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FIRM STAND: Mutebi waves to his people as he arrives at Lubiri |
By Josephine Maseruka
and Henry Mukasa
The Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Mutebi, yesterday called for a mighty Buganda based on the pillars and property the kingdom’s ancestors handed over to the present generation.
While opening a one-day workshop on federalism organised by Buganda clan leaders, Mutebi said the kingdom would continue making its demands peacefully and patiently.
The workshop comes amid talks between the Government and Mengo over its demand for a federal status, the inclusion of Kampala city in Buganda and the return of 9,000 square miles of land.
President Yoweri Museveni will on Tuesday meet Buganda’s delegation for more talks, after a scheduled meeting on Thursday flopped.
Mutebi, who usually speaks from his throne, stood at the rostrum and in a firm tone said, “We want Buganda to be as mighty as it was in the past, based on the pillars handed to us by our ancestors, and all the properties they left for us with our abi
lities,
wisdom and strength.”
The statement was greeted with prolonged applause and chants from the mammoth crowd that had waited for him from as early as 8:00am.
“During this period you have heard much and you will hear much more but our intention is to see that we develop Buganda and Uganda as a whole and deliver our people from the throes of poverty and disease,” the Kabaka said to chants of “federo, federo.”
“We ask our partners in other parts of Uganda to join us in this struggle. We have requested and we shall continue to ask patiently because we like this nation, in which we all have vested interests. We want to see that our voice is heard,” the Kabaka added in a four-minute address.
Thousands of Baganda thronged Lubiri Palace for the workshop on federalism and a critical analysis of Buganda, lessons from the 1966 crisis, the present and the future.
It took security personnel over 10 minutes to clear a crowd that swarmed Mutebi’s convoy when he
entered
the palace at 12:20pm.
Mutebi hailed clan leaders for convening the workshop and said getting knowledge never ends.
Participants were bedecked in white tunics (kanzu) while others wore animal skins. Ladies dressed in gomesi and tied small pieces of barkcloth around their waists to express their displeasure with government. They donned barkcloth caps and hats with inscriptions “twagala federo (we want federo).”
The Katikkiro, Joseph Ssemwogerere, hailed Mutebi for opening the workshop and said his subjects would never desert him in good or bad times.
Retired Bishop Michael Ssenyimba presented a paper on poverty in Buganda. He said with federo, Buganda would stop depending on charity and hand-outs from the Central Government.
Emmanuel Kayita Musoke presented a paper on the 1966 crisis and its effect on Buganda traditions. He said the moral decay in society was a result of the abolition of kingdoms. He said Buganda’s existence hinged on the p
illars
of traditions, norms and clans, the basis of the kingdom’s demands.
Former president Lukongwa Binaisa was jeered by the crowd for being part of past governments which destabilised Buganda.
Published on: Saturday, 31st July, 2004 |
