Kibanzanga was wrong on Basongora
Jun 24, 2007
The Basongora are the indigenous people of Busongora which is the present Kasese district. With time Bakonjo and Banyabiindi also came in. Today there are ethnic groups from other parts of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. <br>Basongora who are cattle keepers had to disperse after the Br
By Kajabago Karusoke
The Basongora are the indigenous people of Busongora which is the present Kasese district. With time Bakonjo and Banyabiindi also came in. Today there are ethnic groups from other parts of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Basongora who are cattle keepers had to disperse after the British colonialists destroyed their cows. The British colonial authority later turned a big chunk of their land into a national park. This left the Basongora with extremely little land for grazing. The Government, therefore, allowed them to temporarily graze in the park until suitable areas were identified.
In order to handle the issue correctly, the president appointed a committee which would undertake that task. Before the undertaking was accomplished, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) ordered the eviction of the Basongora from the park.
A meeting was held between the district authorities and the UWA staff to find a solution. However, UWA did not respect the prospects of the meeting. They went ahead with the eviction. It was necessary to use a humane approach to people who have been historically traumatised and and displaced from their own land of origin.
To the lack of prudence by the Ministry of trade, tourism and industry, Hon. Christopher Kibanzanga, the Member of Parliament for Busongora South giving the Government an ultimatum of 20 days to move the Basongora out of the park, if not, the Bakonjo community would remove them. If that is not the case then the Bakonjo community will also move and settle in the same park together with the Basongora.
This move for sharing is because since allowing the Basongora to graze from there is spoiling the park, why should only the Basongora be allowed and not any other ethnic group in Kasese district? That was Kibanzanga’s reasoning! A few observations:
l Should the Basongora be sympathised with?
l Do the Bakonjo have a similar land problem like the Basongora?
l Are the Basongora spoiling the park?
l If yes, is it good to spoil the park or does it necessitate another ethnic group to join in the spoiling?
l If spoiling is bad, then an alternative area for the Basongora to graze should be found.
l Is it in order for a single Member of Parliament to give the Government an ultimatum that he will take a personal and arbitrary action to implement what he wants if the Government does not fulfil his own demand?
l If Kibanzanga leads the Bakonjo to attack the Basongora, will this not cause tribal clashes in the area? I think we should labour to build and enjoy everything in Kasese District?
l Is this how a member of an organ of the state that passes and establishes law and order intended for regulating the lives of the people think and plan?
In conclusion, this is a challenge to all of us. Let us examine ourselves everyday. There should not be discrimination where equal treatment is supposed to be administered. Logic should always be applied against negative emotion, when judging cases and arbitrating. Always look for those things that unite people and discard things that cause divisions. Always struggle for peace and friendship among people. Every cadre should promote a very high standard of spiritual life as a lubricant for every type of work and spiritual life as a lubricant for every type of work and performance in both the economic base and superstructure of our society. Cadreship should be comprehensive to embrace all those who serve in all organs of our state. If this is not so, many personalities, big or small, in our society can easily be embarrassed by finding themselves subjected to what will be referred to as mean and base moral standards.
The writer is a lecturer at the National Leadership Institute, Kyakwanzi
The Basongora are the indigenous people of Busongora which is the present Kasese district. With time Bakonjo and Banyabiindi also came in. Today there are ethnic groups from other parts of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Basongora who are cattle keepers had to disperse after the British colonialists destroyed their cows. The British colonial authority later turned a big chunk of their land into a national park. This left the Basongora with extremely little land for grazing. The Government, therefore, allowed them to temporarily graze in the park until suitable areas were identified.
In order to handle the issue correctly, the president appointed a committee which would undertake that task. Before the undertaking was accomplished, the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) ordered the eviction of the Basongora from the park.
A meeting was held between the district authorities and the UWA staff to find a solution. However, UWA did not respect the prospects of the meeting. They went ahead with the eviction. It was necessary to use a humane approach to people who have been historically traumatised and and displaced from their own land of origin.
To the lack of prudence by the Ministry of trade, tourism and industry, Hon. Christopher Kibanzanga, the Member of Parliament for Busongora South giving the Government an ultimatum of 20 days to move the Basongora out of the park, if not, the Bakonjo community would remove them. If that is not the case then the Bakonjo community will also move and settle in the same park together with the Basongora.
This move for sharing is because since allowing the Basongora to graze from there is spoiling the park, why should only the Basongora be allowed and not any other ethnic group in Kasese district? That was Kibanzanga’s reasoning! A few observations:
l Should the Basongora be sympathised with?
l Do the Bakonjo have a similar land problem like the Basongora?
l Are the Basongora spoiling the park?
l If yes, is it good to spoil the park or does it necessitate another ethnic group to join in the spoiling?
l If spoiling is bad, then an alternative area for the Basongora to graze should be found.
l Is it in order for a single Member of Parliament to give the Government an ultimatum that he will take a personal and arbitrary action to implement what he wants if the Government does not fulfil his own demand?
l If Kibanzanga leads the Bakonjo to attack the Basongora, will this not cause tribal clashes in the area? I think we should labour to build and enjoy everything in Kasese District?
l Is this how a member of an organ of the state that passes and establishes law and order intended for regulating the lives of the people think and plan?
In conclusion, this is a challenge to all of us. Let us examine ourselves everyday. There should not be discrimination where equal treatment is supposed to be administered. Logic should always be applied against negative emotion, when judging cases and arbitrating. Always look for those things that unite people and discard things that cause divisions. Always struggle for peace and friendship among people. Every cadre should promote a very high standard of spiritual life as a lubricant for every type of work and spiritual life as a lubricant for every type of work and performance in both the economic base and superstructure of our society. Cadreship should be comprehensive to embrace all those who serve in all organs of our state. If this is not so, many personalities, big or small, in our society can easily be embarrassed by finding themselves subjected to what will be referred to as mean and base moral standards.
The writer is a lecturer at the National Leadership Institute, Kyakwanzi