A reliable sources close to president Museveni’s state house tells us that, before leaving for the September UN session in New York, the Ugandan warlord got Robert  Sebunya to reactivate a program that would use financially stressed Buganda royals to spy on or undermine Kabaka Mutebi. The source told us: “The president has been using Kabaka Mutebi’s uncle, Prince Simbwa to keep Ssabasajja off balance. However, Tamale Mirundi and Robert Sebunya advised him that other royals, either misguided or desperate for money, should be recruited. Tamale also recommended that recruitment of Balangira and Bambejja in the Diaspora might be the easiest because it is harder for Kabaka to track their activities. In fact, when His Excellency went to the USA in late September, a meeting with princes and princesses in Boston was put on his agenda. He did meet them in Boston as planned only because of the Baganda demonstrations.”  The source speculated that the money intended for the princes and princesses was probably left with Ruhakana Rugunda, “since he is more in tune with how Ugandan things work than Kamunanwire in Washington DC.”

Our source explained that the campaign is getting accelerated with assistance from Robert Kabushenga who is launching a media blitz where negative and contradictory stories on Buganda royals will appear in Bukedde, New Vision and  the Monitor, to demoralize Baganda and Kabaka Mutebi. Some stories will talk positively about Kabaka Mutebi while others will question his legitimacy. And others will show that there are divisions within the Buganda royal family. Yet others will claim that the Kabaka and Museveni now like each other.

The source explained: “The period between now and December, when huge numbers of Baganda come for Christmas, is critical to Mr. Museveni. Expect him to use it to keep Kabaka and Mmengo confused with a barrage of mixed messages, including friendly but fruitless negotiations, public abuses, court cases against Nambooze and Lubega Sseggona, making impossible demands on CBS Radio and maintaining confusion around Kabaka’s personal security. The recruitment of at least 4 or 5 youthful grand children of Ssekabaka Chwa to undermine the Kabaka is attractive to the president because he is starting to believe that the back of Baganda youth has been weakened. The key is to deny the Kabaka and his loyal adviser, who are part-time, in a reactive mode all the time between now and January or February next year.”

In a related development, unconfirmed reports from  Boston tell us that at least 4 or 5 princes and princesses from Texas and North East USA were in Boston on September 26, 2009. And some were eager to meet Museveni. If Museveni left money with Rugunda to buy Buganda royals, as our state house source asserted, then  the campaign may already be in full swing.

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London, UK: What has Owek. Walusimbi Delivered?

Dear editor,

If I remember correctly, the former Katikkiro of Buganda, Owek. Daniel Muliika held Ddamula for 20 months. In that short time, he did many things for his nation. He recovered the land titles for many important Buganda lands across the kingdom. He crashed the Ssemwogere/Museveni regional tier poison and stopped the scam by Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo, Apollo Nsibambi and ‘others still at large’ to divide and sell pieces of Kabaka’s Lubiri to Sudhir and Salim Saleh. But most important, he woke Baganda youth up to understand that Museveni and his NRM were determined to make Baganda slaves or refugees in their own land.

Now, my question is, what has Engineer JB Walusimbi done so far? He cannot claim the 2008 Buganda Conference because it is former acting Katikkiro Ssendaula who copied that idea from the Baganda Ttabamiruka in USA.  The only thing Katikkiro Walusimbi talked consistently about for months is his Museveni funded Omumuli program where he even got Kabaka to distribute maize seeds.  Except now that few farmers planted those seeds he is quiet on Omumuli. The rest of the time, the Katikkiro has either been in secret meetings with Mr. Museveni or complaining against any Muganda who does not love the NRM. Seriously, what will Owek. Walusimbi tell us he has done for Buganda after twenty months in office, which will be a few months from now? And I mean for Buganda, not for Museveni!

Awangaale Ssabajja,

JC Ssempasa,
London

California, USA: Buganda Leadership Vaccum

Gutusinze Ssabasajja.

The leadership gap in Mengo is putting Buganda at a very big risk because even here in the diaspora we are starting to have NRM and fake Baganda take over our organizations.  In London, Boston and Washington DC we now have people who are much more loyal to NRM and Museveni than to Namulondo, taking over Baganda organizations.

Ai Ssabasajja we were first shocked to hear that some people who are suspected to be  funded by Uganda tax payer money disorganized the Gwangamujje of Boston elections two month ago. Then came word that  during the Gwangamujje of Washington DC elections a few weeks ago they allowed non-members, visitors and even children to vote.  Unbelievable but true is the fact that the returning officer who supposedly ruled all these irregularities legal (NRM style) is Omulangira Kalema, the Kabaka’s representative in Washington DC.  This taking over of Baganda organizations is already paying off for Mr. Museveni and his people. I have read news that his ambassador Perez Kamunanirwe has been invited to preside over Buganda Day on June 27, 2009. Yet, when Buganda Day was started in DC, it was to remember Baganda heroes, starting with Ssekabaka Luwangula Muteesa II, who have died while defending your kingdom against Ugandan governments.

Magulunyondo, what is happening in London and USA with Balangira betraying Namulondo and some Baganda thinking that they cannot do anything without involving NRM or Banyankore and Banyarwanda is a result of “the surrender” at Mengo.  Cuucu, we pray that God may bless and guide you to a decision that can deal with the weak leadership at Mengo.

Wangaala nnyo Sabasajja.

Name Witheld (on request)
California, USA

As Mr. Museveni’s Presidential Press Secretary, John Tamale-Mirundi is an employee of the Government of Uganda. Furthermore, when Mirundi speaks to news and other public media on political topics without explicitly saying that it is his personal opinions, then he speaks on behalf of Mr. Museveni. Mr. Museveni’s government is now sponsoring programs on Uganda FM radio stations where Mirundi delivers venomous anti-Baganda and anti-Kabaka propaganda messages under the guise of teaching about the ugly history of Kabaka Yekka (KY) political party.

The underlying theme of Mirundi’s statement of various Kampala FM stations is to create the image that Baganda are a dangerous and violent people who committed atrocities through their political party KY. Ignoring internationally famous NRM government corruption and election violence, Tamale “teaches” his audiences that Baganda, through their Kabaka Yekka (KY) party rigged elections in 1962 and unleashed violence on their opponents. He states arbitrary number of victims, even if they are very low compared to the numerous atrocities that the government appointed Uganda Human Rights Commission has cited against Mr. Museveni’s government.

In veiled attacks on Ssekabaka Fredrick Walugembe Muteesa II, Mirundi belittles KY for having uninspired and unprofessional leadership, without vision. Ironically, Tamale-Mirundi, who represents one of the longest ruling and most corrupt African dictators, keeps telling his listeners  that “the problem with Ssekabaka Mutesa II was that he was not willing to accept any leader to be above him.”

To defend the frequent government bribing of members of Mr. Museveni’s parliament, Tamale Mirundi makes wild claims that  Ssekabaka Mutesa II also bribed MPs to make him President of Uganda. Tamale offers no evidence, only relying on the fact that in President Museveni’s Uganda, the average person thinks that rampant corruption and bribery was usual even in 1963.

When we asked a New York (USA) based Muganda thought leader to comment on Mirundi’s crusade, he warned Baganda to wake up to the fact that Mirundi’s statements could be a step towards anti-Baganda violence that might compete with the Rwanda genocide. He said: “During Ttabamiruka ’08 a few of us were concerned about symptoms of possible genocide in Buganda. Unfortunately, Katikkiro Walusimbi and his cabinet boycotted the conference, so there was no opportunity for us to engage Mmengo on this serious issue. Ironically, Museveni who had no friends at Ttabamiruka, was smart enough to send minister Nankabirwa, Tamale-Mirundi,  MP Kakooza and a few spies.

Now,  these radio lessons by Tamale sound like what Habyarimana’s government taught on radio before the Rwandese genocide. It is worrying that, abusing and belittling Baganda is slowly becoming the norm, so much that senior Baganda officials in Mr. Museveni’s government which does it (e.g. Nsibambi, Sekandi, Bukenya and others) still get a friendly reception at the highest level in Mmengo. This misplaced sense of reality among Baganda is why so many genocides come as a total shock to the victims.”

The Muganda professional pointed us to a section of www.Wikipedia.com which speaks about how Habyarimana’s government used the media in the Rwanda Genocide. Below is part of the Wikipedia information (for more go to Rwanda Genocide on Wikipedia-Media Propaganda):

Media Propaganda

According to recent commentators the news media played a crucial role in the genocide: local print and radio media fuelled the killings, while the international media either ignored or seriously misconstrued events on the ground. The print media in Rwanda is believed to have started hate speech against Tutsis which was later continued by radio stations. According to commentators anti-Tutsi hate speech “became so systemic as to seem the norm.” The state-owned newspaper Kangura had a central role, starting an anti-Tutsi and anti-RPF campaign in October 1990. In the ongoing International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the individuals behind Kangura have been accused of producing leaflets in 1992 picturing a machete and asking “What shall we do to complete the social revolution of 1959?” – a reference to the Hutu revolt that overthrew the Tutsi monarchy and the subsequent politically orchestrated communal violence that resulted in thousands of mostly Tutsi casualties and forced roughly 300,000 Tutsis to flee to neighboring Burundi and Uganda. Kangura also published the infamous “10 Hutu Commandments,” which called upon Hutus to massacre Tutsis, and more generally communicated the message that the RPF had a devious grand strategy (one feature article was titled “Tutsi colonization plan”).

Buganda Post has received a copy of what appears to be the draft program book for the Uganda North American Association (UNAA) convention (View Program Book here), which attempts to give the impression that the conference will focus on Buganda culture and royalty. It includes a total of 21 photographs, excluding those of the organizers, out of which 1 shows Katikkiro Joseph Mulwanyamuli Ssemwogerere, 2 include the keynote speakers, 2 are for articles and 16 (76 percent of the total pictures) cover members of the Buganda Royal Family. The well typeset document seems to contradict the traditional so called anti-sectarian rhetoric that characterizes UNAA programs. They also appear misplaced given UNAA’s reliance on Uganda government funding.

It is these contradictions that led Buganda Post to investigate the origins of the royal family pictures. What the Post has learnt is that the images showing Kabaka Mutebi, Ssekabaka Mutesa II, the late Prince George Mawanda, and other royals could only have gotten in the hands of UNAA organizers through theft. The photos in question are part of a library which belongs to one Muganda prince who lives in the northeast United States. And a source close to his family has, on condition of anonymity, informed Buganda Post that one Ms. Kironde previously borrowed those pictures on the pretext that she wanted to “show them to her friends”. According to our source members of the royal family in Uganda and in Boston have come to the conclusion that Ms. Kironde scanned and took the images to UNAA for unauthorized use.

The UNAA conference will take place on August 28 to September 1, 2008 in Florida, USA. Its published program from the conference website allocates on 2 hours to land issues, the only item which can be interpreted as important to Baganda. Buganda royal family and culture are not addressed at all. The strong emphasis on Buganda royal family in the program book is therefore a deliberate attempt to mislead naive or uniformed Baganda into thinking that UNAA has learnt to address Buganda interests.

(Download a pdf copy of the UNAA program book here.)