Kabaka, Nnabagereka miss Royal Ball

THEY turned up in their hundreds for the high profile Royal Ball but the royal couple did not show up, reports Juliet Nankinga. The enthusiastic young elite Baganda dressed in black suits and women in elegant evening wear, did not hide their disappointment when Kabaka Ronald Mutebi and the Nabagereka Sylvia Nagginda failed to show up at the fundraising ball held in their honour at Twekobe in Mengo Palace. Murmurs from the somber-faced subjects intensified when Katikkiro Mulwanyamuli Ssemwogerere arrived for the dinner at 8.35pm and started greeting them prior to the Kabaka’s arrival. The anxious guests, ushered to the cocktail, begun whispering in groups as their patience was apparently stretched to the limit. At 9.00pm, the Katikkiro announced the absence of the royal couple. People in-groups kept on wondering what had happened to the royal couple. Others attributed their absence to the recently concluded Kabaka trip to Masaka and Rakai. Despite his absence, the evidently down- cast guests continued with the dinner but by 11.30pm many had left. This was the second annual Royal Ball part of events to celebrate the end of the year. It raises funds for the Kabaka Foundation, a charitable organisation set up by the Kabaka to help the needy and the disadvantaged members in Buganda society. The chairman of the organising committee, Michael Kyompitira, told The New Vision yesterday on telephone that his committee was very disappointed by the absence of the royal couple. “The Kabaka’s failure to honour the event has undoubtedly affected our morale. But this was all about charity and the spirit of voluntarism. Besides, the Kabaka was well represented,” Kyompitira said, declining to comment further. Another member of the organising committee, who declined to be named, said the Kabaka’s absence will adversely affect the turn up of guests at such future social events. He said, “It’s all going to depend on how the Kabaka handles the situation, how he will reach out and reassure his subjects. “But its not going to be the same again. You can’t expect to get the same number of guests and same amount of money following Saturday’s events,” the official said. The Katikkiro commended the over 350 guests for the generous contribution to the Kabaka Foundation to help the needy. “My first duty is to deliver his majesty’s failure to turn up for the occasion because of inevitable reasons. But his majesty would have liked to be here with you. But he wishes you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year,” Mulwanyamuli said. In spite of the mouth-watering dishes and plenty of drinks, the guests’ mood ebbed low and by 11:00pm when the dance was officially opened by the Katikkiro, many had started walking away. The occasion was studded with youthful prominent lawyers, the business big shots, Miss Uganda Victoria Nabunya, who presented a bouquet of flowers to the Katikkiro. The Trustee of the Kabaka Foundation, Joyce Mpanga, said the foundation was planning to establish a Grant Aiding foundation to help other development projects in the kingdom. ends