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New England, USA: Muganda American Doesn’t Want To Face Discrimination in Motherland

Dear Editor,

I have been reading the news on your site for a while to educate myself and want to thank you because it is concise and easier to understand than a lot of other news sources. I am a young Muganda from Mukono. I am also a young American living in Northeast America. I feel like my personality has always constantly been split between my parent’s heritage and the American culture I have been raised in. However, recent events in Uganda and America have made some things crystal clear to me.

One thing that I have learned from a young age in America, as a black person, is about the civil rights movement. This was all about the right of people to be free to have equal rights and privileges to live their lives as they want without the direction of people that are just butting in. When I first heard about the problems in Uganda and began to learn some of the details my instinctual reaction was that Museveni is inserting himself into the affairs of Baganda that are none of his business and deciding that one group of people have to explain how they live their lives because he is afraid of the Kabaka’s popularity. Maybe someone can leave a comment and explain why the Kabaka, regardless of his position, has to explain to anyone why he is visiting any town as a citizen of Uganda. Museveni seems to want to make Kabaka a second class citizen instead of being a more effective and better leader so the people like him better.

My interpretation of events leads me to my second point. I do not understand what all the animosity and strife is for from the other nations of Uganda. I wonder how any of them would react if Museveni went to their areas and started dictating how they should live to them. I think that most would react with much less patience than Baganda have shown.

In conclusion, I understand that since Independence Uganda, and Buganda in particular, has suffered at the hands of some evil leaders. I also understand that Museveni “saved” Uganda from the last one and has kept the peace for several years. However, that does not give him a right to ride roughshod over Baganda liberties. I have to struggle with being a black man in America with all the perils and difficulties that entails. I do not want to go to the home of my ancestors going back thousands of years and have to deal with similar conditions because one man is worried that the people love someone else more than him.

Newly Angry In New England

California, USA: Kabaka’s Representatives Spying on Baganda

Mr. or Ms. Editor,

I have written to complain to our beloved Kabaka Mutebi about his representatives here in the US. They really do nothing except create divisions. In Washington DC my friends tell me the mubaka they have spends more time on Uganda government business instead of informing people what is going on with their Kabaka. I hear even in New York the mubaka keeps everything about Kabaka a secret. The babaka in Colorado and California are AWOR as we say in jeshi. I have also been told that the one in Texas spends more time with Museveni’s ambassador in Dallas and not Baganda issues. And most of these babaka we know send false reports to Kabaka about the leaders we elect to protect their own connection to Kabaka and Katikiro.

I pray that Sabasaja Magulu nyondo will change how babaka are chosen. The babaka we have now are sometimes even dangerous to the kingdom because the depend on Buganda enemies for money or other things. They spy on us and tell Rugunda and Kamunanuwire. I hear that there is even one mubaka who is spying on Kabaka’s subjects on special phones to report to immigration and FBI. Ai Kabaka how can a Muganda spying other Baganda and cooking facts to make money be your mubaka for the same Baganda.

Even when we went to UNAA in Chicago Minister Nakiyingi came in and made Kavuma and Semakula the babaka to get tourists to come to Buganda. And another person told me Frank Musisi is the official leader of all Baganda in America on behalf of Kabaka Mutebi. May be these people can do the job but how were they elected?  I think this happened in secret without even telling Kabaka; like NRM. I have seen these gentlemen on many Uganda meetings and I know them well but I think if others were competing maybe Baganda may choose others.  The people who use this MUSIBIRA MU BWA way put a bad mark on Kabaka’s name. They are helping the enemy.

Awangale nyo omwagalwa Sabasajja Magulu nyondo Kabaka Ronald Mutebi

Kiggundu

California

In an exclusive communication to Buganda Post, a group of Baganda professionals based in Europe have announced that, they are constituting what they called a virtual court to start collecting evidence against Buganda occupiers and their collaborators. They call the virtual court, which includes both lawyers and other professionals,  Embuga Mununula (from effort to rescue Buganda). The members of Embuga Mununula claim that they have started the initiative in the name of their Kabaka although, obviously, he did not personally instruct them. They argue that, since Buganda is occupied by foreigners and Kabaka Mutebi’s movements are now controlled by a Rwandese mercenary, Kalyekezi Kayihura, their action is consistent with the tradition of fighting against occupation forces.

Among the prominent NRM government officials under investigation are Yoweri Tebaruha Museveni, Gilbert Balibaseka Bukenya, David Tinyefuza, Kahinda Otafiire, Kalyekezi Kayihura, Caleb Akandwanaho and John Nagenda. Over the next several months, evidence will be collected and potential witnesses identified, with a goal of building cases against key members of the occupation force and their collaborators. The applicable law will be a combination of English Law and native Buganda Law. For example, native Buganda Law provides for the death penalty on conviction of  treason and betraying Namulondo but also allows collective punishment, where the convict’s whole family is condemned as traitors.

According to the Embuga Mununula founders, as soon as Baganda gain the capacity administer fair trials and carry out appropriate punishments humanely, speedy open trials and sentencing will start. The group does not predict how long this will take. In fact they say that they are willing to continue building cases for as long as Buganda is under occupation. Even if a suspect dies the Baganda who have suffered through his actions will still want his estate to compensate the victims and, in some cases, members of his family to be punished according to native Buganda Law.

The first batch of high value personalities to be investigated first is shown below:

Reports from various corners of Buganda indicate that the overwhelming majority of  Kabaka’s subjects are upset with Katikkiro Walusimbi’s decision to accept a Shs 2 Billion (US$ 930,232) offer from President Museveni.  And within the Baganda youth movement there is talk of giving him the traditional punishment for treason. Katikkiro Walusimbi announced his unilateral decision to take Shs 350 Million (US$162,790), as the first payment of what he claimed to be an unconditional Uganda Government grant,  during an April 20, 2009 meeting of the Buganda Lukiiko (equivalent of a parliament). However, Owek. JB  Walusimbi promptly contradicted himself by adding that the funds came from Mr. Museveni’s NAADS program, which is funded by donors and is widely known to have many strings attached.

Reaction from nationalist members of the Lukiiko was swift. One member told Mr. Walusimbi that Mmengo must not take the  Shs 2 Billion because it was an attempt by Mr. Museveni’s government to introduce their corruption into Mmengo and have an excuse to bring Uganda Government into Bulange under the guise of checking accountability. Another pointed out that Mr. Museveni should pay the over Shs 8 Billion he owes to Buganda before Mmengo accepts a gift of Shs 350 Million. Owek Walusimbi only hit back. He literally quarreled with the opposing voices, telling them: “You need to understand who Walusimbi is. I have handled huge sums of money for many years and I cannot be bought by Shs 1 Billion. I don’t need it and I would not look at it even if you put it in front of me.” And in what appeared to be a veiled attack on the increasingly influential nationalistic Baganda in the Diaspora, Walusimbi said: “In 2009 Baganda should focus on hard work and not politics like the people who criticize me. Those who criticize me are people who can afford to eat sausages at breakfast time and go on to have lunch, evening tea and dinner with red wine.” And, in a move which  Baganda youths in the gallery called a “Museveni style bribe”, the Katikkiro gave each of the Lukiiko members present a “transport refund” of Shs 20,000.

By Tuesday evening, the resistance to the Walusimbi/Museveni Shs 350 Million transaction had spread beyond the Lukiiko. A leaflet titled “JB Walusimbi Atunze Obuganda” was circulating around Kampala. It pointed out that Walusimbi had sold each native of Buganda for Shs 430. It includes his image with the caption “Kayungirizi”, a term reserved for local land agents (see picture). Our investigations have revealed that the document was circulated by members of the Buganda youth movement, who enjoy full support from about 50% of Buganda cabinet and a huge majority of ordinary Baganda. A Buganda minister, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told this reporter that after seeing the leaflet, a combative Walusimbi threatened members of his cabinet that he knew who among them was fighting him and he would defeat them. Only a day later another message from still unknown Baganda was delivered to Walusimbi, warning him that if he continues on his current path, his head might get put on stakes at Bulange. Sources close to Walusimbi tell us that the Katikkiro has told President Museveni that his life is at risk. And he is now receiving protection from President Museveni’s Presidential Guard Brigade (PGB).

On March 9, 2009 Buganda Post exclusively reported that Katikkiro Walusimbi had Mr. Museveni to pay that  to pay off government rent arrears owed to Mmengo and authorize another 8 billion shillings to: (1) complete Bulange Plaza, (2) complete Twekobe, (3) pay some salary arrears for Bulange employees, (4) to facilitate (bribe) key Buganda officials and certain key Bataka (clan heads) for support, (5) to settle the debt that state house owed the Katikkiro’s Associated Consulting Engineers company, and (6) to buy support from Baganda peasants by giving them money through an NRM style program called Omumuli which Walusimbi designed with Museveni’s vice president Gilbert Bukenya. (See “Katikkiro Walusimbi Dodges Talks, Leaves Museveni Holding A Bag Of Stones“). According to our State House sources, the Shs 350 Million that Mr. Walusimbi accepted is art of this agreement. And the lunch allowances he gave to Lukiiko members appears to be the first step towards getting Mr. Museveni’s money into the Buganda Lukiiko.