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A car carrying Buganda's Prime Minister (Katikkiro) was pelted with eggs as he was forced to hurriedly withdraw from a meeting of his tribesmen (the first in his post) in London recently.
 The Katikkiro, Engineer John Bosco Walusimbi, who had turned-up at Duncan House, University of East London , to speak to the Kingdom's subjects was heckled and uncomfortable statements followed including labelling him a 'traitor' and a 'corrupt' official. This was the first time in recent memory that the Baganda in London treated a representative of their much beloved Kabaka (King) in this manner. The Prime Minister of Buganda is just second in the supervision of the Kingdom, which is also the largest indigenous monarchy in Uganda. This time however, his car was pelted with eggs as accusations flew around that he had betrayed the Baganda to the Ugandan dictator Yoweri Museveni.
Inside the conference, Ssaagala Agalamidde, the group that organised the Katikkiro's visit, sought police assistance to throw out some  of the people they did not seem to want. The organizers who, among others, included Godfrey Ssekisonge and Enock Kiyaga seem to have suspected that this time, the present Buganda Katikkiro may not be welcome. Being unsure what to do with the obviously angry crowd, the organizers misled the police, which arrested one Henry Makayo who of the Nkima clan. However, their action to call the police to evict some people was in itself condemned by the Metropolitan Police who later made an apology to members of the Nkima clan for wrongly arresting Mr. Makayo.
While expressing their royalty to the Kabaka, Â the crowd that came to 128 people said they were showing their displeasure to the Katikkiro for having accepted what they saw as a bribe' from President Museveni. They said that they regarded the Shs2.35 billion recently given to the Katikkiro by Museveni as a sell out' the Ugandan leader was using to try to win Baganda support for the scheduled general elections in 2011. This infuriated Mr Walusimbi who lost his composure, got up from his seat and shouted back to the audience: "I was not picked from the street. I have a consultancy firm, i will go back to my job after serving my term."
Some in the audience that included lawyers were heard saying that the Central government should have paid the over Shs8bn it owes to the Buganda Kingdom rather than the Shs2.35bn the Katikkiro was given by Museveni. They were referring to the Central Government's Shs2.35bn 'donation' and advance' by Museveni to Buganda, which they viewed as a 'bribe' to the Kingdom.
"Katikkiro is a traitor and a corrupt official who abandoned the Kabaka on his Bululi tour and is now trying to impose Buganda onto NRM bondage," Leo Ssebweze, a Ugandan-British lawyer, exclusively told this reporter.
In response, the Katikkiro said that at the time, he would not mind being blackmailed by the Central Government. "It was my initiative to ask for Shs5bn from the President to help my programme and I was given Shs2bn," adding that that was not a lot of money as it could only buy one tractor for a sub-county. "But I had to take it to help my poverty stricken people. I am going to get more and more money. My name is Walusimbi and money will continue following me. If you are poor, you cannot even negotiate. I cannot be bribed. I am well off and drive a Four Wheel Drive vehicle," the Katikkiro bragged.
The Buganda premier was responding to those who say that he puts the issues of the ruling party (the NRM) first ahead of Buganda Kingdom issues. He also deplored some people who post their concern on the internet saying: "Some people just sit in their tiny rooms, then write and post about something which they have no knowledge about. Some people are undisciplined and even if you grant them Federo, they cannot run it. We have to change their way of thinking," the Buganda Prime Minister told the audience. He was referring to some sections of the Baganda who agitate for a federal (Federo) system of government. This did not go well with the audience. It led some to pull out placards and protested in front of the Katikkiro.
Aisha Kabanda, an aide to President Museveni who had travelled with the Katikiro, also begged to have undisciplined Baganda punished. How this would be meted out, she did not say. Appearing on 'Tompalampa' political show on Ngoma Radio (4/07/09) Aisha Kabanda was read an email from one of the listeners inquiring whether she was a government spy.'Yes i work as Museveni's private secretary in  State House. However that does not mean i cannot be influential in Mengo (Buganda government headquarters). Katikkiro was right to take the money from the government'. she said. Meanwhile the www.bugandapost.com also alledges that Aisha is a spy. Our sources indicate that infact Aisha Kabanda was the first one to be picked by Ssagala Agalamidde organisers (Enock Kiyaga Mayanja) to complement the Katikkiro. Some of those who attended the event complained that this was a real set up. It is understood that Aisha is a student and lives in Reading United Kingdom - allegedly being sponsored by the Uganda government.
In all although the Katikkiro's delegation remained calm, Mr Walusimbi himself gradually lost his composure, telling those against him to 'get psychiatric assistance'. Walusimbi became the first Buganda Prime Minister to be heckled in England. He was to suffer much more when, during an audience with the Kabaka on his return home, he was once again heckled. This had never happened before in Buganda's history.
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Its Federal or the bullet!! (1)
