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By Henry Gombya
 The Buganda Government has accused Uganda President Yoweri Museveni of incitement and promoting hatred among Uganda. Reacting to a speech made by Gen Museveni while attending celebrations to mark the 16th anniversary of the coronation of the Omukama (king) of Bunyoro in Western Uganda, Mr Lubega Sseggona said Museveni’s words did not only incite violence against the Baganda but against the entire population.
Speaking to The Uganda Citizen on telephone from Kampala, Mr Sseggona said the words attributed to Gen Museveni came from a president whose capacity is not in doubt. “We die by design and live by accident,” he said. Mr Sseggona, who is Buganda official spokesman, asked: “How does he (Museveni) expect the Kabaka’s subjects to respond to this incitement?
Speaking at the 16th anniversary of the Omukama, Solomon Gafabusa Iguru, the Ugandan leader was quoted a weekly Kampala website newspaper, The Observer, accusing the Kabaka, His Royal Highness Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II of abandoning his cultural duties and engaging in politics. “If the Kabaka thinks he can disunite our people, he is just dreaming. He should wake up. We cannot allow him even for a minute,” Museveni was quoted as saying. “Kingdoms,” he went on, “should play their roles outlined in the Constitution, Buganda inclusive. If any kingdom crosses its boundaries and interferes with my roles, I will cut off its head and there will be no case to answer.”
Mr Sseggona said Mr Museveni had no right to incite the people of Buganda, let alone anybody else in the country. He described the president’s speech as ‘extremely unpresidential’ and tantamount to hatred against the Baganda. Museveni had warned that if Buganda officials did not desist from meddling in the country, the kingdom would experience the kind of crisis that befell it in 1966. Gen Museveni was referring to the clash then between the father of the reigning Buganda monarch and the central government of the then Ugandan leader, the later Dr Apollo Milton Obote. This crisis led to the desecration of the Buganda Kingdom and the fleeing into exile of Kabaka Edward Muteesa II. Museveni accused the Baganda of having started that crisis by allowing the Kabaka to interfere with the role of political leaders.
Asked what the Kabaka had said when he read the story, Mr Sseggona said the Buganda king does not react to any such attacks and is not expected to say anything at all. The kingdom would not say anything further from what they have said here, he added.
State House Entebbe, the official residence of Ugandan leaders, issued a statement Tuesday denying it had threatened to cut off the Kabaka’s head. The statement, a copy of which we have obtained, said, inter alia: “There was nowhere in the President’s address to the people of Bunyoro [sic] did he mention Mengo, or the Kabaka of Buganda or anything to do with the Kingdom of Buganda.” State House accused The Observer of always maligning ‘the person of the President using concocted reports’.
For the sake of our readers in the Diaspora who may not have seen the story, we reproduce it in full as it appeared in The Observer of Monday June 10 2010. We also reproduce a statement from State House Entebbe:
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Written by EDWARD SSEKIKA
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Monday, 14 June 2010 05:49
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President says Buganda caused 1966 crisis
HOIMA - President Museveni has accused the Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, of attempting to divide Ugandans along ethnic lines. This is the first time the President has openly accused the Kabaka of ethnic hatred – another indication of how wide the rift between his NRM government and Buganda Kingdom is growing.
Speaking during the 16th coronation anniversary celebrations of the Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom, Solomon Gafabusa Iguru, in Hoima on Friday, Museveni warned that he “will cut off” the head of any kingdom that oversteps its mandate and takes sides in partisan politics. The President, speaking two days after two top advisors of the Kabaka, Joseph [sic] Mulwamyamuli [sic]Semwogerere and Dan Mulika, joined a coalition of opposition parties seeking to unseat him in next year’s elections, said kingdoms should stick to cultural issues and avoid politics.
“I have never baptised anyone, though I know how they baptise. I am a Christian but I do not baptise—that is not my role. We left that role to the clergy; so, cultural leaders should [also] play their roles,” he said.
“If the Kabaka thinks he can disunite our people, he is just dreaming; he should wake up; we cannot allow him even for a minute,” Museveni added. “Kingdoms should play their roles outlined in the Constitution, Buganda inclusive. If any kingdom crosses its boundaries and interferes with my roles, I will cut off its head and there will be no case to answer,” Museveni said.
Delegations of Banyala from Bugerere and Baruli from Nakasongola clapped and cheered every time the President attacked the Buganda monarch. The Banyala and Baruli have declared autonomy from Buganda Kingdom—a move opposed by Buganda, which accuses the central government of propping up separatist groups in its territory.
The leader of the Banyala (Sabanyala), Baker Kimeze, attended the function during which he was recognised as a cultural leader by Bunyoro with rituals performed on him by Bunyoro’s chief prince, Albert Kasaija Okwir. Buganda Kingdom, the biggest and best organised in Uganda, was not represented.
1966 CRISIS
The President said the 1966 Buganda crisis was caused by the kingdom itself when the Kabaka started interfering with the role of political leaders. He warned of a similar crisis if Mengo, the seat of Buganda Kingdom, does not stick to cultural issues.
This is the first time the President has accused Buganda of causing the crisis that led to the abolition of kingdoms and forced Kabaka Edward Mutesa II, the father of reigning monarch Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, into exile. Previously, the President has accused the late former president, Apollo Milton Obote, of igniting the problem by abrogating the constitution. Analysts say the 1966 crisis is partly responsible for Uganda’s troubled history.
“It was not easy to convince my colleagues [in NRM] to have these kingdoms restored. We thought that kingdoms could work with modern governments if well handled, so they play their constitutional roles,” Museveni said.
He added that the Kabaka of Buganda has crossed his boundaries and warned that he might cause gloomy days for his kingdom. Museveni accused Buganda, his major ally in the Luwero bush war that brought him to power in 1986, of doing nothing to develop the country but only promoting ethnic hatred.
“Mengo has used all [its] time dividing and disuniting people. What has Buganda helped Uganda [to achieve]? We shall isolate them,” Museveni warned.
DONATION
The President donated Shs 200 million to Bunyoro Kingdom for the construction of a perimeter wall around the palace. He said that since the country’s revenue base had grown, he would increase funding to cultural institutions.
The government currently gives cultural leaders Shs 5 million per month. He added that he has already tabled a proposal in Cabinet, seeking to approve increased funding to cultural institutions. But the host, Solomon Gafabusa Iguru, called for the amendment of the laws governing the sharing the revenue from the newly discovered oil to enable the hosting cultural institutions get a share. “Article 244 of the Petroleum Bill 2010 should be amended to give us, the cultural institutions, oil share.
The bill shares oil proceeds between the central and the local government, but this should be changed,” Iguru said. Most of the two million barrels of oil so far discovered in Uganda is to be found in Bunyoro. According to the king, the bill provides that 85% of the oil proceeds should go to the central government and 15% to local governments, yet cultural institutions that will shoulder environmental and other burdens have been left out.
SABANYALA ON BUGANDA
During the same function, Sabanyala Captain Baker Kimeze said the Banyala have their roots in Bunyoro and not Buganda. “Our roots are in Bunyoro and not Buganda; so, we are home,” Kimeze said. “We are the prodigal sons of Bunyoro and not Buganda; so, we have come home,” Kimeze added.
His declaration didn’t go unrewarded, as Bunyoro Kingdom handed him a traditional robe and the head of the Babito (royal clan) in the kingdom wrapped a barkcloth around the Sabanyala, saying it is a ritual that Bunyoro performs for all kings who have ties with Bunyoro.
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Tel: 231900 State House
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Uganda
Observer report concocted Museveni
comments to incite tribal divisions
June 15th, 2010
Please refer to The Observer Report of Monday June 14th, 2010 under the headline “Museveni to Mengo: I’ll cut off your head,” by Edward Ssekika and the subsequent use of the photograph of the President and the Kabaka of Buganda.
The report claimed that the President accused the Kabaka of Buganda of attempting to divide Ugandans along ethnic lines and that he said that if the Kingdom crosses its boundaries and interferes with his roles, he will chop off his head with no case to answer.
There was nowhere in the President’s address to the people of Bunyoro did he mention Mengo, or the Kabaka of Buganda or anything to do with the Kingdom of Buganda. The complete recording of the President’s address is available to the public, for those who are interested in the truth.
The paper obviously wanted to ride on tensions between the Central government and Buganda so as to turn a colourful and respectable ceremony of the Banyoro into a platform for inciting tribal divisions. The paper also chose to totally ignore the focus of the celebrations in Hoima, where hundreds of thousands of people had gathered to mark the 16th anniversary (Empango) coronation of Omukama Solomon Gafabusa Iguru to dwell on issues to do with Buganda, something that is totally insulting to the people of Bunyoro. Of all the media institutions that were represented in Bunyoro on this day, it is only The Observer that had a completely different version of reports.
It has been a deliberate policy and practice for The Observer newspaper to always malign the person of the President using concocted reports. While the paper has a right to support whatever political or cultural interests it feels like, it is fair journalism practice to declare its interests to the public and to give the President a fair hearing by being impartial in its reports about him and the institution of State House if it chooses to make such reports.
The President has been a strong advocate of cultural institutions and worked tirelessly for their return. His argument then and now has been that if the traditional leaders focused on their roles and responsibilities without interfering into politics, they can easily co-exist and offer alternative leadership roles to develop the country. The President has always said cultural institutions can work well with modern governments if handled well and if each played their roles according to the constitution of the Republic of Uganda.
In Hoima, the President likened this role to several people each having his lubimbi (garden) to cultivate alongside each other - Cultural leaders, religious leaders, politicians etc. He said if suddenly one of these abandoned his lubimbi and crossed into another’s, they can easily have their heads cut off and become causalities with no case to answer. He also likened this to religious leaders who have a specific role in the society, saying there are many people who are religious but not all of them are allowed to perform baptism roles. He emphasized the importance of unity and urged the traditional leaders to support government’s Prosperity for All programme to help their people fight poverty from their homes.
Whatever the intensions and purposes of The Observer report, it is unacceptable for them to whip up tribal divisions at a time when our country needs unity and prosperity.
Asked to comment on the government’s statement above, Mr Sseggona said all that President Museveni denied saying was that he had mentioned the name of the Kabaka. “He does not deny the actual contents and body of the Observer story,” he said.
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NEW LOOK WEB HOMEPAGE!!! (8228)
We are the insiders in the NRM,Dictator kagutta museveni is planning to kill the Kabaka of Buganda and some other kill figures like Olara Otunu.Plans are under way,He might wipe out the whole royal family.
We shall fight him on the lands of Mengo, on the waters of lake victoria, on the beaches of Ssese Islands!! WE SHALL NEVER SURRENDER!!
Buganda will always endure from these rwandese foreigners!!