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Events in Buganda during the last six months in which no less than 35 people have been shot dead by security forces, seem to have  brought to an end Yoweri Museveni's ‘marriage of convenience' with the Baganda.
Having supported him by feeding and hiding his rebel fighters during the war that devastated Uganda during the five years of the Milton Obote regime (1980-85), many are now talking about the possibility of removing Museveni from power, by force if necessary, unless he is replaced at the next general election due next year.
The photograph of The Kabaka (king) of Buganda shedding tears after seeing the destruction caused by a fire two weeks ago to his ancestors' resting place, the Kasubi Royal Tombs, is slowly but surely becoming a rallying call for the people of Buganda to come together and fight their enemies.
Across the United States and Europe this weekend the Baganda, home to Uganda's largest tribe, held prayer meetings in which several speakers called upon Buganda authorities to take recent events as a wake-up call. The call to arms comes after Gen Museveni, who has been in power for 24 years now, has enjoyed a cosy relation with the people of Central Uganda many of whom have in the past avoided criticizing him or even contemplating joining an armed insurrection against his National Resistance Movement (NRM) government.
At a prayer meeting in London Sunday, speaker after speaker called upon the Baganda to rise up to the challenge of facing an enemy that, they said, had used them to come to power only to revert to the old policies going back to 1966 when the then Kabaka, Edward Muteesa II, father to the present monarch, was forced out of his kingdom when the then prime minister, Milton Obote, ordered his army commander, Idi Amin, to overrun Muteesa's palace at Mengo. The king fled to the United Kingdom and never returned to the throne, having died while in exile in 1969. Amin went on to depose Obote in 1971 plunging Uganda into desolation.
Invoking those memories, the Rev Fr Gerald Balinya, a fiery Catholic priest, told the audience: "We must not sit down and feel sorry for ourselves. It is time to get up and fight our enemy." Fr Balinya described those who burnt down the tombs as ‘enemies' of the Buganda kingdom. "They are envious of the Baganda. What is happening today is the same as what happened to us 34 years ago when Muteesa was attacked at Lubiri (his palace). We must and will not let this happen again to Kabaka Mutebi," he said. The priest added that those who have been killed by security men in Buganda in the last six months had died in the defence of their country. "We must not let them die in vain," he urged.
 Earlier Dr Rashid Kasaato, another fiery Muslim scholar, told the audience that it was now clear the Museveni government had set upon a plan to remove every source of income from the kingdom of Buganda. In addition to burning the Kasubi Tombs that have been popular with foreign tourists and the closing down of CBS Radio, another source of income for the monarchy, Dr Kasaato said the Kabaka was now being refused by Museveni his rightful role of visiting parts of his kingdom.
Sheikh Kalantanyi Yiga, the Emir of Uganda Muslims in London and who led the Muslim prayers ahead of other clergy present, described the burning of the Tombs as a sign to let the Baganda know that what will follow would not be good for them. He asked: "Why don't we have angry Baganda anymore? Isn't this enough to make all of us so angry?" he asked. Another clergy, Pastor Lincoln Kasirye told how he had taken his young family to Uganda and had been shocked at the transformation of his children after they had visited the royal tombs. "Before we got to the tombs, the children had been everywhere in Kampala, visiting relatives. Nothing seemed to impress them until we had visited Muzibu Azaala Mpanga (the main hut that is the resting place for four kings). What they saw inside made them realise why they were Baganda and gave them a sense of belonging to their culture. They realised that they were finally at home," Kasirye said.
Another preacher, Pastor Kalemeera Mutebi of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in London lamented how Uganda now seems to take two steps ahead and then suddenly takes three back. He wondered why so many people are recently being killed in Buganda by the security forces without anyone lifting an eyebrow. He said given the fact that the leader of the Baganda was now being denied visitation rights to his own people and being killed without cause, it was time that the kingdom is given self determination.
Hundreds of people also attended a prayer meeting for Buganda in the Swedish capital Stockholm. As at every prayer meeting in Europe, all speakers on getting to the rostrum uttered the word ‘Gunsinze' (I am guilty) which is the way the Baganda monarch is addressed whenever there has been a problem. The meeting in Sweden was overseen by the Kabaka's representative Mr Sseruwu.
In all Baganda meetings held for the last week in the Western world, those living in the United States have pledged the largest amount in funds needed to reconstruct the burnt tombs. Their pledge so far is US$1 million. Those in Sweden have pledged to donate US$50,000 to the fund. It is not known yet how much will come from other countries in Europe, especially in the United Kingdom where a considerable number of the Baganda have been living since 1966.
There are still calls coming in from various circles in Buganda for the Kabaka's government not to accept any money from Gen Museveni's government. Many have pinpointed the NRM leadership as now an obvious enemy to the people of Buganda and would not welcome any financial help. The Baganda, just as the Acholis, another large Uganda tribe, are known to be a very proud tribe who fiercely defend their independence from outside interference. What was evident at most of these prayer meetings was an atmosphere of seething anger amongst the Baganda. They seem ready for a fight and that does not augur well for next year's general election.
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NEW LOOK WEB HOMEPAGE!!! (8227)
I really think its a shame that in this case the Ganda public is allowing three aspects of life get them to ilogical conclusions and Judge a case with out facts.
the first one being frustration of the current government's tribalistic trail.
the second being Hatred of the president
the third being Politics.
but we have been here before, as chameleon sings, bassima ogenze. Look at what happened to Ben kiwanuukain the 1950' and upto now the mengo/namirembe clique has never apologised to DP and the catholic church.
At the time Ben kiwanuuka was dubbed buganda's enemy and buganda sided with UPC's Obote naming him bwete leading to the 1969 crisis. so now the lot of you that burrying your heads in hatred and focusing on museveni as your enemy, you ought to be logical in your whilst you point the finger because from my desk, all my five fingers are pointing not one...