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Professor Semakula Kiwanuka |
By Sheila Kulubya
THE Minister of State for Luweero, Professor Semakula Kiwanuka has accused Mengo officials of not telling the Baganda that they took part in negotiations with the government and agreed on the regional tier.
In a Friday interview, Semakula said government and Mengo officials, led by Buganda�s Attorney General, John Katende, had reached a consensus over the structure of the proposed regional tier system.
�We have been meeting the people of Mengo and they know the structure very well, but I don�t know why they are not
informing the people of Buganda,� he said.
Cabinet recently proposed that a regional tier system should be adopted for districts that want to form regional governments.
The proposal has been criticised by a cross section of the public, mostly in Buganda. On July 5, Buganda�s parliament, the Lukiiko, unanimously rejected the proposal.
They argued that such a government would eventually weake
n as
districts could easily decide to break way in future.
However Semakula said both Mengo and Cabinet agreed that the Constitution would not allow such districts to secede.
Under the new arrangement, each of the 12 districts in Buganda would be expected to elect three representatives to the regional parliament or Lukiiko.
In addition, the Kabaka would also nominate five representatives to the Lukiiko, to champion his interests.
However, what is troubling the Mengo government is that the Kabaka will remain powerless politically.
His role will be limited to opening and closing the Lukiiko, mobilisation of the people for developmental programmes and presiding over cultural activities.
Semakula argued that the Kabaka�s position is not new. �Both the 1955 and 1962 constitutions removed the Kabaka from politics,� he said.
Meanwhile, Joyce Namutebi and Catherine Ntabadde report that hundreds of of pro-federo Baganda spe
nt
Friday night on the tarmac in Mengo and vowed that they would not beg for Federo from the government but fight for it.
They were addressed by several speakers including Reform Agenda�s Kamala Kanamwanji, Joyce Ssebugwawo, Reagan Okumu and local councillors.
Published on: Sunday, 18th July, 2004 |
