*Yoga Adhola has triumphed in Mengo. He used to go at night, in secret, with Golooba, to Kabaka Mutebi's dinner table.
For a long time Yoga Adhola has been secretely working, underground, with Goloba-Mutebi to make UPC a big player in Mengo. **Now Kabaka has officially signed on this under-the-table Yoga master-plan. Sorces from home say that Miria is on board too ** Museveni, UPC and Kabaka Yekka are at it again. This, may even have been cooked up in Namirembe. (The sorces say) Mitayo Potosi. =========================== * Mengo political agenda unveiled<http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4731:mengo-political-agenda-unveiled&catid=78:topstories&Itemid=59> [image: Print]<http://www.observer.ug/index.php?view=article&catid=78:topstories&id=4731:mengo-political-agenda-unveiled&tmpl=component&print=1&page=&option=com_content&Itemid=59> [image: E-mail]<http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_mailto&tmpl=component&link=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5vYnNlcnZlci51Zy9pbmRleC5waHA/dmlldz1hcnRpY2xlJmlkPTQ3MzElM0FtZW5nby1wb2xpdGljYWwtYWdlbmRhLXVudmVpbGVkJm9wdGlvbj1jb21fY29udGVudCZJdGVtaWQ9NTk=> Top Stories <http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=78:topstories&layout=blog&Itemid=59> Written by OUR REPORTERS Monday, 17 August 2009 07:30 Mengo is drafting what it calls a comprehensive agenda that will guide Buganda Kingdom to the 2011 general elections and beyond. At the core of this blueprint is to win back heterogeneous areas such as Buruuli, Bugerere, Buvuma, Mawogola, Kabula, Gomba and Buwekula where the NRM Government is holding some sway, after installing other cultural chiefs. Another main feature of this agenda that was crafted by a special committee set up during the July 2008 Buganda Conference will see the Kabaka, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi, travel outside his kingdom to forge alliances with non-Baganda. Dr. Samuel Ssejaaka is the head of the committee whose members include, Mutebi Golooba of Makerere University and Zahar Nampewo, a Kampala lawyer. Palace sources have told The Observer that the Kabaka’s recent three-day visit to Buvuma Islands was part of the broad plan to re-awaken pro-monarchist sentiments in the traditional counties of Buganda, especially those considered to be targeted by the Central Government. While in Buvuma, the Kabaka held day and night meetings with key leaders in Mukono, while gathering information that will help him strengthen his authority. Our sources said that although the area MP and the district leaders belong to the ruling NRM party that is perceived to be trying to clip the Kabaka’s wings, Mutebi engaged them in night meetings. The campaign to win over the people of Buganda, irrespective of their affiliation, is part of the new strategy code-named “Bipartisan Approach.” Mutebi’s Buvuma tour will be followed up by door-to-door mobilisation by the Kabaka’s representative in the area (Saza chief). The kingdom recently gave all Saza chiefs motorcycles to facilitate mobilisation that was kick-started by the Kabaka himself when he spent three days planting trees, potatoes and other crops in Buvuma. * Loyalty display* This year’s coronation anniversary was moved from Buvuma County to Lubiri basically because Mengo officials wanted a bigger venue to show-case the crowds that would turn up to demonstrate their solidarity with the king. Kampala, being home to both local and international media, made it the most appropriate place for a campaign of this nature. Buganda Kingdom-owned radio, CBS, had been running adverts in intervals of about 30 minutes for over two weeks calling on Baganda to turn up in big numbers. In displaying huge crowds, Mengo aimed at sending a message, mainly to President Museveni, that more than one million votes are at stake if he doesn’t yield to Buganda’s demands. *MORE TOURS* Another tactic in the 2011 strategy is what kingdom officials have described as “meet the people campaign.” That will see the Kabaka abandon the comfort of his Kireka Palace and hit the road more often to comb his entire kingdom. The tour will take him to Kyadondo (Kampala/Wakiso), Busiro (Wakiso), Bulemeezi (Luwero/Nakaseke), Mawogola (Sembabule), Gomba (Mpigi), Buddu (Masaka) and Mawokota (Mpigi). During these tours, the Kabaka will make stopovers at urban areas “to greet his subjects”, something similar to what politicians do on the campaign trail. He will also tour slum areas to interact with people there. After the tour of Buganda, Mutebi is scheduled to visit other cultural institutions in what a senior official said is in response to outstanding invitations. He will visit Acholi, Lango, Bunyoro, Tooro, Teso, Ankole, Kigezi, Karamoja and Bugisu. Political analysts say the visits are partly to seek common ground on issues that Mengo clamours for. *Independence* Mengo is also plotting to popularise October 8 as a big day on which Buganda marks its “independence”. Last year’s programme to mark the day aborted after security forces blocked the Kabaka’s visit to Nakasongola District, claiming that some Baruuli opposed to him as their cultural leader planned to hurt him. This year’s event is planned to precede a second Buganda conference in Kampala under the theme: ‘The Uganda We Want.’ The organising committee will be announced soon. The first Buganda Conference was held on July 18 last year. Professors: Ali Mazurui and Mahmood Mamdani were guest speakers. Mamdani challenged Baganda to use their numerical strength to target national leadership. Presentations on the type of political system, constitutionalism, and resource distribution will be made. Thereafter, Buganda will invite other areas to host similar conferences and propose how they want the country to be governed. A national conference will then be convened to discuss and agree how Ugandans want the country to be governed. An agreement will be signed between kingdoms and areas and together they will ask politicians seeking to rule the country to embrace it. *Media strategy* To popularise the 2011 agenda, Mengo will soon launch a media campaign code-named the “Birth of New Media,” a Mengo minister has said. The media strategy is intended, “to shield Kabaka’s subjects from pointless debates.” The aim is to keep the national debate focused on what Buganda wants and not what President Museveni is proposing. Cassettes, CDs, DVDs, SMS, Internet are all targeted as possible channels. A special committee “to harness new media technology and cause use of it” will also be announced. The kingdom intends, according to our sources, to send two experts to the US to study how President Barrack Obama used internet to communicate to voters effectively. One senior official will travel to Iran to find out how the opposition has used their telephones to capture horrific images and how they have been able to relay them to the international media. *Civic Education* The kingdom’s Central Civic Education Committee, headed by Betty Nambooze, will also be reactivated in a couple of weeks. The committee was appointed primarily to sensitise Baganda about the Land (Amendment) Bill 2007, which the kingdom vehemently opposed. The government accused the committee of peddling lies, resulting in the arrest of Nambooze and the two Mengo ministers; Peter Mayiga and Medard Lubega. Nambooze and Lubega were charged with sedition while Mayiga was released without charges. Betty Nambooze confirmed to The Observer that some money has been put in the kingdom’s budget to enable her committee resume its work. The committee was given a wider mandate by the July 2008 Buganda Conference to deal with all matters of civic education. In addition to the work of the Nambooze committee, Buganda women and youth groups like Nkoba Zambogo will be asked to run a parallel campaign in the kingdom to mobilise women and the youth. [email protected] ==================================== Corporates: The first ones were born, not made Joachim Buwembo Uganda’s first ‘corporates’ were begotten, not made. They were the ‘happening’ people at independence time. None of them was called simple names like Buwembo. They came with distinguished labels like “the Nsibirwas” or “the Mugwanyas”. Their dads had done it all for them. They were sons and daughters of influential people in the colonial era. At independence time, they already had family cars but the most defining characteristic was that they had land. In addition to having land, these ‘Abana ba Baami’ had gone to schools like Budo and Gayaza. Their fathers were decent chiefs of all levels, from prime ministers down to Gombolola. These dads were exemplary Christians who had only one official wife. Those who had a second one kept her far from their European bosses and bishops, but integrated her children fully with those of the first wife. At high school they had networked with advantaged kids from different parts of Uganda, foreigners through their teachers and significantly though not widely known, children of the Kenyan independence fighters. Some of their fathers had quietly supported the Mau Mau Movement. A few years ago, I sat on an upstairs terrace at the residence of Mr John Kulubya off Gaba Road and among other things he told me for a book project, he narrated his escape to Nairobi in the early 70s on learning that Idi Amin was looking for him. Kulubya was doing the Tanzania leg while competing in the East African Safari Rally when he was tipped off about Amin’s intentions. So he drove to Kenya and on reaching Nairobi, went to the office of a senior contact of his late dad and explained his situation. While the two were sipping tea, a senior cabinet minister in charge of immigration was called in to start processing the young man’s residence permit… This group got jobs – those who wanted to be employed – worked and played hard in exclusive clubs. One of their popular targets in life was to “okusiriiza” meaning to accumulate a bank balance of Shs 100,000, (akasiriivu) whose purchasing power now equals to a billion shillings They then built homes in places like Lungujja and drove the latest cars from the assembly plants. The indicators on their cars were not lights – they were metal arms that would spring out to show which direction the driver intended to take – a contraption that would make today’s ‘corporates’ drop dead with laughter. By the way, they were so much into ordering home domestic appliances and clothes from suppliers in England. Some of them went into politics. They sent their kids to local schools because the standards were fantastic. But they sent them overseas for higher training, with many of their girls doing secretarial studies in the UK. This group did well for themselves. Their biggest failure was not resolving the Buganda question before the country went into independence or immediately after. They were in a hurry to get independence at the Lancaster talks and shut down the likes of Ben Kiwanuka who thought it was important to clarify on Buganda’s situation first. So when Milton Obote, that great poet, said he did not care whether Buganda went to Kampala by bus, ship or plane as long as they did with everyone else, they applauded and, ill prepared for national governance, went to Kampala to get their new flag and titles. This group of first ‘corporates’ did not mean bad. They just did not expect politics to become nasty. So they invested in their family comforts and did little to secure the stability of the nation. Most of them are now dead. Their kids inherited their wealth. Some of the kids are around in their middle age. Others migrated to Europe and America and are raising entirely foreign families. They keep track of their land holdings here and some engage a lawyer to sell an acre or two when need to raise a few hundred thousand bucks arises… Next we take a look at the independence time ‘corporates’ who excelled in academics. [email protected]
_______________________________________________ Ugandanet mailing list [email protected] http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet % UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. ---------------------------------------
