are also operating on slippery ground. However, Buganda is far from down and out. Baganda in Europe and the USA have started a variety of media outlets and some of them are dedicated to Buganda national interests. For example, last week word spread like fire around Kampala surburbs that a Baganda radio called Ababaka (www.ababaka.com)  was going to start broadcasting on Short Wave (SW) every Saturday and Sunday from 8:00PM – 10:00PM. Our reporters in Kampala have not yet been able to find people who have a SW radio and were able to tune into Ababaka Radio last weekend. However, the word continues to spread and Short Wave radios are selling very well.  The USA based Baganda radio does not need a licence from the NRM because it is supposed to use satellites to transmit but it is hard to know yet if the NRM  interfered with it at all. Ababaka Radio has been broadcasting for a long time and  is already very popular in the diaspora especially in the USA, UK and Germany.

Eddoboozi newspaper has reported that one of Kabaka Mutebi’s guards has rebelled and established Local Council 1 (LC 1) office in the Mmengo Lubiri. The Lubiri the official residence of the Kabaka of Buganda and is considered a sacred place for Baganda. According to reports, David Ssengoye and other people, first held a meeting at Pope Paul Memorial Hotel in Ndeeba and selected themselves as the officials of the council. Ssengoye is chairman, Betty Kisaliita is his deputy and one Saad, another former Kabaka’s guard is secretary for youth. Under the president Museveni’s occupation laws, if Ssengoye gets away with this council then he (Ssengoye) will have political power over the Lion of Buganda.

Eddoboozi learnt from reliable sources that Ssengoye’s rebel LC 1 is filled by NRM operatives. And according to the newspaper’s research, it appears that Ssegoye is being paid well by certain people to provoke Kabaka Mutebi. When the Kabaka first heard about Ssengoye’s activities, he (Kabaka) told his guard to drop the idea because Mmengo Lubiri is a private cultural place and must not have a political office such as LC 1. However, Ssengoye decided to ignore his Kabaka and move ahead to start his LC 1 office in the palace.

By lunchtime in Kampala on Saturday, the word on Buganda street was that evidence (“bwino”) had been uncovered that at least two Mmengo officials had secretly assisted Ssengoye to set up the LC 1. And that they had been facilitated by Museveni’s NRM government.

Eddobozi newspaper is run by the Buganda youth organization, Nkoba za Mbogo and can be found online at www.eddoboozi.co.ug.

One of the outcomes of the recent Buganda liberation meeting, in Boston, was the exposure of an NRM government slavery program against Baganda people in Uganda. The Boston meeting, which took place on January 23, 2010 triggered serious talk about the now open secret that the NRM government illegally imprisons unemployed Baganda young men for short periods, during which they hire them out as causal labor, at no pay, to wealthy NRM supporters.

The Chairman of Ggwangamujje Boston and the anchor of the Luganda Ekiba Kibe program on SMS based Free Buganda Radio strongly condemned Museveni’s Baganda slavery scam on January 25, 2009.

It is public knowledge in Buganda that the NRM government frequently arrests unemployed youths, charges them for being “idle and disorderly” and imprisons them for brief a few weeks and them releases them. What is disturbing to many Baganda in the USA is that Museveni’s police and prison service official are taking advantage of Uganda’s primitive laws to hire the short-term prison inmates to wealthy Banyankore, Bakiga, Rwandese, Indian and other business people (including some Baganda) as slave laborers at no pay. To avoid raising serious human rights concerns, the unfortunate Baganda youths are normally released as soon as family members start to pursue the case.

When asked for comment, a reputable New York based Muganda political analysts told: “Nothing can be put beyond Museveni and the NRM now. The law allowing prisons to hire inmates out as laborers have been on the books in Uganda since the 1970’s, but no Ugandan government has ever abused it to the point of creating a slavery ring. What is very unbelievable is that, as my contacts in Kampala have told me, the NRM police who arrest the young people actually screens out Baganda and let virtually all other ethnicities go.  I understand that at least 95% of the slave laborers are Baganda.”

Our analyst continued: “It is bad enough that Museveni and his cronies have turned young Baganda into modern day slaves. What is incredible is that, as I have reliably been told, high officials in the Buganda Government are probably aware. And at least one of them could be a beneficiary.”

To listen to Mr. Mayanja and Mr. Kabuye on the January 25, 2009 Ekiba Kibe program, click on Ekiba_Kibe25Jan10B.

A Banyankore owned pornographic newspaper in Uganda has fired the first shot in the much awaited NRM campaign to undermine Kabaka Mutebi’s authority and influence among increasingly nationalistic Baganda, masses over the next 9 months. The Red Pepper, which was originally sponsored by Museveni’s brother Salim Saleh and run by Banyankore and Bakiga, claims that the Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, signed a secret with Dr. Kizza Besigye over the future of Buganda.

Since Museveni was forced to cancel his tour of Buganda, in late 2009, due to hostile questions about CBS Radio by peasants, there has been chatter in Kampala’s Balaalo political circles and from sources close to his state house that a new plan to neutralize Kabaka Mutebi in the works. Its objective is to minimize the influence of the the Lion of Buganda on 2011 elections. Key contributors and advisors to the plan include Museveni himself, one Mafabi, Tamale Mirundi, Robert Sebunya, Karoor Okurut, Joseph Kakooza, Sam Kuteesa, Salim Saleh, Haj. Katongole, Robert Kabushenga, Freddie Ruhindi, an unnamed Indian and others. At least two Mmengo officials, who cannot be named at this time, in order to protect our sources, have also contributed. All run businesses that heavily rely on Museveni’s government contracts.

A seasoned former Mmengo official with extensive contacts among closet Baganda nationalists in the NRM occupation government has told Buganda Post that the Red Pepper story had fingerprints of ISO and Museveni’s statehouse and seems to be the start of a campaign against the Kabaka. He explained: “These chaps are masters at throwing together loose facts and sprinkling a little speculation on them to fabricate fake anti-Buganda stories. And they do it with confidence that,  in the absence of an opposing response from Mmengo, Baganda will believe the lies over time. For example, it is an open secret that a large majority of Mmengo officials have bought into claims by Mayiga, Walusimbi, Makubuya, Jolly Lutaaya and retired Bishop Nkoyoyo, that Buganda’s future is at the mercy of Uganda politicians like Besigye and Museveni.

“It is also an open secret that the NRM, DP and FDC have infiltrated Mmengo. And most Buganda officials, including seemingly nationalist Nambooze, Lubega, Mpuuga and Mpanga frequently face a conflict between their personal or political ambitions and Buganda’s national interests. In fact is also an open secret that many of these Mmengo officials routinely lie to and mislead Kabaka Mutebi, simply to protect their personal interests. Other equally public information is that there are also high-profile Baganda political figures like Kyanjo and Nsubuga Nsambu, who have spine and publicly insist that the future of Baganda is up to Baganda.”

Our analyst explains that the Red Pepper story takes these pieces of common knowledge and uses them to create a fake story whose only goal is to make Kabaka Mutebi look like a coward who is putting the future of his kingdom in the hands of a Mukiga man whose political career is based on a long term fight with Museveni over a Mulaalo woman.  According to the analyst, Museveni’s people know that if this image of a weak and Besigye-worshiping Kabaka Mutebi becomes strong in the minds of young Baganda and those in the diaspora, his popularity will quickly fade. In their evil minds, Museveni’s team reason that if Baganda start to believe that their Kabaka is beholden to Besigye, then they will be so demoralized that they will abandon Buganda nationalist dreams.

The analyst asks: “If Kabaka Mutebi signed an agreement with Besigye, under what law did they sign it; Museveni’s law? Are all Baganda stupid enough that merely signing a piece of paper would stop Besigye from even abolishing kingdoms after becoming the new Uganda dictator? Museveni and NRM are using the Red Pepper to make the Kabaka of Buganda appear beholded to this Mukiga called Besigye.”

Below is the Red Pepper story that analysts believe was planted by the NRM occupation government to humiliate Baganda and their Kabaka:

Besigye, Kabaka Sign Secret Deal
(Red Pepper – January 18, 2010)

The Mengo establishment has secretly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with President Museveni’s leading political rival, Col. Dr Kizza Besigye. The development was a result of pressure from some Buganda clan leaders, advisors of the Kabaka, and opinion and religious leaders. Red Pepper has reliably learnt that the MoU was signed about a month ago. A decision was also taken to keep it top secret for fear that its leakage might annoy the Central government and further delay the reopening of CBS radio.

Recall that at all its sittings last year, the Lukiiko (Buganda Kingdom Parliament) consistently urged the Kabaka to reciprocate NRM hostility by openly fraternising with its political rivals. The Lukiiko members advanced two reasons. The one was the fact that most NRM rivals had been active in defending the Kabaka against the Central government. The other was that openly fraternising with the opposition would increase Mengo’s relevance among anti-NRM Baganda. This was also seen as the only way to blackmail the NRM into giving in to Buganda’s demands.

DETAILS
NRM cadres have always dismissed Besigye’s promise of Federo to Mengo as mere political rhetoric, questioning why he doesn’t put it in writing. Red Pepper has learnt that to neutralise such criticism, Besigye has put a list of concessions to Mengo in writing.The concessions have been attached on the secret MoU. Some of them are: Unconditionally returning what Buganda perceives as their 9,000 square miles (mairo akenda), County headquarters (embuga z’amasaza), and all schools and institutions in the central region that once belonged to Buganda kingdom.

Other properties Besigye commits himself to returning include Butikkiro (Katikkiro’s residence) which is currently occupied by the Joint Clinical Research Centre, and all the titles for land (in government hands/use) that is owned by Buganda kingdom. The Supreme Court building in Mengo is another property whose return Buganda continues to demand.  Arguing that returning all these at once would paralyse government operations, the Central government has been dragging its feet and promising to pay rent to Mengo, in vain.
As we write, Mengo is demanding billions of shillings in rent arrears. In fact as of June 2009 (when Mengo read its 2009/10 budget), the arrears stood at about Shs9bn. Lukiiko members then directed Attorney General Apollo Makubuya to sue the government for court to force a pay-up or Government vacates the premises.

BESIGYE VS MAO
Our ever reliable sources revealed that Mengo ministers were initially divided on the Besigye/Kabaka MoU.
The Majority agreed that since he was likely to remain the second most popular Ugandan politician after Museveni for many years to come, Besigye was the best ally Mengo could have. Others preferred Democratic Party’s Norbert Mao. Saying DP was seen as a Baganda party more than the FDC, the pro-Mao Mengo ministers had argued that the secret MoU should be signed with him (Mao) instead.

This, however, failed for a number of reasons, including consideration that the Kabaka personally believes in Besigye more than in Mao.The other reason was that it would take years for Mao to obtain the size of political following Besigye currently enjoys nationally.The never-ending squabbles in DP also worked against Mao. The party was contrasted with Besigye’s FDC which appears to be relatively more organised, with a predictable future.

Some Mengo officials wanted none of the two parties, saying they were both not Baganda. They argued that Mengo should instead flock with Bidandi Ssali’s People’s Progressive Party, Kibirige Mayanja’s JEEMA or Dr Abed Bwanika’s PDP.All these were, however, rejected after a research confirmed that they had little chance to win even within Buganda region.

MENGO CONCESSIONS
To reciprocate Besigye’s big concessions, Mengo will ensure more FDC-friendly Baganda are given more visible roles both in its establishment and in organising the Kabaka’s mobilisation tours in future. In fact, sources revealed, since a good number of his ministers are eying parliamentary seats, the Kabaka will announce a new cabinet in the last 10 months to the next general elections. This reform will also be reflected in the Katikkiro’s department. Because Eng. J. B. Walusimbi’s four-year contract ends in 2012, his deputies will either be asked to become prolific in bashing the NRM, or be replaced with more militant names of the Dan Muliika brand.

In fact, Muliika might be recalled either as Deputy Katikkiro or to serve in a powerful ministerial position that will allow him do political mobilisation like he did in the run-up to 2006 elections and shortly after. The other concession will be reflected in Besigye and other opposition leaders being allowed to address crowds at public functions graced by the Kabaka this year. The optimism Mengo has in Besigye perhaps explains what we saw last week at Najjanankumbi when FDC nominations placed  Besigye against Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu.

One of them is to face off as a party flag bearer with President Museveni in 2011. All known FDC officials with linkages at Mengo openly embraced Besigye against Muntu. These included Ibrahim Semujju Nganda, Joyce Sebugwawo, Sam Njuba (Kabaka’s personal friend) and Prof. Bwogi Kanyerezi (brother to Joyce who mothers Daudi Mpanga and Kabaka’s Principal Private Secretary Peter Mpanga).