Zakaria Kakumba

Nyendo – Masaka, Buddu

Luganda (Original)

Mwana waffe Ssemujju, tufunye ensisisi okuwulira nti olanze mu butongole nti oli mu FDC era kati otambulira ku bilagiro bya Mukiga Omuhororo Kiiza Besigye ne mukyala we ‘katula kebise buka’ Omulaalo Winnie.  Wadde simanyi kusoma luzungu naye mbadde nenyumiririza nnyo mu bigambo by’owandiika kubanga babinkyusiza bulungi abavubuka. Ate on’omugu w’eddalu bweyali tanaba kusalako radio yaffe, nga sikusubwa ne madamu ticha Nambooze ku Kiriza oba gaana. Nze awamu ne mukyala wange ffena otulese bubi nnyo, kubanga tubadde tumanyi nti oli musajja mugezi nnyo era omanyi ebyafaayo bya Buganda. Era nga omanyi nti banamawanga bonna okuva ku bazungu ku Muteesa I okutuuka ku Museveni ku Mutebi II balwaana kumalawo Buganda. Oyo Omukiga namwe abakozesa bukozesa nga kondomu era olunamala nga asuula mu kyolooni. Olowooza bwebinatuuka ku nsonga enkulu ennyo ez’ebyaama bya FDC Besigye oba Winnie Byanyima banabyogerako nga waliwo omuzirango Ssemujju?

Ssebo mutabani, eriso ly’omukulu, awaddugala wewalaba. Kyenva nkusaba wekube mu kifuba ogende mpola ku banamawanga. Ye ddala enjawulo wakati wa Museveni ne Besigye egenda kuba etya? Olowoza ba Seguya, Abu Mayanja, Kisekka nabo si bwebeewa Museveni mbu kubanga yali aleeta enkyukakyuuka ez’omoggundu? Mutabani bazaamu, senga Besigye awangula nga bwolowooza, emirimu ggyonna egy’amaanyi anagiwa ani? Oba tomanyi, kankubireko nti Abakiga bajja kwongera ku kyebalya naye omulyo era gujja kusigala mu be bugwanjuba. Ku bya Buganda, agenda kwegaana endagaano zonna nga Museveni bwakola kati. Kubanga ssenga Abaganda tufuna Federo eya 1962 ne mailo 9,000 tuba tujja kuyitawo nnyo. Teli munamawanga mu Uganda, abe Mukiga, Mulango, Munyoro oba Musoga, ayinza kukikkiriza. Wadde Omuganda nga Haji Nasser Sebagala senga awangula, tagenda kukiriza.

Bulijjo ffe tumanyi nti omutima gwo gusibira ku bya Buganda na Ssabasajja. Mutabani kyaali kiwaani? Anti wadde ffembi tuli basilaamu naye tukimanyi nti okugenda okukuwoowa n’omukyala omulala nga gw’olina kati mulwadde tolina zimujanjaba, biba bya Ekanya. Kituluma okuba nti luli obadde n’omulamwa ogwa nabaddala era nga nebwogwaako ekizibu okuva mu ba NRM tumanya ensonga. Kati omulamwa ggwo gufuuse ki okujjako okutendereza Omukiga Besigye? Bwebanakuba ebiyiso, onotugamba nti babikkubira Bakiga na Balaalo?

Katusabe Mungu akuwe emirembe era bwekiba kisoboka akuzibule amaaso, otegeere nti ebintu bya Uganda bya ‘lubaale mubbe’. Bano abasajja, nga ne Besigye mw’omutwaalidde, ba luganda abajja okunyaga Buganda. Bwebayomba mbu FDC oba NRM, tewemalaayo nnyo kubanga ‘ab’oluganda bita, bwebikonagana tebyatika’.

Ssabasajja Awangaale.

Notes and English Translations By Buganda Post Writers

On October 29, 2009 Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, one of the most prominent pro-Buganda journalists in Uganda announced that he had joined FDC. Prior to the announcement, Mr. Ssemujju was known to be relatively independent of Ugandan political parties although he showed sympathy for FDC and JEEMA and openly opposed the NRM. For details of  Ssemujju’s announcement see “SSEMUJJU NGANDA: Why I have joined FDC” or visit the Observer website at www.observer.ug.

English

Our son Ssemujju, we were shocked to hear that you officially announced that you are FDC and will now take your orders from the Muhororo Mukiga Kiiza Besigye his Mulaalo ‘katula kebisse buka’ (‘sweet looking bitter pill’) Winnie.  Although I don’t know who to read English, I have been very proud of what you write because the young people here translate well for me. And before the mad man closed our radio station, I would never miss listening to you on the “Kiriza Oba Gaana” (”Take It Or Leave It”) program. You have left both me and my wife in a very bad situation because we were confident that you are an intelligent man who knows the history of Buganda. And that you know that foreigner, from the time of the British with Muteesa I to Museveni with Mutebi, are always fighting to take Buganda off the map. That Mukiga will also use you like condoms and afterwards throw you away in trash. Do you really think that when it comes to discussing sensitive FDC matters Besigye or Winnie Byanyima will do it in the presence of a Ngo clan member Ssemujju?

Son, the dirty part of an elder’s eye is what sees. That is why I am begging you to rethink your decision and go slow with these foreigners. Really, what is the big difference you expect between Museveni and Besigye? Son, think about it, if Besigye wins as you believe, who is going to get all the important jobs? In case you don’t know, let me tell you that Bakiga will eat more but, overall, everything will stay with the westerners. On Buganda issues, he will simply deny having signed any agreements as Museveni has done. Because, if Baganda get the 1962 Federo plus the 9,000 square miles they may develop very fast. No foreigner in Uganda, whether Mukiga, Langi, Munyoro or Musoga would allow it. Even if a Muganda like Haji Nasser Ssebagala wins, he will not allow it.

All along, we were sure that your heart is with Buganda and Ssabasajja Kabaka. Son, were we misled? That is because, though both of us are Muslims, we know that running to marry a second wife when you have money problems and your first wife is sick, is ridiculous. It pains us that up to now you had a clear agenda so that even if the NRM people gave you problems, the reasons would be clear. Now, what is you agenda except to praise and promote Besigye? And if they inject you with funny chemicals, will it be for Bakiga and Balaalo?

We shall pray to God to give you peace and, if possible, to open your eyes so you can understand that Uganda politics is a case of ‘lubaale mubbe’ (”the bag is empty”). These people, including Besigye, are all of one family and they came to ransack Buganda. Even when the fight over FDC or NRM politics, don’t get too involved because  ‘ab’oluganda bita, bwebikonagana tebyatika’ (”brothers are like wine gourds, when they knock each other they never break.”)

Ssabasajja Awangaale.

On May 21, 2009 former Los Angeles, California, resident and now owner of Radio Star, NRM candidate Peter Sematimba was declared the new LCIII chairman for Rubaga after a bitter election fight marred by massive irregularities. Even the Uganda government mouthpiece, the New Vision, on May 22, 2009 reported the results under the heading “Rubaga LC3 polls marred by rigging”.  Sematimba, who moonlights as a church pastor, won with 15,799 votes. The votes which Sematimba received represent 47% of the 33,314 cast in the elections, but only  9.3% of the 170,557 voters on the Uganda Electoral Commission roll of registered voters in Rubaga. According to NRM sources, more than 900 party activists were paid to irregularly vote in Rubaga. Also, over 2,000 pre-marked ballots were successfully stuffed into boxes across the 250 polling stations. Still, the total votes, including the irregular ones, represented a voter turn-out of only 19%.

While Peter Sematimba and most of his NRM supporters are celebrating his official victory, some political analysts think that this election is evidence that President Museveni and his NRM dominated brand of democracy could be rapidly collapsing. One New York based Muganda analyst, who requested that we withold his name, told us in a phone conversation: “Museveni, Nsibambi, Amama Mbabazi, Nakabirwa, Mrs. Museveni and so many other NRM heavyweights supported Sematimba. Then Peter blanketed Rubaga with constant campaign messages on his own radio station. Add on the fact that NRM people paid voters, ferried in illegal voters and stuffed the ballot boxes with thousands of votes. After all that, failing to get a turn-out over 30% in Rubaga is a clear message that the people of are fed up with Musevenism and are thirsting for something else.

“My contacts in FDC admit that many of those who kept away are former FDC Baganda who were convinced by Kamya that Ssebugwaawo was being used by Bakiga who were as anti-Buganda as Museveni’s regime.  FDC is dead in Buganda! Others were turned off by the leadership vacuum in DP and fairly good evidence that Mr. Museveni was funding the DP candidate (Makumbi) through ex-convict and Kampala mayor Haj. Nasser Sebagala. The bottom line is that Museveni and his people should now know that only about 5% of the people in Rubaga were genuinely convinced by Sematimba, Museveni, Nsibambi, Amama Mbabazi and other NRM big wigs to go vote for Sematimba. And at least 70% of the registered voters in Rubaga are opposed to or fed up with the Museveni circus. But that situation is much worse for NRM when it comes to Baganda, especially the militant youths below 25 years. So, if Sematimba or Museveni think that NRM won big in Rubaga, Baganda nationalists should be happy because it is better to have a stupid enemy than a smart one.”

The runner-up to Sematimba was Moses Makumbi of the Democratic Party (DP) who got 9,807 votes (29 percent), followed by Joyce Ssebugwaawo of FDC (15%) and four lesser candidates receiving less than 10% each. Makumbi conceded defeat and congratulated Sematimba quickly after the results were announced, leading to speculation in some DP circles that he was paid something to legitimize Sematimba as soon as possible. On the other hand, according to FDC sources, Joyce Sebugwaawo intends to challenge the elections results in court citing massive fraud by NRM activists with the Uganda Electoral Commission looking the other way.

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.