Role of Traditional Leaders-What is the government’s strategy?

October 26, 2009 at 5:53 pm (2009 -2011 elections, CULTURE, Diaspora)
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Fellow Ugandans,

Interesting speech from the president especially now in the aftermath of the Riots-note the time; August 2, 1993.  At the opening of Mengo’s Lukiiko, why has the sharing of power with the Lukiiko not been such a good experience for the president?

Is he expecting too much from them or has this body been rendered a toothless tiger, mandated to lead but left virtually powerless. They were given all the titles to function as a regional government, but with no money and power to carry out their jobs effectively.

A couple of years ago, I ran into one attorney general of Buganda-who was young and full of brilliant ideas, my interest in meeting him was purely from the stand point of finding out what crimes being committed on Buganda soil to warrant his presence.

I wanted to know whether he had the powers to arrest a simple thief found stealing stuff in Buganda, and to my surprise he didn’t. Well some of our legal experts on this forum will cite the constitution and claim that it is binding and he as a regional attorney general, he is supposed to look the other way when a crime is being committed in his region!

So I will try to wear my not so dumb hat -and ask the question: why would you create a title for a man that every one recognizes automatically, as the keeper of the law and make him toothless?  Why would the kalangala courts carry jurisdiction while the one legitimately recognized is rendered useless.

You are damn right ,we still have lots of work to do, especially with the kingdoms and the main regional of Uganda.

There among us folks who are all “gang ho” about East African federations, we will be eaten alive an a huge federation, if we are not able to put our own house in order. Putting our house in order will have to start at the ethnic village level and some way of finding an assembly that gives us one voice in UNISON-without inter tribal disputes in the overtone.

And now I see the president discovering newer kings within integrated ethnic tribes and something in me wants to warn them-and say don’t do it, you have just become another ladder in an NGO: Because he has not provided the support structure to give life to all those titles on paper as witnessed in Buganda.

Yet the people have placed so much faith in them as time tested structures to resolve a slew disputes including land, family and inter-clan misunderstanding. I hope his strategy is not to have as many stooges as possible to be used to resist inter clan reforms necessary to have a solid block.

If we cannot resolve democratization issues at the tribal level, what makes us think we can make progress when we merge with folks who bring a whole new baggage of problems.

There are issues such as the Nomads problem, that could be solved in a joint East African manner since we’d be looking at a huge chunk of land for grazing from each member, but house cleaning work has to be done by us first, and I’m not impressed with the half measures and effort that we have done in this realm.

The president seems to be undoing work on the tribal level that was done by ancient kings, and in doing so he is arming new kings with ammunition to bring about war within large integrated tribes like the Baganda.

I’m saying this of the entire country and it’s collective groups, not to exclude those original 15 tribes.  There is incredible preparation work necessary to co-join and form unions for either a local or bigger federation, if that is the plan. Some of our folks don’t even know the budgetary requirements of their region or a constitution in place to protect them from the ill effects of any federation.

We could take a lesson or two from the recent forming of the European union. Countries were asked to carry out the necessary reforms that bring about ease of integration. When you look at us, we have been seating in this East African club of nations for some years now, but no memo has come from our top leaders there to give a heads up at the tribal or ethnic level or to provide with the required tenets, in preparation for the bigger thing.

People cannot be herded like that, they need time to get organized and structures need to be put in place to make such moves. We need communication from honorable kategaya, as to what they are planning for us in the future. Do you honestly think Rwanda is training all these IT folks without a plan ?

I’m afraid this preparation requires years not months. If this is happening now, it is being done so secretly that only a few people are made aware of it-but one cannot move 30 million people into an organization(East African federation) without preparing them, even cows going into a kraal in the evening need time otherwise they resist the rush.

Tendo Kaluma

Boston Residence and a Ugandan

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Instead of a regional tier lets try a new ethnically balanced senatorial structure to bring about a balance of power

October 23, 2009 at 7:33 am (2009 -2011 elections, CULTURE, Federalism)
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Fellow Ugandans,

Buganda took a long view of the regional tier and decided that it was dead on arrival. Fellows who have Buganda at heart like Katikiro Dan Mulika, view it as yet another gimmick that would eventually provide an additional power edge to the majority party.

Due to the sheer numbers and an unfair advantage of NRM  officers in government ,any proposal to bring about a balance in the decision making machinery will require a genuine shift in paradigm, designed on pure proportionality of ethnic numbers(numerics) to be viewed as meaningful by all players in the huddle.

A long view on Ugandan issues of power these days is generally centered around a single cow kyozi which has gulped up all the fields as the saying goes. The problem of checks and balances both in terms of political numbers for legislation and other organs of the state vital to decisions making is currently a magical funnel with the NRM party at the obvious end that holds most of the volume.

The tipped balance as is currently evidenced has brought in un sustainable levels of bias in the system, completely ignoring inherent loops designed for feed back and stability. What we have built is a completely unstable system which has shown signs of fatigue and chaotic behaviour due to lopsidedness.

How do we solve the chaos that surrounds us in an unbiased manner?

The answer lays in looking at other alternative structures of governance with a capability of instituting the missing balance. The regional tier though good for inter regional commerce is not among them, it is too simplistic to provide a lasting solution to a range of complex structural issues of not only service delivery, but graft and trust by the majority of Ugandans to provide lasting change.

The arguments forwarded for the regional tier were not convincing enough for it not to be viewed as yet another round robin structure designed to feed to an already overwhelmed hub of the NRM party. We need devolution in a more realistic sense and the answer lays in ethnicity thus the idea below.

A few weeks ago upon hearing about the revival of the regional tier, I hinted on a system of ridding the state of ministers who have been ineffective on delivery in their respective ministries, in lieu of a more ethnically proportionate balanced senatorial body filled by ethnic senators from the 15 original tribes of Uganda. This elite body will assume the administrative tasks now run rather inefficiently by the permanent secretaries of each ministry.

This proposed group of senators will form the necessary committees to run the affairs of  the state efficiently with veto power to compliment the current parliamentary body and a similar ethnically balanced judiciary.

I further proposed a similar proportionately balanced ethnic structure for our supreme court, and any regulatory body that has to make decisions that impact the majority of the people.

It is my hope that Majority tribes like the Baganda, Iteso and others will need to come up with the necessary formula that reflects their size to represent the will of their people. I hope any Buganda negotiations with the central government will be geared towards an improved structure of governance for all the people of Uganda and not just those with powerful cultural leaders.

I hope all interested Ugandans can start to look at this very simple but necessary adjustment in the structures of governance as steps that we can implement to arrest not only corruption that has become rampant, but as a way of returning our central government back from the malaise of a single ruling ethnic group of the time.

I’m not sure where we lost this senatorial structure, perhaps during 1967, when the president then was more interested in controlling the administrative structures. After the abrogation of the constitution and removal of all kingdoms; he deliberately chose not to enhanced the existing system with a senate (or house of the Lords) thus causing the systemic failure as observed.

When one looks at the current adopted system this missing structure sticks out like a sore thumb, and it’s absence is witnessed in many of the constitutional gaffs of our time.

Parliament will remain as it is, where folks of all walks of life from dominant and non dominant political parties can convene and deliberate about our issues of the day, however qualification to the senate will require a more elite cadre. The choice of who is sent to the senate will remain purely in the hands of these 15 original ethnic groups.

Tendo kaluma

Ugandan in Boston

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Mixed bag of sentiments following the president’s visit to Boston

October 12, 2009 at 8:11 pm (CULTURE, Diaspora, KINGDOMS)
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Fellow Ugandans,
Mixed bag of sentiments following the president’s visit and his apparent skipping out of town in the middle of the night.

Mr. Museveni, we were told by some NRM/O operatives that he had skipped out of town in the night without regard to the special celebratory Gala which had been laid out here in his honor.
Mr. Museveni, had been warned for years that there is a tough spirited Buganda crowd in Boston, and this time they were charged more than ever since the dissing of his Royal highness the King of Buganda,coupled with the demise of many Buganda youth, who were killed and some remain detained on sedition and terrorism charges. Folks here wanted a real one on one with Mr. Museveni, similar to what is seen during the charged healthcare debates in America town halls.
He escaped being cross examined by the likes of our Elder, Dr. Lugiira on a myriad of issues of neglect that irk many Ugandans pointing the finger of no confidence at the NRM regime.
Professor Lugiira once had a pointed exchange regarding the NRM policy and intent with an unsuspecting visitor to Boston, Mr. Eria Kategaya, who was asked why they were parting from the edict of a seemingly straight forward 10 point program, layered out on print and distributed globally as their script of governance.
To answer the charge, Mr. kategaya, seemingly paralyzed and shocked by the ambush, gave the canned NRM answer of escapism, known too well to all of us and used to insult our intelligence, “We went to the bush to fight and we can do anything we want, the type of change you seek will not be handed over to you just like that, you have to fight for it”.
As the boos filled the room from every corner from folks enraged by the arrogance of our new official, we were left agasp with an unsettling feeling and perhaps a glimpse of things to come. Little did we all know that the eye of an elder did not gray out of blight, on hindsight, it might have been the best town hall challenge ever faced by an NRM top cadre.
From that point on Boston was written off entirely as a Baganda town, well, by the powers that be and especially the office of the president. When we invited him to our UNAA convention he declined and gave us Mr. Gilbert, who cancelled at the last hour citing some northern Ugandan emergency meeting.
As to why Mr. Museveni, had promised the impossible to us, knowing fully well that his VP could not leave town while he was out himself, we’ll never know.
Certainly, Boston has become quite polarized, folks are suspicious of each other like never before. Like union workers, those who crossed the picket lines lost respect in the community somehow.
However, many of them ignored a rather civil warnings, that, their continued support for a regime associated with such pain in Buganda, would ultimately result in their being isolated as the wretched of the community. Many went to the Gala to dance, some citing “respect for the office of the presidency”, as a legitimate reason for attending.
Of course many in attendance were hard core NRM folks, who could not shy away from the responsibilities of leadership regardless of condition.
Threats were levied, from not being aided by the community, if a relative died to boycotting by the community of all functions thrown by an NRM supporter.
To those pained by the recent events, they could not understand the absurdity of a Baganda involvement in an NRM/O Gala, after the meting out of such a hard and inhumane crushing to the youth of Buganda and the blatant and deliberate staging of such indignities to the person of their beloved King.
The taunting of the last friends of the regime is continuous and frequent, they are repeatedly asked questioned at functions, whether it is deemed morally right to be blind to the plight of the Ugandan people, and at times this results into real altercations within the community.
Matters of contention with Mr.Museveni’s performance in the last 24 years are exhaustive, and it clearly reflects how far the president and the NRM folks have slipped away from the main stream with their un-ending term of governance. Many issues of contention could be discussed and resolved, but few have the spine at this juncture to meet and engage such enraged groups of the diaspora, perhaps the president will get the gumption to address the diaspora seriously on an equal footing.
Although the laundry list of answerable charges is long I’m not sure that the NRM/O folks who were deeply disappointed by his absence are about to charge the community another $80.00 bucks for a no show president.
Here is a list of but a few issues cited by those wielding signs of protest in the diaspora:
  • Museveni and his machinery have killed with impunity in Uganda, case in point the recent orders to shoot rioters and the genocide in the North.
  • Museveni has unfairly encercerated young men and women and now they are languishing in his prison from the recent riots.
  • Museveni encourages the atmosphere of graft, by simply rotating perpetrators to new positions-and is not tough enough on corrupt officials.
  • Museveni does not love the country like a native son, why else has he not followed Kagame’s act to root out corruption, instead he has left all Uganda’s institutions to rot.
  • Museveni, has impoverished Ugandans while enriching his own kind, look at the jets, state houses and the birthing trips by the family.
  • Museveni has been insular while Ugandans die of poverty and neglect in our hospitals,just ask yourself how much money you send home and ask anyone the experience of having a loved one as a patient in any state run hospital.
  • Museveni has refused to create fair and balanced platforms of governance, look at the lossy loop holes associated with his restructuring end product.
  • Museveni and his people have corrupted the entire nation, and we need to closely identify every person and accountant involved in cooking books to steal public fund and put them on notice even if it takes decades we shall recover our money.
  • Museveni has refused to return things that belong to Buganda, and he has put the federo system on hold because he knows it will curtail all the embezzlement of funds by his un touchables.
  • Museveni is selling off the country to his people,  he has also picked judges that are quite partial to his cause.
  • Museveni has not addressed many bread and butter issues, such as employment in the waisted 24 years, he has not even groomed an heir!
  • Preserve the dignity of the King of Buganda and they will not rest unless issues are addressed or power is relinquish, they have had enough!
  • Museveni is messing with county borders and territories to suit an undesirable end.
As a witness to all this, I still pray for cool heads to prevail and continue to search for real genuine solutions for a system fair enough to stop the  current bleeding of the nation and to have both our brothers in the NRM camp to have wide enough shoulders to face up some of the blame of the state of affairs in our country. As to our protesters of the recent violations, remember to include other tribes in order to forge a lasting solution for Uganda.
Tendo
Ugandan in Boston

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Major sabiti Mutengesa’s position on the standoff between Entebbe and Mmengo

October 1, 2009 at 10:52 pm (2009 -2011 elections, CULTURE, Federalism, KINGDOMS, conflicts)
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I googled the Major sabiti Mutengesa’s name and I landed on a paper on the website for the Havard University link to the Social Sciences Research Council (SSRC) in which the affande makes remarks that are pertinent to what we are witnessing now as the standoff between Entebbe and Mmengo.  He wrote the paper in 2006 and its title is:
 
“From Pearl to Pariah: The Origin, Unfolding and Termination of State-Inspired Genocidal Persecution in Uganda, 1980-85″ (http://howgenocidesend.ssrc.org/Mutengesa/).
 
He makes the following remark that I have found interesting against the background of ongoing events:
 
What ought to be sounded as a caution, though, is however much the loci of collective violence shall shift within Uganda, the enduring problem in the national politics of Uganda shall remain the stalemate in the relationship between Uganda’s national authorities and Buganda’s traditional elite with respect to the status of the Kingdom of Buganda. It is this stalemate that set the stage, however remotely in history, for the events discussed in much of this paper. The selective restoration of traditional political institutions in the 1990s may have helped to ease the longstanding bitterness of sections of Buganda over the abolition of their monarchy but it may be too early to hope that pro-monarchist groups have outgrown their revanchist proclivities. If not, then any future divergence of visions between Buganda insular nationalism and pan-Ugandan designs of nationalist elites at the centre will undoubtedly generate animosities that may precipitate conditions that will lead to scenes the world witnessed in Luwero in the 1980s.

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Does Kabaka Mutebi is any softer on Buganda’s demands than his father was?

October 1, 2009 at 10:29 pm (CULTURE, Federalism, KINGDOMS)
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Dear all
 
One UAH forumist  asked me two things; firstly whether I was “justified to apply lessons learnt and not learnt by EW Mutesa with what will bounce off RM Mutebi’s head, and secondly “what does Mmengo want”? 
 
Regarding the first question, what I had in mind when I stated that HH Kabaka Mutebi has shown that he has carefully studied the options that faced his late father is that it appears to me that the present  Kabaka Mutebi is handling similar (but not exactly the same)conflicts better than his late father Sir Edward Mutesa. How do I justify this? I will give you two examples to illustrate my point.
 
In March 1961 following the DP victory in the self government election, Ben Kiwanuka the DP leader said from Entebbe, and I quote: ” My first step is to work towards an agreement on Buganda. I shall try to meet the Kabaka, if possible, and see what we can do in the ending of the present impasse.. The Kabaka is known to me personally, and if he agrees to have personal talks we might come to understanding”. Kabaka Mutesa, or rather his government reacted by issuing a statement saying that it would not be possible for Mr. Kiwanuka to see the Kabaka “in the manner and the spirit in which he made the statement”. Thus personal ego prevented Kabaka Mutesa from meeting with Ben Kiwanuka, and an opportunity was missed when Buganda might have made a settlement early and not waited until when it was too late and then tried to make a deal with the UPC. The outcome of a Kiwanuka v Mutesa meeting might have impacted differently than a meeting of Obote v Mutesa. We will never know the answer because Mutesa ignored the first option. Faced with a similar call by the head of state for a personal meeting last week Kabaka Mutebi accepted and met with President Museveni even if the invitation was made publicly and in somewhat bad mood. Thus Kabaka Mutebi showed that on this occasion he was interested in substance and not personal ego. Mutebi has thus averted a bad situation from becoming worst, at least for the time being.
 
The second example is from the Buganda crisis of 1953 which led to the deportation of Sir Edward Mutesa to England by Governor Sir Andrew Cohen. The conflict started over the issue of the East African Federation when on 30 June, 1953 the Colonial Secretary Oliver Lyttleton made a statement during a speech saying, and I quote: “Nor should we exclude from our minds the evolution, as time goes on, of still larger measure of unification, and possibly of still larger measures of federation of the whole of the East African territories”. Buganda Kingdom had always been very sensitive and opposed to the East African Federation because it was viewed that an EA federation would greatly diminish Buganda Kingdom. On this occasion Buganda was alarmed and Kabaka Mutesa through his ministers wrote a protest letter and sought clarification from the Governor. The following day before the Governor had even replied the Mengo letter on EA federation Mengo sent another letter to the Governor asking for Buganda independence, “within a specific stated time”. A few days later still, the Lukiiko refused to nominate Buganda representatives into the Uganda Legislative Council. When the governor asked Sir Edward Mutesa to advice the Lukiiko to drop their demand for independece Mutesa refused, and went further to state that in fact he would publicly demand for independence before the Lukiiko, and that he would discourage the Lukiiko from changing its mind on the Uganda Legislative Assembly. Thus what started as a small misunderstanding quickly snowballed into a full blown crisis. On 30Th November 1953, the Governor Cohen finally asked the Kabaka to give 100% assurance that he would cooperate with the Colonial Government as per 1900 Agreement. Mutesa refused and he was deported. On the other hand we saw during the recent stand off over Kayunga things quickly got out of control with rioting etc. How did Kabaka mutebi respond? By abiding with government prohibition on his trip to Kayunga, by appearing in Masaka a few days later and calming the situation and by meeting with President Museveni yet a few days later. These were two different conflicts but it appears to me that Kabaka Mutebi this time handled his conflict with President Museveni better than his father did his with Governor Cohen.
 
Does it mean that Kabaka Mutebi is any softer on Buganda’s demands than his father was? My answer would be absolutely NO, as far as the substance of the demands are today.
 
This brings me to your next question of what does Mengo want? It would appear at first glance that Mengo’s demands are obviously in the public domain. I have myself posted here what I have seen from public documents published by Mengo as a list of their demands which include, firstly, restoration to the Kingdom of Buaganda the 9000sq mile of land currently held by the Uganda Land Commission, which in turn has decentralized authority over to various districts in which the lands are found, secondly, the City of Kampala to become part of Buganda Kingdom area, thirdly, Uganda should become a federal state with proposed 13 states, forthly, recognition of special status of HH the Kabaka, to include immunity from prosecution, immunity from personal taxation, to rank third in national protocol in national activities happening within Buganda, and lastly, the Land Act 2005  to be reviewed to give greater protection to land lords . These are the five major demands that Buganda has stated publicly. However, with Mengo experience has shown that nothing is straightforward or should be taken for granted. So, for instance under the demands for the Kabaka immunities and protocol ranking, Mengo could still smuggle in at a later date a notion that by ranking third in protocol after the president and vice president respectively during ceremonies held in Buganda, the Kabaka was therefore regarded as “the figurehead of Buganda”. This would completely changethe dynamics of the notion of a cultural figure, as the kabaka is at present.
 
So, if you asked me to state entirly all that Mengo wants, I could not with certainty say what they are. I much less can say categorically that I know all that Mengo wants, because with Mengo you just never know for certain. Mengo is full of surprises.
 
Best regards
 
 
Pilipo Oruni

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Buganda can only get ‘ebyafe’ when Uganda is a federal state

September 29, 2009 at 3:34 pm (2009 -2011 elections, CULTURE, Federalism)
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1/2 I made a very specific claim, namely that, the shallow/narrow/hollow-mindedness of the Mengo establishment is a cancer that will take Uganda to her grave; and that in the event of Uganda going to the grave, it will not be fun for Buganda.  That is a very specific claim.  Just to take you back to the context from which I quoted myself, we were debating the question of the wonderful ”Akenda”, or 9,000 Sq Miles that Mengo claims is the property of Buganda.
2/2 It was being stated in that message that:
a.  Nine thousand square miles has never existed and infact there is a very serious problem with any individual or group that lays claim to 9,000 sq miles and I outlined all the facts to support my claim.
b.  What actually exists as public land in Buganda is 4,227 and not 9,000 Sq Miles, as many of you continue to argue, and to excite the public in Uganda.  I indicated that, to lie to the public about the existence of 9,000 sq miles when such land has never existed makes the Mengo clique a burden for the Buganda public, including Baganda.
c.  That public land is Buganda land only to the extent that it is in Buganda; but it actually belongs to the authority that is charged with the political management of Uganda and Buganda, and in the present circumstances, the owner is the Government of Uganda.
d.  The land was at one time called “Crown land” because Buganda and Uganda were territories of Britain and the head of government in Britain was the Queen.  It was “Kabaka’s land” from 1962-1966 because the Kabaka was the embodiment of political authority in Buganda under the 1962 pseudo-federal constitution.  Once unitarism became the system of government, that land reverted to the central government.
e.  That land belongs to the Central government, and that can only cease to be the case if Buganda secedes or if Uganda is becomes a federal state.  We have argued here on the forum that, instead of Mengo wasting time whipping up the emotions of mobs, it should launch a sobber and well thought campaign either to secede or to have Uganda run as federal state.  It is then and only then that “Ebyaffe” talk can cease to be the nonsense that it is now.

But Federalism is hovyo because:

  • It creates a deficient authority over component states and individual citizens especially in new states of the 3rd world where the process of nation building and state making is in its early stages.
  • It creates liability to dissolution by the seccession or rebellion of states especially when the core of the federation is an entity that enjoyed independent and hegemonic existence prior to the federation.
  • It creates liability to division into groups and factions by the formation of separate combinations of component states
  • It causes absence of the power of legislation on certain subjects where uniform legislation for the whole state is needed
  • It makes want of uniformity among the states in legislation and administration
  • It leads to trouble, expenses, and delay due to complexity of a double system of legislation and administration.
  • It weakens foreign policy
    • Otto Patrick
    UAH forumist

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    Can NRM MPs table plan to abolish kingdoms

    September 29, 2009 at 12:03 pm (2009 -2011 elections, CULTURE, Federalism, KINGDOMS)
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    Summary: Some politicians, when lacking in “gymnastics of the Mind”, forget what took them to parliament and start thinking that, with sufficient gun/power, they can out do the English King Canute, who once ordered the sea-tide to ’stop’. Some, like the so called workers’ MP. Pajobo, instead of trying to save the NSSF and the Workers house, is busy calling for the abolition of Kingdoms, as though they were created by Acts of Parliament, in the first place. Did the “sugar cane cutters” of Kakira send “Comrade” Pajobo to Parliament to abolish Kingdoms or to fight for a minimum living wage, a feat he has failed to accomplish!!??

    The following post tries to show that, while it is true that kingdoms may be “raped”, denied resources, freedom space and time, they cannot be abolished from the peoples’ minds and daily life. Such a fuile affront would only be a waste of the taxpayers’ money.                    Nice reading

    1/4. On abolition of Kingdoms as advocated by the NRM MP’s: How can you abolish something you never created? Can a Kingdom 500 years  or so old, be abolished by the stroke of a pen? I think “No” for the following reasons:

    1. One would need to rub all the history of that kingdom from historical record and from people’s minds, an impossible task.

    2. One would need to kill all the Royalty [Royal families and clans, etc] and then the whole population [All Banyoro or Baganda, for example]. [Tamale Mirundi thinks the 1917 Russian revolution destroyed ALL the Romanovs – a lie since even today there are many scions of the Romanov dynasty in Germany, England, etc. For example, during the re-burial of Emperor Nicholas recently, the Royal family of Russia turned up in numbers.  {Comment: It is not clear as to why Mirundi likes exaggerations and lies, even on subjects beyond his grasp}], etc, etc.

    2/4. So, if it is impossible, what do the politicians mean then, when they say they want to abolish Kingdoms? The answer is mainly based on ignorance but the following are among the reasons:

    a) Many think that, by robbing Kings of their physical resources, they will have abolished them.

    b) Others think that, since they are not armed, when you surround their palaces at night and illegally put hem under ”house arrest”, you are capable of “abolishing them”. Just by enacting a law that the “Kingdoms do not exist from to-day”, they will indeed disappear.

    c) Others think that, by demeaning them and imagining that they do not exist, and by reducing their prestige, they will disappear from the minds of the followers.

    d) Still, others think that by DENYING THEM SPACE AND TIME, and by denying them their fundamental freedoms, they will have “managed” them.

    e) Many still think that, by denying them mention at public gatherings [in protocol] and by occupying their palaces, by denying them income, they will have “abolished the Kingdoms”.

    3/4. However, all such actions, taken singly or severally, do not remove the kingdoms since these kingdoms are in the peoples’ “blood and mind”. It constitutes fun when even people that have no Kingdoms in their cultures start talking about the need or no need for Kingdoms. Funny indeed.

    4/4. Request: let the MP’s devote their time and other resources to serving their electors, and not question god-ordained order in society.

    Christopher Muwanga,

    Nakasero,

    Kampala.

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    What is NOT Wrong with Traditional Tribal Leadership

    September 17, 2009 at 11:14 pm (CULTURE, Federalism, KINGDOMS)
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    Thursday, September 17, 2009

    Imagine that the first foreign contacts with Afrika were gradual, peaceful and respectful. Afrika would now have a bigger population. The social fabric would have evolved rather than disrupted. Foreign religions would have blended with Afrikan’s, providing more meaning. Instead, the contacts were violent and traumatic, stripping her of her dignity, with repercussions that reverberate to this day.

    In Afrika today, there is a small percentage of the filthy rich, few of whom have achieved wealth by dint of skills in industry and commerce. Many have looted the coffers of the state, leaving poor infrastructures and poor service deliveries for the rest of the taxpaying population.

    What kind of people are these looters? They are the people who went to missionary or other related schools. Many of them profess to be Christians. Some who are serious about Christianity have but a perfunctory knowledge beyond claiming to be “saved.” Generally then Christianity is not a way of living but a social occasion on Sunday. A few of the “educated” class have read western classics, and may be aware of the genesis of how and why they think the way they do. Many, however, excelled in the utilitarian school subjects in order to earn a living in the new Afrika. This latter lot may not be cognizant of from whence their thought process originates.

    All this is operating in a milieu in which traditional cultural wisdom no longer has leadership. The young person now looks to Europe and America as the source of what is good.. Armed only with the natural ego-centric self, the desires of acquisition and the destruction of those perceived to stand in the way becomes the mode of operation. There in lies what ails Afrika. But it should not be that way.

    If traditional African wisdom, through traditional leadership, were revived and practiced it could provide the umbilical cord to extend to the new way. We have many such models in Afrika—for examples Ghana and South Africa—and other parts of the world, such as Japan.

    Now, let us take the case of Uganda in which Mr. Museveni is reputed to have fought for the revival of traditional tribal leadership. It is evident that his motivations were only self-serving, to gain favors originally from mainly the Baganda population. Now the exercise has been extended to others for strategic political expediency. The next person who comes to power (the sooner, the better) should take the case of traditional tribal leadership as a matter of top priority. Genuine and honest debates should be devoid of political horse-trading. Let us put this dog to rest and attend to other business of living.
    Odiya
    UAH forumist

    3 Comments

    Obama and M7:Respect and be proud of your cultures

    September 16, 2009 at 5:41 pm (CULTURE, KINGDOMS)
    Tags:

    he anti Obama attacks based on his healthcare proposals, where he has been labelled un-American by some quarters in the USA, these occuring concurently with riots in Kampala over Kabaka’s planned visit to Kayunga that was stopped by government gives new meaning to the saying ‘there is no place like home.

    It is a timely lesson for Obama that he should never forget his father’s land, his roots.
    In Africa they have another proverb that says, when you migrate, you do not uproot the pumpkin. In otherwords, when you leave, you might find yourself back to the same place, and this un-uprooted pumpkin might be the food that will keep you going in that dark hour.

    It is only in Africa, Obama’s real fattherland, that he has not met such bitter racist type of criticism. A child remains a child at home, however nasty they might appear. That is how Africa percieves Obama.

    Coming back closer to home in Kampala, the riots have left me thinking about how vital is our cultural diversity. This cultural variety is God given, and it is time we shifted attitudes and began to appreciate and uphold these historic divisions that have nurtured and knit the society we are today.When we talk about eradicating tribes, languages, we are actually attempting to eradicate identities that have existed for generations! We should find ways of upholding the same.(Ofcourse there are some practices that are abusive, but we do not want to throw away the baby with the bathwater!)

    I am reminded of an incident that happened here in Kampala not so long ago, where a man and woman separated after giving birth to three children, one boy and two girls. Now, these children had been so attatched to their Maternal side (what they call in Luganda the Kojjas), because of the abusive behaviour of ther father who had taken another wife and abandoned their mother..So all property, friendships, hopes,etc were with their maternal side.
    Even during the marriage process of one of the girls, it was her uncle from her mother’s side who took the bridal gifts meant for her father! Her father never attended her give away! Such was the intensity of the gap in between.

    However, things  turned out so bad a few months back,and these people called their ‘maternal relatives’ ,got into sharp quarels over land and finances that one of these children had borrowed. The whole maternal side turned aginst them, and they were real treated like outcasts.Their property was grabbed by their maternal uncle, and their aging mother left homeless. What cruelty!

    Obama is suffering the same fate in America. He has not wanted to identify himself so much with Kenya or with Africans, but with comments that have began, labelling him now un-American, I think he has to think more deeply about appreciating his real roots before it is too late.

    One’s paternal roots should never be taken for granted.

    Linda Akullo
    Kampala

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    Commentary on:Cooporation,Collaboration and Consensus between M7 and Buganda

    September 15, 2009 at 3:16 pm (2009 -2011 elections, CULTURE, KINGDOMS)
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    To the present and future generations,greetings.
    The quest for cultural independence,like that of political independence from the colonialists,is not about to go away anytime soon.This quest is inalienable,its a propensity inside each of us.You can not grant it.
    So,the right thing to do is the quest for corporation from the stakeholders.Short of that,this whole thing can and will make or unmake any present or future administrations.
    Emille Durkheim,considered to be one of the founder fathers of sociology,contend that if you discard elements culture,better replace them with something similar…or else the backlash can be catastrophic….
    Recent events in our homeland seem to point that direction.All the stakeholders,including the president ,need to collaborate and develop a constitutional framework that will accommodate all these elements.
    Force must be off the menu,and a healthy dose of a national consensus must be  the order of the day.The ugly past can avoided thus.
    The cheerleaders of the dead regimes,who are now gloating  over what’s happening in Uganda,are sore losers,whose postings of hate on this forum are well known.We are watching you.Your utopian ideas will have to be directed elsewhere.
    Cheers,

    sebastianWanzama-Piro,Y(OU)NITED

    UAH forumist

    1 Comment

    Statement by Ugandans from Buganda Centre UK about the riots

    September 11, 2009 at 1:42 am (2009 -2011 elections, CULTURE, Diaspora, KINGDOMS)

        “Oguliko aseesa…………… “Awangaale Ssaabasajja Kabaka wa Buganda”

     11th Sept, 2009

    Statement by Ugandans from Buganda Centre UK

    We Ugandans in the Diaspora are concerned about the deteriorating security situation in Uganda. 

     We regret the death of Ugandans shot in cold blood by security forces while exercising their rights which are guaranteed in the constitution.  Our inner most condolences go to the families of the deceased.

     In addition

    1. We are concerned about the continued flagrant abuse of constitutional rights of Ugandans by Uganda government.
    2. We are of the understanding that the government has a responsibly to protect and guarantee freedom of movement within Uganda for all Ugandans including all traditional leaders.
    3. We are shocked by a decision by security forces to switch off air, transmission by C.B.S Radio and other radio stations.

     Given the above occurrences,

     We strongly support the current civil mass action by Ugandans in the process of standing up and protecting their rights.

    1. We also call for a total and indefinite boycott of government owned New vision and Bukedde newspapers, as a consequence of the government decision to close down private media stations.
    2. We also call for a total switch off of both governments owned Bukedde and Vision FM radio stations.
    3. We call for a total boycott of goods and services provided by government associated companies including Zain Telecom, Warrid Telecom and UTL Telecom.
    4. We call for a total restriction of movement of all government vehicles in Uganda until government guarantees freedom of movement for all Ugandans

     Now that we have come to this crisis point, its best that before issues are resolved, the following has to be done.

    1.  Government has to commit to guarantee all civil rights of all Ugandans as enshrined in the 1995 constitution without any conditions.
    2. Government has to ensure that injustices inflicted on Ugandans during the 1966 crisis are corrected.  There must be a complete return of the 9000 sq. miles to Buganda, a return of all county headquarters to the kingdom and introduction of Federal system of government for all regions of Uganda.
    3. There must be a complete overhaul and removal of the current Electoral Commission and replace it with one agreed upon by all stake holders.  There must also be implementation of recommendations by all observers, as made after the 2001, 2006 general elections, in order to facilitate the conduct of free and fair elections in 2011.
    4. There must be a complete stop to the rampant government corruption that has left 2 million Ugandans facing starvation and unimaginable poverty.
    5. The government must remove from parliament the 2007 Land Bill and 2009 Kampala Bill because they are malicious, ill intended and aimed at destroying the cultural and good inter-relationship of the people of Uganda.

     Ugandans in the United Kingdom
     
     

    Buganda Centre- East Branch: 130 Upton Lane, Forest Gate, London E7  9LW  

     Tel: 020 8552 5027,  Fax: 020 8470 7944,  www.bugandacentreuk.com,  emails: info@bugandacentreuk.com,   bugandacentreuk@yahoo.com

     Registered in England and Wales  Number: 6469609

    5 Comments

    Who are Banyala in Uganda?

    September 10, 2009 at 11:38 am (CULTURE)
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    Hello UAH,
    Abanyala is a Luhya sub-tribe which resides in two districts, Busia and
    Kakamega, Kenya in East Africa. It is believed that the Banyala of Kakamega
    originated from Busia hence they are closely related as they speak the same
    dialect, safe for the differences in pronnunciations.”Ochie”, “Otie” meaning
    hello. The Banyala in Kakamega reside in Navakholo Division North of
    Kakamega forest. They are mostly known by their one time powerful colonial
    chief: Ndombi wa Namusia who was succeeded by one of his sons Andrea, then
    Paulo Udoto, Mukopi, Wanjala, Barasa Ongeti, Matayo Oyalo and Muterwa (the
    most recent) in that order.

    Interestingly the Abanyala are a very diverse people with about thirty
    different clans which have intermarried forming a whole complicated network
    of relationships popularly called “Olwikho”. The Abanyala clans include:
    Abaafu, Ababenge, Abadavani, Abaengere, Abakangala, Abakhubichi, Abakoye,
    Abakwangwachi, Abalanda, Abalindo, Abamisoho, Abamuchuu, Abamugi, Abamwaya,Abasaacha, Abasaya, Abasenya, Abasia, Abasiloli, Abasonge, Abasumba, Abasuu,Abatecho, Abaucha, Abauma,Abaumwo, Abayaya, Abayirifuma, Abayisa, Abayundo.One is not allowed to marry from his/her own clan.

    Best Regards
    Ssemaluulu Paul
    Faculty of Computing and Information Technology
    Tel 256 71 2519006
    Office 31 50 363 3253
    Mobile 31 639713890

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

    For all my life, I had never known any traditional title called ensabanyala. I used to go to Bugerere from way back in the eighties and I had friends who were very powerful in Kayunga
    One of them was called Kiwendo. Kiwendo had a Militia called Kiwendo boys. They were fully armed and by 1985, they used to rob guns from the Anyanyas and sell them to UFM,FEDEMO and NRA.
    Kiwendo was a good fighter and a robber and if fairness is to be used, he should be the NSABANYALA.
    There was also Capt Segujja of FEDEMO and Cpt Jaggwe of FEDEMO as well. These were very strong men who used to run all affairs in Kayunga when FEDEMO was governing that area and I reckon if possible, they can as well become the ENsabanyala.
    One other man was Lt Serwanga the former chief Body Guard to Col George Nkwanga RIP. This man also qualifies to become eNsabanyala he used to conduct ambushes around Njeru,, Kirindi, Jinja and Nyiize from where he robbed banks and military trucks  and  he raised alot of funds for FEDEMO. He absolutely qualifies to be the Ensabanyala. I wonder what the method operandi is when selecting the Ensabanyala
    Herbert Buhanga
    London
    ————————————————————————————————-

    Banyala of today don’t be misguided

    The whole of Uganda knows the imbalance in key government positions.

    1-  VP.RT.HON. Prof. Gilbert. Bukenya is a Muganda.

    2-  RT.HON.Prime Minister. Prof. Apolo Robin Nsibambi, a Muganda

    3-  RT.HON. Edward Sekandi. Speaker of Parliament, a Muganda.

    Today, Banyala are totally misguided and used in a ploy to initiate a conflict with the Kabaka and all his people.  Instead of conflicting with the Kingdom of Buganda, you should turn to PresidentY.K. Museveni and ask for redistribution of the positions indicated above.

    Parliament and every Ugandan will listen to you (Banyala) because the imbalance is real and the main concern.

    Guns cannot win this time round. Only common sense is the winner. The Banyala of good memory and wisdom especially the youth should not be dragged into this NRM confusion.  Moreover, NRM’s days are numbered.

    History is still the best teacher. Look back to the privilege Buganda Kingdom has ever offered to a son of your tribe. The former respected Katikkiro Nsibirwa, a Munyala was elected to the 2nd highest ranking position of Buganda leadership – The Katikkiroship.  That alone teaches you that all people living in Buganda are treated equally by Baganda.

    Let me appeal to you Banyala youth who are tomorrow’s leaders; do not abuse such privileges.  Focus your efforts on producing another Katikiiro of Buganda or a future N’abakyala Nnaabagereka to future Buganda Kings.  Demand from President Museveni for a share of all Buganda government appointments.

    I am afraid, if you draw guns towards the Kabaka Muwenda Mutebi ll, the King of Buganda, all Baganda and their friends will isolate you. You will regret it as someone did at the last hour.

    Wisdom is strength and is the winner.

    Michael Mutagubya.

    4 Comments

    Banyoro hard line stances started the problems 120 yrs ago

    August 14, 2009 at 11:39 pm (CULTURE, Federalism, History, Land matters)
    Tags:

    Whilst we sympathize with the problems that the banyoro are having, we should be clear on the following self inflicted problems. essentially the banyoro need to take their lesson from history and focus on cultural development (learning how to work hard), and on social emancipation (they started it all).

    1. Ankole, rukiga, busoga, toro, etc are all fundamentally part of bunyoro. however, these regions sought to become independent due to the bad practices at the core of the kingdom. for instance, at the burial of every king, 100 bashambo (a clan that cuts accross ankole, rukiga, and rwanda) would have to be killed / buried with the king. the bakiga have every right to be anywhere in bunyoro. this derailed potential future sympathy for its causes.

    2. Due to excessive ruthlessness in handling POWs by bunyoro, the growing buganda kingdom was forced into an align with whites … just to find a lasting solution to that everpresent looming danger of bunyoro. of course, victory resulted in “annexation” of bunyoro land and genocide, which was largely a revenge killings. note that the rest of the region sat and watched as this campaigm against bunyoro was orchestrated. No body really “felt sorry for them”

    3. It is true that in principle kabalega is correctly a hero in fighting colonialisn. and this is confirmed by the fact that his earlier foe, king mwanga, joined him. although the motives were more survival than nationalist. with hindsight we see this, but we also do not say that this war was bound to fail because the leader kabalega did not have moral authority. u see, people compared british / bugand rule to the omukama’s rule .. with the bunyoro leader doing badly in that mental “elections”. the rest is history.

    4. That hard line stance by banyoro is the same one showing its ugly head. It goes against all lessons of history. one that obama had to take himself. learn the + and – of your history and resolve to adopt the pluses only and replace the minuses with a better value from other cultures. for instance, in this day and age, in a republic, why do u call fellow citizens abafuruki? Remember that with the advent of colonization, the laws of Uganda gave everyone the right to settle anywhere. this was crowned by the 1974 land decree. these revelotionary land laws are just as binding as other state decisions during these times. for instance courts of law have instructed current governments to pay benefits to soldiers of uganda army recruited during amins times. similarly, the resulting decisions to collapse cultural land boundaries are just as binding.

    5.This particular aspect of moving forward also affects buganda and the stance taken by mengo. it also affects the acholi region and “their land”. It is the same reason why the other east African states wisely do not recognize cultural governments. We actually feel Uganda needs to abolish them to become a positive member of the east African community.

    6. Do you expect a lazy bum to bring development? The president may have good intentions, but; Jesus; it is not leadership per see, but what you can do with it. based on the accusations we see in the media about laziness, will the banyoro rise to the mark do disprove that they are lazy. it appears from the meida that the bakiga of Uganda are the most hardworking group, and on the contrary shoudl be allocated chunks of land in the idle north.

    food for thought.

    Thank you very much

    Dr Adyeri Muchori
    Kisumu – KENYA

    UAH Forumist

    4 Comments

    Categorisation of grandsons and daughters in buganda

    August 11, 2009 at 4:25 pm (CULTURE)
    Tags:

    I will help the forum on this, since I am the only village boy online today.  The Baganda have a complicated tendency to discriminate when it comes to children.  For starters a Mganda would have ‘Omwana bwoya’ and Omwana Omuboole, Omwana owomuntumbwe and omwana ow’enda and omwana ow’okumugongo and omwana ow’okumugugu.  Kateregga will help bail us out on the interpretations (hopefully not translations). For purposes of pertanity, maternity and belonging, there is a clear distinction between children born of males and those of females among the Baganda.  The most coveted grand children Among the Baganda are those from the females.  The reason is simple, before the era of DNA and other scientific pertanity tests, the females were best placed to prove they owned the kids in question.

    Without distinguishing ethnicity of parantage, the children born of girls into the family or tribe are called Bajjwa, and they occupy a position of prominence amongst the Baganda, where they are put at the forefront of every occasion and function.  They are especially to the likes of me who keep shooting doubles, because they have to step (literary) in the food before we serve it to the revellers who have come along to celebrate a birth of twins.
    Non-Baganda forumists with Baganda spouses fear not, your children are our children, we shall not discriminate them, but beware, we would love to take them away from you.  Anyway, we always encourage the Bajjjwa to find a solid footing from amongst their own people.  The Proverb…
    “ Ebukojja Banjagala nga adda ku nnyoko gyali” (I am loved by my maternal relatives is true only if the one who follows your mum by birth order is still living) is meant to stop abajjwa from getting too comfy.

    And those born to non-Baganda mothers by Baganda spouses automatically become Baganda.

    Ssalongo Ssennoga

    KAMPALA

    1 Comment

    Heny Mirima is wrong on Bafuluki

    August 6, 2009 at 5:48 pm (2009 -2011 elections, CULTURE, KINGDOMS, Land matters)

    Alot has been said about the President’s letter to cabinet about ‘Abafuruki’ in Bunyoro. I personally disagree with some of the contents but I was surprised when I watched Henry Ford Mirima, the Omukama’s press secretary and a an elder on Barometer on NBS TV saying that the Bafuruki should leave leadership to the Banyoro. He even said that what annoys him is to see the Bafuruki calling some of the villages they are staying, Rukiga names and he named Mpefu as one of them!
    At his age  and experience, I didn’t expect Mr.Mirima to take this debate this far bearing in mind that he is also not staying in Bunyoro but  in Buganda. If Mr. Mirima, his sons, daughters or relatives wanted to stand in Buganda, how would he feel if the Baganda told them what he talked on NBS? With due respect to Mr. Mirima, why don’t you go back and read the Constitution( power belongs to the people) of which I believe the Bafuruki are among?
    I don’t buy his urgument that the Bakiga are represented twice since they are represented both where they come from and also in Bunyoro and that Banyoro are not represented because of this reason!
    I have personally been to Kibale and got a chance of interacting with the so called Bafuruki. Some of them told me they don’t have any problem with Banyoro because they have been staying with them for a long time but people who stay in kampala(Politicians) are the ones who fuel these tribal clashes.
    Is Mr. Mirima aware that there are few Banyoro in villages? Banyoro are instead concentrated in trading centres like kagadi! One mukiga told me that Banyoro don’t like staying in villages because they are lazy and said that is the reason why they stay in towns where they can businesses! I discovered that some people as old as 20 years have never stepped out of Bunyoro. They only hear that their grandparents came from Rukiga. What does Mr. Mirima talk of these young people?
    Dr.Besigye on Monday said that Bunyoro is one of the poorest districts in Uganda and which doesn’t have tarmac roads at all! Should we put this blame on the Bafuruki or you the leaders, Mr.Mirima?
    What I would expect Mr.Mirima to be doing at this time is how to develop Bunyoro economically, socially and politically. Don’t encourage your people to be lazy, let them go and compete with Bakiga politically, teach them how to do farming and the rest. There is Oil in Bunyoro. Encourage your people to go and look for jobs in those Oil companies because I will not be surprised to hear that the Bakiga and other tribes are the ones working at the sites.
    Over to you Mr.Mirima.
    kayitarama godfrey
    kampala

    1 Comment

    Museveni is right on Bunyoro

    August 5, 2009 at 3:16 pm (CULTURE, POLITICS)
    Tags:

    Folks:

    The reaction  to President Museveni’s innovative proposal illustrates one thing : NRMO and perhaps even President Museveni himself take online forums very seriously. They are the ones distilling ideas and benefiting from them. Sections of the opposition may be represented in Ugandan online forums but they are asleep like maziwa laala.

    Sections of the opposition (so far not DP and UPC) have responded out of ignorance to President Museveni idea.  To hear FDC people react is revealing as how strategically inept and dumb they are.

    For starters-those interested in Ethnic federalism should spend their time and read the proposal at www.federo.com and yes you FDC people you better read it too-there is nothing illegal or unconstitutional about Ethnic federalism were President Museveni choose to have it legalized.  Let those speaking from a position of ignorance do some Google search if they are too lazy to visit www.federo.com whether there are countries with stronger protections against discrimination than Uganda that have embraced Ethnic Federalism.

    Did sections of the opposition even digest YKM’s letter?  In whose interest was the proposal being put forward?  Well YKM is actually trying to make Bunyoro hospital to land seekers aka bafuruki/internal immigrants. But YKM also sent a clear message top land seekers: yes go seek land in Bunyoro but forget dominating Banyoro. Forget it kabisa and completely.

    Now here is a question to UAH: which ethnic group in Uganda is willing to be dominated by abafuruki’ and seekers/newcomers?  People should name me some example.

    Secondary, why would land seekers/Abafuruki try to dominate ‘owners’?  I challenge sections of the opposition who believe that YKM has committed political suicide to go to any part of Uganda and find out whether they disagree with YKM’s proposal. I may have lived out of that country for 20 plus years, but I am willing to bet that the majority, yes the majority of Ugandans agree 110 with President Museveni. They will cheer him in the hope that he will be consistent on the question of “Abafuruki”-what is the meaning of this word anyways?

    Once again, I fully endorse President Museveni.

    If some of the Abafuruki are full of themselves that are they are political geniuses, like I have said let them go back to their respective home/original/ethnic homelands and offer them leadership too.  Charity begins at home.

    Mark you every ethnic groups has its home base so go back there and contest for political office.
    Guess what, either people embrace YKM’s proposal or no land. President Museveni could not put it that crudely but that is the matter folks.

    Also remember that YKM needs to keep three regions-Buganda, Busoga and Bunyoro within NRMO territory to win. He just did with Bunyoro.

    But on a serious note why are sections of the opposition not politically savvy? Why do not they not reflect a bit more? Put simply, why do they respond faaaa!

    WBK

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    witchcraft is but a euphemism for rubbish

    June 28, 2009 at 4:19 pm (Africa, CULTURE, RELIGION, Social issues)
    Tags:

    Dr Muwanga-Zaake,

     1/6 You seem not to be sure whether to condemn or to condone so-called witchcraft.  And by the way, witchcraft is but a euphemism for rubbish. Why? Even when you peer into the kit bag of a “witch doctor”, all you see there is absolute rubbish: scales of a pangolin, snail shells, teeth of a hyena, porcupine spines, claws of a crab, cow dung of a leopard, skull of a victim of kwarshiorkor and all such manner of zoological collectibles. Gasiya peke yake!

     2/6  The basic fact is that, where man’s capacity to comprehend and/or tame the forces of nature suddenly ends, the belief in the supernatural immediately begins.  As man increases his mastery of nature, his belief in the supernatural diminishes.

     3/6  Belief in the supernatural is packaged in all sorts of ways.  All of them belong to the domain of superstition.  They range from what we call religions, including your Chrisitianity , to your so-called witchcraft.  In terms of man’s ability to cope with the forces of nature, Christianity and witchcraft lie on the same continuum: only varying degrees of superstitious content.  So, apposing Christianity with witchcraft is neither here nor there.  They are first cousins.  The difference is that, one has been divested of as much superstition as possible.

     4/6  And by the way, what do you mean by an “African belief”?  Do you mean belief in the occult?  Witchcraft and other forms of crude superstition are a characteristic of society that is backward, like Uganda is now.  There is nothing African about superstition.  Between the 13th and 19th centuries as many as 1 million people were executed in Europe for the crime of witchcraft. I am sure you have heard about the Great Scottish Witch Hunt of 1661-1662.  You may also have heard about the trials of “witches” in the German hinterland of Rothenburg in the same period, going on even as recently as 1750.  In that town, as many as 400 “witches” were executed in one day during that time. In the USA , you may have heard about the witch hunts in Salem and Massachusetts . In England, the last person to suffer death for so-called wtichcraft was in 1684, although there is a case of a lady living in Hertfordshire village of Walkern, a few miles North of London, who narrowly survived death as recently as 1712 after being accused of being a witch….I think her name was Jane Wenham…she was saved by the intervention of Queen Anne….and so on….Note that the major victims were always women, particularly the poor and largely the widows, and trials were not only in religious courts, but also in secular ones.

     5/6 So, do not be racist or biased in other way you as you look at human superstition.  Whenever and whereever the level of science and technology is abysmal, witchcraft and religion come in to fill the gap.  There is nothing African about it, and we should not base on Africa ’s current backwardness to infer that manifestations of backwardness are a preserve of Africans only.  The irony with you Professor is that, you then go a head to base on Africa ’s current predicament to weave up some strange notion of your African Nationalism…or what ever one may call it.

     6/6 But, but, but, now how about you the Professor of Chemistry who then goes ahead to assert that, “The record of African spiritual leaders healing and successfully praying for rain are obliterated or never perpetuated.”? You as a scientist should be in the forefront of demystifying superstitions and dispelling such fallacies as “rain-making”, but here you are telling us about the so-called African spiritual leaders.  You Professor of all people, know the hydrologic cycle; you know the Bergeron Process of how rain forms and falls; you know that, the only way man can induce rain is by CCNs or cloud condensation nuclei.  You studied those facts in Chemistry and got a PhD, you teach them, and then you come here at UAH to tell us that, sijui, “African spiritual” this and that, should be perpetuated!  Does PhD mean “Pure head Damage”? How doesn’t someone rule you people for 50 years non-stop? How, how? That when some scary-looking self-important old chap in need of dentures in some village in Bulemezi throws cowries in the air, spits to the west, puffs to the North, walks to the road junction on his hands and slaughters a white hen facing south….then the rain will turn up! Professor Muwanga-Zaake want that to be perpetuated!  That is the myth that a 21st century Professor of chemistry wants to perpetuate, in the name of African nationalism.  Now, don’t you really see where Africa ’s problems lie?

     Lance Corporal (Rtd) Otto Patrick

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    Do you believe in witchcraft?

    June 28, 2009 at 4:15 pm (Africa, CULTURE, Social issues)
    Tags:

    messages on witchcraft are outright unbalanced? Some people focus on witchcraft – but is it more heinous than burying people alive, by, I presume, religious people? So, possibly, another important question is ‘ Has religion affected some of these people?’. Obviously, the murders believed in witchcraft although their religious backgrounds are not clearly stated.

    what qualifies as witchcraft

    Although I have been accused of being pedantic on this forum, I think we have a problem in defining a witch. It appears to me as though anybody with powers, which cannot be scientifically proven or which are not acceptable in the Christian doctrine, to cause havoc is a witch, especially in Africa where religions local belief systems to establish themselves. The record of African spiritual leaders healing and successfully praying for rain are obliterated or never perpetuated. Indeed, we have been assimilated into despising our beliefs as backward or witchcraft.

    There are double standards applied in Africa. An African belief is subjected to scientific proof, otherwise it is backward or witchcraft. A biblical or foreign belief is never subjected to scientific proof. So we are told – Jesus walked on water, changed water into wine, fed millions with merely 5 loaves, etc. but we are not allowed to question these acts on the basis of science. I have no problem in believing the miracles Jesus demonstrated. However, for example, let us note that there is no scientific explanation for walking on water without sinking other than a belief in supernatural being.


    Havoc is reported in enforcing religions, including Christianity for example. Would Samson who prayed until a whole building killed people where he was apprehended qualify as a witch? Or should we include biblical personalities (Moses is one) who prayed for the suffering of the Egyptians until the Jews were allowed to go back to their land.

    The topic of witchcraft is indeed a can of worms, albeit an unfair one, which is selectively applied to any belief that is not Christian or non scientific. Ultimately, I think the question is unfair in perpetuating a complex that renders every happening, which neither Christianity nor science approves, as witchcraft. I.e., the question presumes a belief in Christianity and science as the only acceptable spiritual and knowledge systems.

    Dr.Johnnie Muwanga-Zake

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    What does ‘Kampala’ mean?

    May 26, 2009 at 10:41 am (CULTURE, Geography, Land matters)
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    Dear UAH,

    I would like to correct a few people telling lies about insects called ‘empala’. I am a student of African history from when Africa had no such thing as the Sahara Desert to the present time. I have not read anywhere that there was such insects in Buganda . unless there are yet some books on Uganda ’s history that have escaped my notice.

    What I have read is that there were animals on the hill of what is now our capital city that the white man called ‘Impala’. There were so many everywhere that the white men kept referring to the place where these animals were as ‘the hill of the Impalas’. When translated to the natives it sounded like this: “Ako kasozi ka Mpala”. After some time the words ‘akasozi’ were dropped and there remained the words ‘ka Mpala‘. This was later turned into Kampala our present city. This story was narrated to me and other students at the Universsity of London’s School of African Studies (SOAS) by then Dr David Anderson, now Professor of African History at Oxford University.That story makes more sense than yours of insects called empala because there is another town in Kampala called Bakuli. Do you know why? I will tell you. There used to be a white man at this place who had a beautiful house and his name was Barclay. Whenever the Baganda passed his house they would marvel ata its beauty and it became known in Luganda as ’ewa Bakuli’ which, when translated in English was ‘at Barclays’. Yet another story is that of what the Baganda call ‘Mandaazi‘ (pancakes). The story goes that one day a white man was doing his rounds of women in the slums of Kampala and met this family that gave him what looked like pancakes. When he put them in his mouth and ate them, he was heard exclaiming: “Man does”. Excited Baganda heard him and told their friends; “He said it is mandaazi.” The name has remained since!

    I think changing the name of Kampala would be a very silly mistake. It is a beautiful name with many sad and good memories for all those that have ever been there.

    DR.HENRY GOMBYA

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    What does the law say on land evictions in Uganda

    May 24, 2009 at 3:15 pm (CULTURE, Land matters, conflicts, legal issues)
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    Dear UAH,

    As you are aware there are four complicated forms of landownership in Uganda unlike in developed nations which reduced to only two, namely, freehold, leasehold. In Uganda we have the former plus two , that is,  mailo and customary. Given the change of circumstances the latter, that is, mailo and customary are likely to be absorbed into the former, that is, freehold(mailo likely to take this form) and  leashold. There are number of pieces of legislations regulating land ownership Uganda. However, the most essential pieces are (a) Land Act 1998 (Ch 227), (b) Land Acquistion Act 1965(Ch 226) and (c) Registration of Titles Act 1924(Ch 230).

    As regards the issue of recent so called ‘ Mengo evictions’, it first and foremost depends on how the deprived parties obtained  that land; were they granted  (a)leasehold?  Or b) freehold(?). If any of those, did they bother to register their titles?  Or Is it so that the land in question  was obtained fraudulently? If you are granted either  a  freehold or leasehold, you can’t just be evicted abrutly without an advance notice. The notice can be served to you provided you breach the covenant(e.g failure to pay rent)   between you and your landlord (previous land lord if bought freehold). However though served a notice to vacate, the landlord must seek a court order to lawfully evict you.  Most land disputes are handled by land tibunals, but if  unsuccessful at the tribual level,then the high court, a court which also deals with emergency situations which may require the deprived party to seek an injunction.  So I don’t know well whether the Mengo victims were lawfull freeholders or leaseholders and what exactly transpired.  Did they, for instance, acquire the land fraudulently or just breached the covenant with their landlord(the Kabaka)?

    The following section is a good authority on eviction of tenants:

    PART XII—ACTIONS AND OTHER REMEDIES   S.176  Registration of Titles Act 1924(Ch 230)

    176. Registered proprietor protected against ejectment except in certain
    cases.
    No action of ejectment or other action for the recovery of any land shall lie or be sustained against the person registered as proprietor under this Act, except in any of the following cases—
    the case of a mortgagee as against a mortgagor in default;
    the case of a lessor as against a lessee in default;
    the case of a person deprived of any land by fraud as against the person registered as proprietor of that land through fraud or as vb against a person deriving otherwise than as a transferee bona fide for value from or through a person so registered through fraud;
    the case of a person deprived of or claiming any land included in any certificate of title of other land by misdescription of the other land or of its boundaries as against the registered proprietor of that other land not being a transferee of the land bona fide for value;
    the case of a registered proprietor claiming under a certificate of title prior in date of registration under this Act in any case in which two or more certificates of title may be registered under this Act in respect of the same land,
    and in any case other than as aforesaid the production of the registered certificate of title or lease shall be held in every court to be an absolute bar and estoppel to any such action against the person named in that document as the grantee, owner, proprietor or lessee of the land described in it, any rule of law or equity to the contrary notwithstanding

    The best thing to do at the moment is perhaps to enact a new piece of legislation which require compulsory registration of titles(perhap computerised?), just to curb the increase of fraud involved in acquiring land titles in Uganda and regulation of relationships) between the landlord(s) and tenant(s).  England and Wales have very formidable pieces of  legislation, that is, Land Registration Act 2002 and Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996, which address those problems decently.

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    Don’t destroy cemeteries for new buildings

    April 16, 2009 at 11:51 pm (CULTURE, Land matters, POLITICS)
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    Dear Ugandans,

    The government must not destroy Jinja Road cemeteries because they want to construct new business buildings.Graves are almost in all cities in the world. In the USA, Nevada has got old cemeteries and graveyards that have become tourist attractions.  Many older cemeteries in Nevada have tour guides or park rangers on hand to provide details. Washington DC is another one where people tour some Civil War battlefields and cemeteries.. While in the Gulf Coast and New Orleans is a city where the dead, for centuries, have had to be buried in above-ground structures because the water is so close to the surface of this sinking city. If coffins are put in the ground, they will rise to the surface as the underground water pushes them up. We all watched these scenes during some Tsunami called Katrina when Bush was touring the city.

    Anybody who attempts to destroy cemeteries is condemned world wide. France was the first to be condemned the time when they used to burn synagogues, terrorize Jews, profane their cemeteries. Jews also didn’t learn from their historical pain they suffered under the French and Russians as they also bombed 5 of the Palestine cemeteries in Gaza in 2009. Brother Saddam Hussein was another one that was also condemned when he destroyed Kurdish villages and cemeteries in 1987.

    In Islam, the religion I follow, the dead and their wishes MUST be respected. That’s why caliphate Ali had to be buried in the now modern Iraqi city of Najaf because that’s what he wanted. Najaf is now considered so sacred by the Shiite Muslims. Ali was Prophet Muhammad’s cousin, adopted son, and son-in-law. He was killed in a mosque at Kufa, approximately 6 miles from Najaf. Prophet Abraham also visited Najaf while still alive and stated that those buried in Najaf would be guaranteed entry to paradise. So Ali had requested that, when he died, he be buried not in his capital of Kufa but rather in neighbouring Najaf.

    In addition to Ali’s tomb, the Najaf city also boasts one of the world’s largest cemeteries, the Wadi-us-Salaam (” Valley of Peace “). Several Shiite prophets are buried there, and some believe that Ali himself endorsed the site as part of heaven. Shiites from around the world long to be buried there.

    In 2004, Fallujah residents in Iraq decided to bury their dead in the city’s football stadium since cemeteries on the city’s edge could not be reached. This is the time when Bush and USA were relentlessly bombing them.

    We are still a poor country and therefore we should not pay or lease for plots where we are buried as is the case in England.So , the dead should be buried where they wish and their wishes must be respected by the state. Well, Obote wanted to be buried in Uganda and he got his wish. Why not us? We are all going to die some day and personally wish to be buried anywhere near the city where Muslims and my kids can easily access my grave to pray for me. I hope to organise this when I’m still alive inishallah(God willing). I pray that nobody plays around with shifting my grave mbu I’m near the city.

    Byebyo ebyange

    Abbey.K.Semuwemba

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    Don’t burry your people within or near capital cities

    April 14, 2009 at 4:15 pm (CULTURE, Land matters, POLITICS)
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    Like in any sovereign land(democratic) public interest overrides individual interest. So being the legal owner of the land in question can’t stop the constitutionally delegated authority to take over your land if it is for the interest of the public.

    Chapter 4 on Protection and Promotion of Fundamental Human Rights and Other Freedoms(1995) Constitution, under the subtitle of ” protection from deprivation of property” art 26 (2) (a) & (b)(i)(ii) stipulates that “26.(1) Every person has a right to own property either individually or in association with others. (2) No person shall be compulsorily deprived of property or any interest in or right over property of any description except where the following conditions are satisfied-

    (a) the taking of possession or acquisition is necessary for public use or in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health; and

    (b) the compulsory taking of possession or acquisition of property is made under a law which makes provision for-

    (i) prompt payment of fair and adequate compensation. prior to the taking of possession or acquisition of the property; and

    (ii) a right of access to a court of law by any person who has an interest or right over the property”

    Further Chapter 15 on Land and Environment, article 237(2)(a) (1995) constitution stipulates that “the Government or a local government may, subject to article 26 of this Constitution, acquire land in the public interest; and the conditions governing such acquisition shall be as prescribed by Parliament”

    Again, Ch 227, s42 (1998) Land Act re-stresses those constitutional provisions above. On the contrary ss.43&44(1998) Land Act concerns control of environmentally sensitive areas.

    There is also another section, that is, s45(1998) Land Act which concerns ‘land use planning and zoning’ in relation to Town and Country Planning Act (1951)T&CPA. SS.5& 6(1951)T&CPA address the situations when an area is declared for planning by the responsible Minister on the request of the local authority.

    So Ugandans, as regards to your question as to what to do next by the agrieved party, he can appeal the decision , if unhappy, to the authority which has made it against him. In case of further disagreement,he can go judicial review.

    One thing you should bear in your mind is that the rule of law is always distorted in nations with dictatorial tendencies(I am no sure if Uganda is one of them…hahaha). For instance any authority can maliciously invoke either a statutory or constitutional provision, if it were to be softer to you, to deprive you of any of your rights if  it wishes to do so. However, if you detect any such malice, the burden of proof is on you to prove that you have been wrongfully deprived of your right(s). If you can prove that, then you have one more stumbling block to overcome, that is, the judge . Many people are of opinion that judges or judicial institutions in particular, in undemocratic nations are always hell bent to serve their employers. But that should not make you dispair because it is always better to try and err than not trying at all… what I mean is that no one should fear to have his case heard as a result of fear that s/he will no win it anyway.

    Robert Ssenkindu

    Ugandan Residing in Sweden

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    Homosexuality may be inherent to individuals who practice

    March 28, 2009 at 3:28 pm (CULTURE, Science, Social issues)
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    Homosexuality may be inherent to individuals who practice. One of the examples usually advances is in fact that of animals – that if they are not know to be homosexual, how could a whole human being be? Homosexuality has nothing to do with lifestyle. Animals are not known to have lifestyles, but act on instincts, and in this case there is a homosexual instinct in some horses.

    Mw. Obargot writes: “If homosexuality is genetic predisposition, then it means in the many secondary and post-secondary schools in the country, we should have had homosexuals going about practicing their homosexuality; absence of which disprove the theory.” This is again too simplistic and mundane as control evidence on such a controversial subject, and cannot even be taken seriously. A quick internet search will reveal a volume of more scientific research by reputable universities to suggest that homosexuality may actually be inherent.  Also, homosexuality in Uganda is outlawed and is an offence.

    Obargot wrote:”It is upto the populations to kill homosexuality quietly without making too much noise about it.” we all appreciate human sexuality is a highly complex issue but years of research and experiment do show that sexuality is hard-wired into our brains, so how can you justify the killing of a few whose sexual preference happens to be slightly different from the majority are used to?

    Also, there is overwhelming evidence that second and third-born sons are more likely to be gay than first-born boys; should we ignore those findings and “quietly” kill those unfortunate ones just because of a hormonal change as during their developmental stages in the womb?

    Worth noting that WHO finally came to the conclusion in the early 1990s that homosexuality is not an illness.

    Obargot adds:”There are homosexuals out there who are working to plant it in the populations…” Of course, society is full of experimenters, the undecided/confused/borderline who usually fall prey to all sort of dubious influence. But like in every minority group, survival is critical. You get the extreme cases who insist on changing the status quo by all means possible (those “working to plant it in the populations”) and you also get those who keep a low profile (the don’t ask don’t tell types). Most importantly, when being wiped out “quietly” is a widely held view can we be be too surprised when gays embark on building capacity?

    Bottom line is, considering the animosity meted out on homosexuals, I doubt people chose to be that which is so detested by mainstream society.

    Peter Senoga & Musisi Bosco

    UAH forumists residing in the UK

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    Homosexuality should be killed in Uganda.

    March 28, 2009 at 3:16 pm (CULTURE, Social issues)
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    Homosexuality should be killed in Uganda. There is a difference, big difference between an homosexual and homosexuality! An homosexual is a living though perverted, breathing human; homosexuality is a lifestyle. So when I say kill homosexuality, it means I am saying kill the lifestyle.

    This of course can be done variously. The actions of killing homosexuality, which can be various, if carried out, should be detached from what I am advocating for. To be precise, in my understanding of killing homosexuality, killing homosexuality should be conducted in form of community education. This means each and every Ugandan community must embark on teaching all their youth of the contradictions homosexuality presence vis-a-vis our cultures and cultural norms; including its attendant pervertedness and lowly lifestyle. Once youths are taught of and religiously guided to never ever embrace the lifestyle, homosexuality shall be dead and buried. Period. There would be no any other way.

    Further, the state must also take a stand on homosexuality and outlaw it. This is because we do have our cultures that don’t condone, promote, or even practice homosexuality so why employ a state of confusion and helplessness to deal with the strange behaviour?

    The history of our cultures is never tainted with homosexuality; there are no proven records anywhere that men and human used to practice homosexual lifestyle. Claiming that homosexuality is genetic is going too far. Have you ever come across homosexuals in the many boarding schools that dot the country? NO! Not when I was a student in one of those schools. If homosexuality is genetic predisposition, then it means in the many secondary and post-secondary schools in the country, we should have had homosexuals going about practicing their homosexuality; absence of which disprove the theory.

    So, Ugandans, homosexuality is a learn lifestyle; not genetic predisposition. Since it is a learn lifestyle, we hold every right to disallow our children from learning the lifestyle. It’s not within our cultural definitions. Therefore, yes, the lifestyle has to be killed.

    Having said that, if others misinterpret the message and went ahead killed homosexuals, their cases should be judged purely independently. However, I would think that under such circumstances, our cultures must inform judgements of the judges, and if I were one of the judges, I would acquit such a person. End of story.


    It is up to the populations to kill homosexuality quietly without making too much noise about it. There are homosexuals out there who are working to plant it in the populations, given what you are bringing forth, but if the populations kills it out every time it pops its head, there would be no options.

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    Why Uganda men & women abroad are hard

    March 25, 2009 at 12:57 pm (CULTURE, Social issues)
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    Dear Ugandans,
    You wonder why many Ugandans still come home to try their luck with ms or mr right? You also wonder why Ugandan men and women abroad are hard?

    You should know that the divorce rate among immigrants in the West is now at par and in some cases higher than the divorce rate among the locally born.  And this applies to all immigrants irrespective of region of origin or religion.

    Why is this the case and this goes to you question? Expectations. People have it upside down about life in the West. Take it from me that it is tough and can be hell for immigrants.

    Furthermore, immigrants not just Ugandans do not adjust well to the liberal nature of the West, which is strong on women equality.  Again, most immigrants not just Ugandans are still traditional and want to command women to obey them as if they were still living in Kampala, Nairobi or Abuja.

    Since the laws favour women in general, most women simply can take the abuse? Why take abuse when in most cases the women are the bread winners because the system treats them favourably over men. Mark you even in household where the women is the bread winner/working steadily some men still expect the women to come home, tired, and cook for the man who spent his entire days drinking beer or watching porno movies on TV?  Which women in the West can take that kajanja when they know that the law is on their side?

    It is also the motherhood thing as employers treat women-as mother God bless them-sympathetically? Why? Because they are responsible.  Men simply do not know how to hand the role reversal well. Actually men are depressed.  Studies shows that immigrants are among the fastest growing group among mental illness patients. Why? Poor social capital and yes, racism.

    Another problem and this again goes to some people’s observation that Ugandan men come home to look for that ms or mister right. Big mistake most of the times? Why? Expectations? Those from Kyeyo misrepresent their true situation most of the time so when they person finally arrives in the West and finds a different set up, it is trouble.

    But here is another reason and I have had two good friends who came back home to look for ms right and threw big weddings.  Their problem is that they went for higher standards in terms of class. Class matters mark you. I asked my friends about their backgrounds, specifically what their parents did back home? And they told me their parents were peasants but they were courting daughters of elite men. One went for the daughter of a lawyer while another went for a doctor’s daughter. My buddies were well educated men.

    They won over the women even after I had cautioned them that they were making a mistake to go above their class-I know people will attack me for saying this but it matters. To cut the long story short, the young women they had married and brought over left them in less than a year. Why? The women cited socialization that even though my buddies were well read men and gainfully employed, their socialization was still different.  So those UAH folks still looking for ms or mr right but especially ms right do not ignore class or to put in bluntly “mwana wani” simply because you have been on kyeyo abroad. Wrong. Do not punch above your class.

    But the biggest problem is the hybridity-modernity/west vs tradition. This has been the killer especially for conservative immigrant men who ironically still espouse the public private sphere idealogy.

    And Mr Abbey Semuwemba is right that it is better to go for similar minded kyeyo who know the true picture and understand -I hope-the misery in the West.

    But you folks in Uganda will soon grapple with this problem if not already. I noticed when I visit that the women have the good jobs with NGOs while the men are grassing. And my friends in the NGO sector complained that there are no marriageable men anymore in Uganda, lol. What they really mean is that there are no men of their class. Bingo.

    Now the good, your folks in Uganda who are employed in decent jobs have it both ways. Your quality of life is certainly way better than for most of the folks in the Diaspora. Hard to believe but true so value your jobs and stay in Uganda. But be faithful, okay.

    Have you noticed another trend?  Ugandans (most immigrants actually) now take their children born in the West to study in Uganda or their motherland. Why? Because and sadly, children of immigrants are not generally doing well in school and could need up less educated than their parents. Smart parents are taking them back where schools can still discipline them.

    WBK

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    Buganda culture on men

    March 25, 2009 at 11:55 am (CULTURE, HEALTH)
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    Dear Ugandans,
    The men in Buganda have Ssengas and Jjajja’s to couch them.As you already know, Baganda of Buganda are basically farmers.  They have always grown  almost anything because the land was fertile, The sun was always there and the worry was rain or no rain season.
    Their main food was all types of bananas including Matooke, Ndiizi, Bbogoya and Gonja for eating. Then there were embidde for banana beer or wine, whatever you call it in English.  In addition Baganda grew groundnuts, beans, peas and all sorts of green vegetables.
    Furthermore, they had goats, chicken, and a few cows from our neighboring herdsmen.  With chickens came eggs. All over Buganda there was fish of some kind and Baganda fished for food. There were also fruits, passion fruits, guava, avacadoes, oranges, tangerines, nkenene, berries, papaya amakoma mawanga etc etc.  The list is quite long.  When one says there were only Matooke and nothing else, I do not understand which part of Buganda they grew up in.
    To cut the long story short, when preparing for marriage, the Muganda girl was taught how to cook and take care of her future husband; not only in the bedroom, but also in the kitchen and at the dinning table.  Whatever Matooke contain for nutrition content, they were always served with:  beef, chicken, goat, groundnuts, or fish stews or whatever the lady of the house chose to accampany Matooke with. The combinations kept everyone health, men and children alike.
    Some of the foods a woman was taught to feed her husband  before and during marriage, were eggs, chicken, fish, raw groundnuts because they were known for being good for the man especially in the bedroom.  Something else they always talked about was hot pepper.  When you say a Muganda man is left by his woman because of issues in the bedroom, I do not get it.  The system had everything taken care of.
    Then came western education and the Baganda men were the first to go to the schools before their girls, but the tradition continued. The men accepted the British jobs after school, but the traditions at home continued.  The Muganda man has always been the head of the household.  Even though husband and wife disagreed, there would be no shouting at each other.  They would go to bedrooms when children were asleep and talk respecting each other.  I do not know how much of this culture is still alive today.  I have not been in Uganda to observe.
    Traditionally, if there were issues of anykind in the bedroom, the Ssengas , Jjajjas were informed, because marriage was not for the two in it it was a family affair and community affair.  Everyone wanted it to succeed.  They would come up with remedies.
    If Baganda women today leave their Baganda men, or get acquired by other men from other tribes in Uganda or overseas, it is not because of Men’s inneficience; it is because many people know the Buganda culture pertinent to women and want a piece of it for themselves.  Besides many of us have gone to school learned the Queen’s language and tend to over look the tribal differences because we can communicate and get careers.  Again, it has nothing to do with the Muganda man.  Times are changing so first and our cultures are getting eroded fast too. Just because I am a Muganda woman, does not mean I have to marry a Muganda man as in the old days.  Where I am located any man with qualification is candidate and I will make a choice.  Just because you are a Muganda man, it does not mean you have to be married to a Muganda woman.  The doors are open to you for any woman in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Ruanda, Canada, USA and the list goes on.  I trust you get my point.

    Assumpta Mary Kintu

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    14th March Kings’ Conference was a Bunyoro war against Buganda

    March 16, 2009 at 7:35 pm (CULTURE, KINGDOMS, POLITICS)
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    Dear Editors,

    While I applaud the Bunyoro kingdom for organising such an important conference at short notice, I’m so sickened by the way it was done and the resolutions reached. This is one of the master steps by Bunyoro kingdom to undermine the kingdom of Buganda and everybody can see it without any glasses on their eyes.

    First of all, Organising such a very important conference with a venue in Masindi confirms that this was a Bunyoro conference not a Kings’ conference. If Bunyoro wanted it to be a conference of all kings, then there would have been consultaions and meetings organised among all the stakeholders in advance. Bunyoro knew by doing this, it was most likely that the meeting would not have ended up in Masindi. So they kind of hijacked the whole thing. They organised the venue, the speakers and the agenda.

    Secondly, the resolutions reached during the meeting all represent the interests of the Bunyoro kingdom and not Buganda kingdom. Bunyoro has been pursuing the issue of the lost counties for ages even before we got independence. This issue has defeated a lot of national and international brains. Bunyoro has used the legal and international stage to address it but all in vain. I have personally had a debate with Bunyoro Kingdom spokesperson, Mr. Henry Mirima, about this but he and Bunyoro have refused to listen. By Bunyoro raising up the same issue again during the so called kings’ forum, it is trying to have one leg over the Buganda kingdom. Bunyoro is practically advocating for the isolation of Buganda kingdom and this is unacceptable.

    I’m also astonished to read that there were over 50 kings in this forum on such a short notice meeting. Where did they come from? How many kings have we got in Uganda? I would advise the kings to be vigilant with whatever Bunyoro is up to at the moment. Bunyoro kingdom called for the meeting, chaired it, and also made resolutions which push for its interests. The master of ceremonies was also Bunyoro’s speaker of its parliament. They ‘hijacked’ the whole function including the traditional leaders that attended.

    The resolutions adopted are the direct opposite of what Buganda wants: Bunyoro supports the regional tier but Buganda wants total federalism; Buganda recognises bululi, bunyala and kooki as part of its kingdom while Bunyoro wants them to be independent or part of its kingdom. If I were the government, I would give Buganda federalism and let others enjoy the regional tier, as simple as that.

    All in all, this was a Bunyoro conference organised as one of its strategic wars against the Buganda kingdom. Nobody should take it seriously. If Bunyoro wants to be taken seriously, it should accept that ‘all men are equal but some men are more equal than others’. So resolution No. 6 will never be achieved in this 21st century where the world is so competitive.

    Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba

    United Kingdom

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    Masindi Kings Forum establish Secretariat in Kla land donated by Kamuswaga

    March 16, 2009 at 5:34 pm (CULTURE, KINGDOMS, POLITICS)
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    Kings’ Forum

    Uganda’s kings, cultural leaders and chiefs establish a uniting Forum at a one-day conference at Masindi Hotel March 14, 2009

    A congregation of more than fifty of Uganda’s kings, cultural leaders and chiefs and their prime ministers, and ministers, who met at Masindi Hotel March 14, resolved to establish a legal Kings’ forum with a fully fledged Secretariat, based at Kabuusu, Kampala.

    Chaired by the Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara, Solomon Gafabusa Iguru, the one-day conference attended by nearly all of Uganda kings and cultural leaders except the Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi, resolved to transform their forum into a registered legal entity with a permanent Secretariat located at Kabuusu in Kampala on a land which was donated by the Kamuswaga of Kooki, His Highness Apolo Isansa II.

    To kick-start the Kings Forum their majesties contributed nearly fifteen million Uganda Shillings. While the Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitasra chaired the conference, the Master of Ceremonies was Bunyoro-Kitara’s Speaker of the kingdom’s Parliament, Orukurato Orukuro orw’obukama bwa Bunyoro-Kitara, Rev. Fr. Bonevantura Kyaligonza.

    The Speaker informed the Forum that the European Union, which is already organizing another large Cultural Heritage conference in Bunyoro-Kitara in May this year, has pledged to give financial backing to the Kings Forum as long as the body is impeccably transparent and has in place qualified and highly responsible officials to manage the funds of the Forum. Other bodies to assist the Forum are the Uganda Ministry of Gender and USAID.

    Noting the absence of the Buganda kingdom delegation, the Kamuswaga of Kooki, Apolo Isansa proposed, and the proposal was adopted, the Forum send a high-powered delegation to Buganda Kingdom Government to explain the kingdom the benefits and objectives of the Kings’ Forum and how it is intended to uplift the economic, cultural and social well-being of the population in their regions.

    Their Majesties made it very clear that the Kings and all Traditional and Cultural leaders need the participation of Buganda Kingdom in this Forum.

    Conspicuously present and seated next to the Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara, were The Isaabaruuli of Buruuli, Mwatysansozi Mwogeza Butamanya Omubwijwa, The Isaabanyala of Bunyala Capt. Kimeze Beeka Mpagi Byarufu.

    The Traditional Rulers of Acholi, Alur, Bamasaaba, Tororo, Teso, attended in person.

    Nine resolutions adopted.

    The Forum which consisted of Kings, Traditional rulers and cultural leaders, chiefs and their Prime ministers, Principal Private Secretaries, and other ministers, all totaling over fifty, passed the following nine resolutions:

    1. All kings, cultural leaders and chief to speak with one strong voice.
    2. The Forum to urge the Uganda Government to speed up the formation of the Regional Ties system which was agreed upon by Uganda’s Parliament.
    3. The Forum to urge the Uganda to resume the policy of paying royalities to kings and cultural leaders as it was in the past.

    1. The Forum to support Bunyoro-Kitara’s demand for the Uganda Government to redress the historical wrongs and injustices in the form of the seven lost counties which were donated and annexed to Buganda kingdom to reward Buganda for her role in assisting British colonizers to colonise Uganda.
    2. To register the forum as the National Kings, Cultural leaders and chiefs Forum so that it acquires legality.
    3. To streamline the cultural institutions so that there is no consideration of anyone of them as being on top of the others.
    4. To strongly advocate and initiate policies to develop, promote and teach our cultural languages and begin examining them from infant schools up to University level.
    5. The Forum Secretariat to organize regular press conferences in order to create good, brotherly, and friendly relations with the press. At these press conferences all issues will be addressed by Forum officials either from the Secretariat or as the Forum will see fit.
    6. To advocate for the unity of all the people of Uganda and African in general.

    While all participants were given a chance to contribute ideas, the key note speech was given by the chairman of the Forum, His Majesty Rukirabasaija the Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara.

    Omukama Iguru said, in part,

    “We must, as kings, traditional rulers, and cultural leaders convey our collective gratitude to the Government of Uganda for creating an enabling climate for the kingdoms and cultural institutions, and chiefdoms to thrive and serve the people of Uganda with commitment to the sovereign state of Uganda.

    “We resolved to speak with one voice but over the last year the kings, traditional rulers and cultural leaders have not been audible enough advocating for critical, social and cultural development needs for their mutual benefits and the befits of our subjects.

    “We decided to open and facilitate a secretariat for the Forum of Kings, Traditional rulers and cultural leaders in Uganda to handle the day to day activities including transformation of the Forum into a legal entity. This has not yet been done.

    “There is need to urge the Government of Uganda to implement the Regional Tier that parliament has already enacted into law. The delay has not been explained to our satisfaction. Our collective voice must be heard loud and clear.

    There is need to call upon all stakeholders to know the value of land, to protect their rights on it, to correct all historical errors related to land and to secure appropriate legal rights.

    There is need for collective mobilization for development of all our subjects that willingly pay allegiance to kings and traditional rulers and cultural leaders. Our subjects must see opur functional value.

    After our last meeting came the Lira Declaration that we all signed and have a duty to implement through collective development programmes for cooperating kingdoms and chiefdoms of Uganda and together seeking development partners to fund them and in particular the European Union and other willing partners. We cannot afford to lose this opportunity.

    It is a felt need in all our institutions that we must ask the Government of Uganda to resume payment of royalties to kingdoms and chiefdoms on forests, game reserves, plantation agriculture and minerals/oil and gas and other natural resources in the various kingdoms and chiefdoms and to lobby members of Parliament in the various kingdoms and chiefdoms to support related changes in the constitution and laws of Uganda.

    It is now obvious that we must work together to promote the unity of Uganda, Eastern Africa, and the entire continent of Africa.

    We must call upon development partners to identify themselves with the Forum of Kings, Traditional Rulers, and Cultural Leaders and to support their collective programmes and activities.

    There is need for cultivate productive partnership between the press and Kings, Traditional Rulers nd /cultural leaders in Uganda for mutual benefit to replace current malicious publication and sensational reporting by a section of the press.

    We need to workd together to promote peace, reconsilitation and ethic co-existence and reverse the historical distortions and errors that have led to ethnic strife emanting from colonial rule.

    We need to pool resources to promote and support research, documentation and preservation of culture, arts, languages, customs and our entire cultural heritage and encourage cultural exchange and sharing of experience through inter-kingdom exchanges and meetings.

    Finally, it is with great pleasure that I invite you to Hoima to participate in the Europe-Uganda Cultural Village scheduled to be mounted at Hoima in May 2009.

    Ends the key note address by Omukama Soloomon Gafabusa Iguru.

    Report by;

    Henry Ford Miirima

    Press Secretary of the OMukama of Bunyoro-Kitara

    2 Comments

    Land should be owned by few Ugandans

    March 16, 2009 at 5:25 pm (CULTURE, Land matters, POLITICS)
    Tags:

    Ugandans,

    1/11 The thrust of my views on the land question in Uganda is that, in whatever manner it is resolved, the goal should be to make the country effect the transition from rain-fed, hoe-based, peasant-operated agriculture (if indeed it should be called agriculture) to modern, scientifically-managed commercial farming.  Any intervention in the land question must have its end state as revolutionising Uganda’s agriculture.  In my opinion, anything less that is subversive and an act of treason.

    2/11 Let me quote Mr. Kyijomanyi who wrote in his debate on land the following: “Both aspiring land barons and those with land should be treated the same.”.  Once again, my view is that a progressive government with an eye for the country’s future should do everything in its power to ensure that ownership of land is consolidated in as few hands as possible, to enable the transition in our mode of agriculture to take place.  Those already with land should not be saddled by legislation that entrenches squatters on their land.  It is for that very reason that, I hold that the 2007 land bill is a piece of treason.

    3/11 No legal, political, traditional or any other obstacles should be created for those I call “aspiring land barons”. If their intention is to consolidate land holdings and do away with fragmentation, they should be given as much support as they need and beyond.  Fragmentation of land is a barrier to the development of Uganda’s agriculture.  If Uganda does not develop her agriculture then the country is dead.  If we are to have a future as a nation, we have to turn our agriculture around.

    4/11 So, as far as I am concerned, everything is just in black and white: Either you are for consolidation of land ownership or you are for fragmentation of land ownership and entrenchment of microholders.  I am for the former, and I am opposed to the latter.  If you are for fragmentation, I treat you as the ultimate enemy of Uganda.

    5/11 Let us look at some of the issues Mr. Kyjomanyi raises in  the message below:

    1.  so-called land fund, for enabling squatters to buy themselves off:  This is treason.

    2.  Land bill that entrenches squatters on land causes fragmented ownership.  That is treason.

    3.  Microfinance, microcredit, microenterprise, microthis, microthat, microetc: That is treason

    4.  Owners of large tracts of land with tenants that pay them rent (Kyijomanyi Doctrine): retrogressive, reactionary and inimical to the future of the country: Treason.


    6/11 Kyijomanyi asks:“Should the land fund fund tenants (not squatters) to a luxurious land style, from being tenants (squatters) to owners of 200 cares?” What exactly does this question mean?  What are “land fund tenants”?  What is a “luxurious land style”? Those are obscure phenomena….the trouble is that, you then go ahead and build secondary arguments basing on them.  Once again, Kyijomanyi directes certain questions at me that would make appear me to be a supporter or defender of the 2007 land bill:  “Do you see the inherent moral hazard nature in the land bill/land fund?” . As far as I am concerned, the inherent problems are more monumnetal that the so-called moral hazard.

    7/11 I thought moral hazard was a situation wherein, when someone is shielded against a certain risk, he starts behaving differently from how he would have behaved if he was exposed to the risk, e.g., smoking carelessly where there are jerrycans of petrol, because you know that there is a fire extinguisher.  How does that concept apply to Uganda’s agrarian question? (By the way, there are still questions you have not answered about the applicability of Akerlof’s lemons to issues of strategic transformation of Uganda)

    8/11 My point is, if a land lord has 200 acres of land, far from being encumbered with tenants and squatters, he should be facilitated in any way he chooses, to acquire even the adjoining 200 acres..  In other words, all kyijomanyi’s talk of land fund for tenants should be off from the books.  If at all there is a land fund, it should be given to the big landowner, to ease the squatters off the land.  Land fund should be given as abribe to squatters to leave land that they are squatting on.  Not every Tom, Dick and Harry; not every Musoke, Mukasa and Kiwanuka; not every Baluku, Kambere and Masereka; not every Okello, Otim and Otto should be a land owner.

    9/11 There should be no question of giving “land fund” to peasants, squatters, microholders.  That simply exacerbates the problem of fragmentation.  Fragmentation is the antithesis of modernisation of agriculture.  Backward agriculture is Uganda’s grave.  Whoever encourages fragmentation is Uganda’s grave digger.  Whoever arrogates himself the role of being Uganda’s grave digger has to be resisted.

    10/11 Kyijomanyi says: “I know what land rents mean. Rent is not mere land rent but the receipts of what is grown on that land. I defined rent broadly.”: That is very funny.  Rentism as an approach to Uganda’s agrarian question is subversive.  Feudal lords fleecing tithes and scuttage and surplus from serfs? I would make you choke on that rent of yours….treacherous, reactionary, mediaeval mentality in an era of producing for a global market.  Disabuse yourself of that thinking.  I hope that is not DP policy.

    11/11 Kyijomanyi says: “No, unlike you and NRMO, I see a situation where bibanja holders and land owners emerge winners. There is a win-win situation but it cannot be in the form of free lunch for one party.”:  What does he mean here?  We should not be looking for winners or losers.  This is not a matatu game or football match.  The question is whether Uganda will survive or not.  Finally we should not look at landownership as an end in itself.  It has to be a means to increased national productivity.  If the land owner is not a producer then he should be put to task…

    Lance Corporal (Rtd) Otto Patrick

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    Bushenyi Ugandans don’t want Ankole kingdom restoration

    March 16, 2009 at 12:26 am (CULTURE, KINGDOMS, POLITICS)
    Tags:

    This is genocide for Ankole and you cannot joke about it. For us, Bushenyi people(call us Bairu, Beiru or Biru, anyone of the pronounciations is O.K)suffered for centuries under the Horrible Kings of Ankole. Those are the trouble brewing people of the greatlakes region, as you know they are characterized by genocide,1959,1994.

    Bahima are the tutsi of Ankole(Uganda) who speak our language in a strange way.They are known to kill very easily with their sticks(enkoni) even on suspicion that someone may steal their cow.Museveni being one of their relatives as his mother is Tutsi and a father is unknown(you cannot tell who your father is when your mother begot illegitimate pregnancy especially in those taboo days and your adoptive father such as Kaguta is neither as well ) is metting the same hell to Uganda not even a millionth of what our people suffered under the bahima kings.

    If anybody wants to start world war 111,Bushenyi will surely fit the Balkans title.Quote me on this one.Those Bahima intruders will never make us slaves again.Let them enslave their cows or the lake Mburo game,buffaloes,kobs etc,in thie vicinity.Twabakoowa,period.

    Jeniffer Biri

    Ugandan resident in Newyork

    3 Comments

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