Ugandans-At-Heart

 President Museveni himself said that the riots were not about His Highness the Kabaka going to Kayunga, but rather it was “whether or not we should have political Kings”. The President went on to accuse the Kabaka of interfering in politics. He said the Kabaka should keep out of politics because he is not an elected official.
 
So, a lot has been brewing underground which is not obvious to the ordinary person, you and me. But President Museveni knows that he has a conflict or strong disagreement with the Kingdom of Buganda. That, the President himself has said so. Kayunga was just the spark that ignited the crisis, otherwise it could easily have been anything else.
 
For this conflict to have reached this extent that almost anything could ignite it into a crisis what does that tell you about government? To me I see that the government is confused, desperate and does not really know what to do? I think the government has been using the Ssabanyala as a stalking horse really, to test Mengo’s resolve but also to try and undermine the Kingdom of Buganda generally and His Highness the Kabaka personally.
 
Instead of addressing Mengo’s legitimate demands the government has resorted to meddling in the Kingdom of Buganda in the hope that the Kingdom generally and His Highness the Kabaka personally will be disgraced and discredited. But the strategy has backfired.
 
 Here is another example of NRM government meddling in the affairs of the Kingdom of Buganda. In his statement to Parliament on the crisis on 15Th September 2009,  President Museveni said, and I quote: “In order to stop the Kabaka and the Kingdom officials from meddling in politics, there should be a meeting of all the political leaders in Buganda, the religious leaders, the clan leaders to give their contributions on the way forward. This meeting could be called “Tabamiluka”.
 
Now, I am not a Muganda and I don’t know what the word “tabamiluka” means, perhaps a Muganda will explain what this concept really means in due course. However, it seems to me that this is yet another attempt by President Museveni to divide the Baganda. I stand to be corrected, but this “tabamiluka” is an alien thing, invented by President Museveni and it has certainly no role in the formal cultural or political organisation of the Kingdom of Buganda. Once again, Prseident Museveni has come out with a concept from thin air and he is now trying to imply that this is a Ganda cultural process. It is wrong. President Museveni is inventing things that do not exist in the Kingdom of Buganda. THE PRESIDENT IS MAKING A VERY SUBTLE ATTEMPT TO START A NEW NARRATIVE ON  BUGANDA CULTURE AND HISTORY. That is how he pulled the Ssabanyala completely out of thin air. The President  is trying anything except a proper constitutional attempt to address the federal demands of Mengo. And Mengo has almost written him off.

Regards
 
 
Pilipo Oruni Oloya