Listers,
I found the following contribution in my account. Quite an interesting view about what has been going on since the Kabaka made that famous comment to a delegation. A lot has been written but I'm yet to see a more candid opinion than this one. Enjoy !
Kasangwawo
>Subject: THE kABAKA'S DILEMMA
>Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 15:28:20 -0000
>
>THE KABAKA'S DILEMMA
>I notice that the recent statement by Kabaka Mutebi regarding his lack of
>powers and his request for a federo system of local governance for Buganda
>has annoyed a lot of people,
>
>For a start it is worth noting that the Kabaka made this statement in
>answer
>to a delegation , who had gone to him to complain about the bad treatment,
>inequalities and downright misrule which is in Buganda today.
>
>Among the grievances the delegation must have discussed with the Kabaka
>are;
>
>* That decentralisation has resulted in the appointment of non-Baganda
>RDC's/District officials who have no allegiance to the areas they work in,
>and continually steal the money allocated to the districts in Buganda
>without being arrested or removed.
>* That these RDC's have gazetted a lot of land in the districts to
>govt land and given it to their cohorts, very often for free.
>*
>* It would have also been noted that this feature of appointing
>non-indigenous RDC and other district officials is enforced ONLY in
>Buganda.
>
>*
>* The example of a Mukiga RDC who had been appointed to Kibaale , but
>was vehemently refused by the Banyoro for fear that he would allocate their
>land to the Bakiga would have been noted. The Mukiga RDC was subsequently
>sent to study abroad and a Munyoro RDC appointed instead.
>*
>* - The recognition that in Uganda there is a law which
>prohibits Baganda from owning land outside Buganda, as evidenced by the
>recent decision to take the land from the Baganda landlords in Kibaale, and
>return it to the Banyoro; while everybody else gets land in Buganda and
>keeps it would have been noted.
>*
>* The recognition that decentralisation has resulted in appointment of
>officials who refuse to spend money on what Baganda in their local areas
>consider important, would have also been noted.
>*
>* Other facts like the building of new highways which were made to
>delibarately kill major towns in Buganda like Masaka and Bombo by
>bypassing the town centres, thus killing these towns, while passing in the
>center of towns like Mbarara encouraging their growth, would have been
>noted..
>*
>* - The recognition that conferences of nobodies can sit at
>Makerere and decide to ban dowry, without due consultation to cultural
>norms
>would have also been noted.
>*
>* The Kabaka's lack of power to even take care of his own cultural
>business would have been noted by a recent example of a land dispute among
>two Baganda princesses which was taken to the President for arbitration.
>*
>* The meeting must have then agreed with the Kabaka that he has no
>power to address any of the above problems.
>*
>* They would have further recognised that unless Buganda gets a
>federo system of local administration, where it can elect/appoint officials
>who have an agreed Buganda agenda, and have the power to raise taxes to
>implement this agenda , then it is better to recognise, that the Obwakabaka
>is 'Byoya Bya Nswa' , that Buganda is in dire trouble..
>*
> This public acknowledgement by the Kabaka that he is
>powerless is therefore problematic. and since this announcement, the Kabaka
>has received incredulous advice from various quarters.
>
> The first advisors delibarately made a distinction between
>the powers of the Kabaka and Buganda when in actual fact the two are the
>same in this case.
> They talked about the Kabaka asking for executive powers
>(presumably over the Baganda ) when in actual fact he is asking for powers
>for Buganda in the form of federo. That is why he made the two demands hand
>in hand.
>
> He was advised to lobby Parliament and other officials if
>he wants to get more executive /personal powers. This advice in itself was
>amazingly na�ve , because this is exactly what he had done when Mengo
>presented its case for federo to the Ssempebwa Commission. Ie; ask for
>powers for Buganda.
>
> The New Vision at least acknowledged what he was asking for
>, when it reminded him that asking for federo is 'finding excuses to
>explain
>his inability to initiate development like the Aga Khan' , and 'failing to
>account for the royalties collected from the people' .
>
> Apart from what is obviously ignorance about the Aga Khan's
>power to initiate development, the paper failed to remember that unlike the
>Vision, the Kabaka has no taxpayer to pay for his existence, and would
>therefore have a problem to account for something he does not get!.
>
> The last advice that the Kabaka should ask for money from
>the central government is a more sinister attempt to separate the Kabaka
>from Buganda.
>
> The advice is that before the Kabaka seeks for 'executive
>powers which is a matter of constitutional amendments' and ' which may
>come after 5 years' , he is better off asking the govt for a handout to
>improve the welfare of his subjects..
>
> For a start it is surprising that a federo amendments would
>take 5 years when the amendments for a third term will be obtained by a
>referendum and implemented within 2 years.
> The next thing to note about this offer is again that
>deliberate separation of Kabaka's and Buganda's powers, which on this
>occasion is nearly tantamount to a bribe. This offer again fails to see
>what
>the Kabaka was made to acknowledge. That his subjects know what is wrong,
>and how to cure it.
> The Kabaka is probably aware that giving money to him when
>Mengo has no ability to implement its agenda in the districts, will be
>rewarding only him and fat cats at Mengo. He could take the money, but in
>whose name ?
>
> With this skewed decentralisation policy in Uganda
>resulting in land and other assets being stripped, and a Kabaka unable to
>help, then common sense dictates that sooner rather than later the dormant
>citizens of Uganda will come to realise that there is nothing they gained
>for the sacrifice they made, and then have to re-evaluate current
>friendships and loyalties in order to 'save' themselves.
>
> It is surprising that parties like DP, CP and UPC understood
>the Kabaka's dilemma and its consequences, while the Movement and Reform
>failed to do so.
>
>
> Simon Nume
>
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