Buganda deal: Katikkiro meets MPs

BY MOSES MULONDO

The Katikkiro of Buganda, Charles Peter Mayiga, is today (Wednesday) meeting Members of Parliament from the Buganda region to discuss how they can work together to advance the kingdom’s interests including implementation for the Museveni-Kabaka deal.  

The Buganda caucus chairperson, Godfrey Kiwanda, told New Vision that the meeting was requested by the Katikkiro and was scheduled to take place in Bulange at Mengo.

“The Katikkiro wrote to us requesting for a meeting. We are happy about it because we had also planned to initiate a meeting to submit our document,” Kiwanda said.

Asked on what they are likely to discuss with the Katikkiro, Kiwanda said, “We don’t know what the Katikkiro has planned to tell us but from our side we want to propose to him the various ways of how we can work together to eradicate poverty in Buganda.”

Kiwanda, the Mityana North MP said in a letter the Katikkiro wrote to him, he indicated that one of his major objectives in his reign is to unite all the political leaders in Buganda belonging to various political parties to harmoniously work together for a common good of Buganda and Uganda at large.

The MP also explained that in their meeting they also want to discuss with the Katikkiro the role the MPs will have to play to ensure that the recent agreement signed between the Kabaka and the president to return Buganda’s property is smoothly implemented.

“We want to know the role required by us as the Buganda MPs to implement the agreement so that we can begin to lobby for support from MPs from other regions where it is necessary,” Kiwanda said.

The agreement was signed between President Museveni and the Kabaka witnessed by the Attorney General, Peter Nyombi, the Katikkiro, Buganda Attorney General Apollo Makubuya and Prince David Wasajja, Kabaka’s brother.

In the agreement , it was resolved that the properties to be returned which include all the land that belongs to the Kabaka, Sub-County and County headquarters, Gardens in Jeza Mityana, and Buganda markets (including those constructed and those under construction).
The government will compensate Kabaka for Muteesa House in London, which was sold during Dr. Milton Obote’s regime. Buganda kingdom will also be compensated for plot 53 Kampala Road where King Fahad Plaza was built.


The agreement also requires government to pay Buganda sh20.3b in the financial year 2014/2015 in relation to the rent arrears. If there is land with squatters, the government will discuss with the Kabaka on how to handle such people.  The Kabaka is also free to move all over his kingdom and wherever his subjects are.

A committee to be agreed upon by the president and the Kabaka will be instituted to implement the agreement.