Ggwe George Ssendiwala
Yoweri Museveni has lead this country for almost 30 years, the only people he
has killed apart from Northerners and Easterners are only Baganda. And yet
there is no single indication to show that he is about to leave power. 85 of
babies born in Buganda today are fathered by Rwandese even those that think are
fathered by Baganda men. Wabula wakyaliwo Enungu eyimba mbu without Buganda
there is no Uganda. Look all money has gone to Mbarara and Kampala has been
turned into a cows feeding shack. Allow me to quote you one thing my dear
friend George Ssendiwala what a very intelligent man said on Uganda. You can
win a Uganda election without winning a single constituency in Buganda. –Dr
Apollo Milton Obote
Awo oli ku Pokopoko era byoyogedde bya’Swakaba !!!!!
EM
On the 49th
Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni and Dr. Kiiza Besigye Uganda is in anarchy"
Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni na Dk. Kiiza Besigye Uganda ni katika machafuko"
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of George Ssendiwala
Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 10:24 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: {UAH} Is Buganda still relevant as a monarchy in the 21st century?
H.O.,
Without Buganda there is no Uganda. Kindly rephrase your question so as to
attract DEEP answers/ thoughts.
I feel the itch you are massaging but you are an inch off target.
Soft and Real Power really rests in that building below. And YES we can
restructure the monarchy without disrespecting the existing.
Uganda will remain anchored on Buganda.
George S.
_____
From: Hannah Ogwapiti <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 6:52 AM
Subject: {UAH} Is Buganda still relevant as a monarchy in the 21st century?
Is Buganda still relevant as a monarchy in the 21st century?
Is Buganda still relevant as a monarchy in the 21st century?
<http://www.monitor.co.ug/image/view/-/1924230/highRes/547248/-/maxw/600/-/14ddiet/-/Report02pix.jpg>
Bulange Mengo, the administrative seat of Buganda Kingdom. Analysts say whereas
the kingdom runs its own government headed by the Katikkiro, it is politically
impotent and has been overshadowed by the central government. File Photo.
In Summary
In our series “Celebrating 20 years”, we take a look at Kabaka Ronald Mutebi’s
20-year-reign and how his kingdom is far from getting over its political
turbulence.
For 27 years, Buganda had no kingdom, and one of Kabaka Mutebi’s palaces on the
outskirts of Kampala had been turned into an army barracks, while the seat of
the Buganda government in Mengo served as the headquarters of the Ministry of
Defence.
It all began with the infamous raid by independence leader Milton Obote of King
Edward Muteesa’s palace in 1966. Monarchies were abolished, the king fled into
exile in the United Kingdom and his son, Muwenda Mutebi, grew up in a foreign
country, accommodated and supported by friends.
Things started to change for the better on July 31, 1993 when Buganda Kingdom
was restored with the coronation of Mutebi as its 36th king. The ceremony at
Naggalabi, the birthplace of the kingdom, remains one of the momentous events
in Buganda’s history.
On August 3 (actual anniversary is July 31), Buganda will be celebrating the
20th anniversary of Mutebi’s coronation with pomp and ceremony. Many Baganda,
the country’s largest ethnic group, will be taking stock of the two decades of
their Kabaka’s coronation.
While Baganda will remember Mutebi’s colourful wedding with Sylvia Nagginda in
1999 and the birth of Princess Katrina Sangalyambogo in 2001 and that of Prince
Richard Ssemakokiro (out of wedlock) in 2012 as highlights of the past 20
years, there have been sad chapters in the kingdom’s history in recent years.
The challenges
It has not all been smooth sailing. There have been ups and downs, and there
are still lingering questions about the relevance of a monarchy in the 21st
century.
Baganda’s quest for federo, as the federal system is called in Uganda, has so
far come to nothing - and it seems highly unlikely that it will bear fruit in
the foreseeable future. The central government has allowed Buganda to have and
to do many things but it balks at ceding political power to the kingdom,
something that has angered many in Mengo.
President Museveni, who played a key role in having the monarchy restored, has
been foremost in warning traditional and cultural leaders to steer clear of
politics.
Restoring Baganda’s kingdom was a token of appreciation for the support they
gave him during his 1980s bush war that brought him to power. But Museveni
seems not ready to do more for Baganda, especially where political power is
concerned. Granting Baganda a federal status means that other kingdoms will be
pressing similar demands, and that leaves a question mark on the future of a
unitary system of government.
Some Baganda politicians have proposed a federal system that leaves the central
government intact, but this has had only a tepid response from the powers that
be.
Buganda can still use its numerical strength and economic power – something it
has dismally failed to do in the past – to gain state power. It has a large
number of well-educated and ambitious people although many of them, especially
the youth, do not seem to value their culture and norms and even have trouble
speaking and writing their own language.
Despite being politically impotent, Buganda continues to run its own
government, headed by the prime minister who is appointed by the king. The king
also appoints ministers but their ministerial duties appear to be largely
symbolic.
NRM Vs Buganda
Buganda has also continued to occupy a central but not necessarily powerful
position in the country’s politics, with some of the key ministries and
institutions being led by Baganda. Since Mr Museveni came to power in 1986,
three of his four vice presidents have been Baganda – Samson Kisekka, Gilbert
Bukenya and Edward Ssekandi.
Out of seven ministers who have held the Finance portfolio, five have been
Baganda. They are Ponsiano Mulema (RIP), Joash Mayanja-Nkangi, Gerald
Ssendaula, Syda Bbumba and Maria Kiwanuka. The central bank has also largely
been headed by Baganda – Suleiman Kiggundu (RIP) and Charles Nyonyintono
Kikonyogo.
Many say that appointing Baganda to key positions (the new head of the army,
Gen Edward Katumba Wamala, is also a Muganda) does not mean Buganda wields
power, but it seems that is how Mr Museveni has managed to gain the electoral
support of Baganda as many voters attach a great deal of importance to having a
minister who belongs to their tribe.
The kingdom may have nothing to celebrate on the political front, but it has
been making attempts – some successful; others unsuccessful - at building
institutions that can generate income.
The prize example is the Central Broadcasting Service (CBS). Launched in 1996,
CBS is Buganda’s flagship business venture and arguably the most successful. It
makes money for the kingdom and employs many Baganda (and non-Baganda) who
would otherwise be jobless.
In 1997, when the army vacated Lubiri which it had occupied for decades,
Buganda tried to expand its media empire, launching Njuba Times as a bi-lingual
daily. But the newspaper - like Teefe Trust Bank which was launched by
prominent Baganda in 1992, – was a disaster. Njuba Times had trouble paying its
staff and did not celebrate its first anniversary.
The 2009 deadly riots that began when Mutebi was prevented by the central
government from visiting Kayunga, are sadly remembered by many Baganda.
The violence left scores dead and also saw CBS taken off air for more than a
year, regaining the right to broadcast only after protracted negotiations with
government officials who set preconditions for the radio to reopen. CBS has
since refrained from discussing politically sensitive matters. Its temporary
closure exposed the powerlessness of the kingdom.
Another sad event was the torching in 2010 of the Kasubi Tombs, which
accommodated the mausoleums of Buganda’s past kings. Mutebi, who visited the
gutted tombs along with his wife, wept. A commission of inquiry the kingdom
promised would investigate the cause of the fire has never revealed anything.
The writer is Al Jazeera’s online Africa Editor and is based in Doha, Qatar.
Tomorrow, we shall look at the dark moments Kabaka Mutebi has faced under his
reign.
[email protected]
--
H.OGWAPITI
-----------------------------------------------------
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are
to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile,
but is morally treasonable to the American public."
---Theodore Roosevelt
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