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OPINION

By Mary Karooro Okurut

The cold, wet morning of last Sunday, April 7, did absolutely nothing to stop tens of thousands of people, all decked in red vests and caps, from jumping out of their warm beds and heading to the Kabaka’s Palace in Mengo, Kampala.

 As young as four years and as old as 85 years, all came out. His Royal Highness Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, the Kabaka of Buganda, once again celebrated his birthday with what is now tradition for many years: The Kabaka’s Birthday Run, which is a three-fold marathon, (5km, 10km and 21km, a runner takes their pick) that always starts at the palace.

The run, in terms of sheer numbers, public attention and the passion with which it is organised and held, has now turned it into a timeless brand. Last Sunday was, therefore, no different. Held under the theme, Men are the stars in the fight against HIV/AIDS to save the girl child”; the run was like a huge stream of red moving through the streets of Kampala.

Indeed, the Kabaka’s Birthday Run justifies President Yoweri Museveni’s restoration of kingdoms and cultural institutions.

If we remember, time and again, President Museveni has been recollecting his first meeting with the then Prince Ronald Mutebi, now His Royal Highness the Kabaka of Buganda, in August 1981, in London.

The meeting took place at Kingsley at the residence of Prof. Yusuf Lule (RIP).

The President says that when they met, he promised that when NRA seized power, it would restore the kingdoms in order for them to mobilise their respective communities on cultural, traditional and other community and heritage issues.

Like the Kabaka’s run has demonstrated over time, the kingdom is focusing on its cardinal role of mobilising the community for good, worthy causes.

We again recall that last year, the President met His Royal Highness the Queen of Buganda, the Nabagereka and commended her for her great role in upholding cultural values through the Kisakaate.

From a distance, someone may be tempted to assume that the Kabaka’s Birthday Run would attract only Baganda. Far from it. The cultural head of this famous kingdom is, whichever way you argue, a national and international figure, whose popularity and appeal transcend the boundaries of tribe, race, region and religion.

Important regional and international personalities who come to Uganda — even on other official or private business — tend to feel that their visit to Uganda is incomplete without calling on HRH the Kabaka.

To his credit, the Kabaka and his cultural set-up have conducted kingdom business in a way that commands respect, with the result that the kingdom is held in high regard.

From year to year, the Kabaka’s Birthday Run, therefore, has always been an event embraced heartily and happily by all manner of people. It is now national and international in nature.

One undisputable fact is that Buganda, in spite of the turbulent political history of Uganda, has endeavoured to uphold the legacy of its forefathers; revering, preserving and practising cultural values dating back many centuries.

Every culture, world over, is precious and rich in its own right.

In Uganda, Buganda Kingdom has done exceedingly well in upholding the kingdom and perpetuating it through the generations through documenting and preserving its unique culture.

It is not surprising because the kingdom has an elaborate administrative and social structure, that sows loyalty from family level. Subjects are nurtured from childhood to revere their king and uphold their cultural values.

Some of the good practices have rubbed off other tribes and even some neighbouring countries, for example, the concept of “bulungi bwansi” (for the general good of the whole community) a tradition of mobilising the people to work together without pay, on a cause that is for the good of the entire community.

The most significant thing about the Kabaka’s Birthday Run is that, while it carries his brand, his title and identity, they are put to good use, to harness the community around a worthy cause for the common good. Perhaps all these explain the successful mobilisation and massive turnout for the run. This year’s theme was timely and appropriate, addressing one of the most painful aspects of our history in the last 44 years — our struggle against HIV/AIDS. There is hardly any family in Uganda — which has not been either “affected” or “infected”.

As a young man, fresh in the hot seat of power in 1986, President Museveni literally underwent a baptism of fire — taking over the steering wheel at a time when the HIV pandemic was taking over the nation, like a wild bushfire in the dry season. He set about dealing with the HIV pandemic with a blend of honesty and hard work.

As other nations were busy living in denial, the President sounded the war drums with an urgency unmatched by any other nation worldwide. Always one to draw wisdom from local examples, he said that in yesteryears, when a lion invaded a village, all the inhabitants of the village would get out and sound war drums, sending a very serious warning that a big cat was on the prowl.

That is how, shortly thereafter, the Uganda AIDS Commission came into being, to co-ordinate the national response to the pandemic.

So, as other nations, living in denial, continued to be ravaged by the pandemic, with infections rising and many people dying, Uganda steadily brought HIV under control.

The HIV prevalence rate, then ranging between 20% to 30%, went down to just 5.4% today. This could have been much lower, had some people not taken things for granted and carelessly let their guard down.

Many people think that because drugs are available to manage the virus and live almost a normal, HIV/AIDS is no longer a problem.

Their consolation is that living with HIV is just like living with high blood pressure or diabetes and that one will be just about fine — as long as they take their medicine.

Research shows that eventually condoms were relegated or shunned due to the rather deadly saying about the impracticality “of eating a sweet in its wrapping”. What have we reaped? HIV is still around.

The theme of the marathon, therefore, was a very timely wake-up call to all people to the need to deal with HIV/AIDS decisively.

Last Sunday also showed that culture can effectively be used to mobilise people around a humanitarian cause for the common good.

We are better off heeding the President’s constant reminders that HIV, even when managed by ARVs, deprives one of a more productive life. We hope the message to stay alert sank in. The Kabaka Birthday Run made the day and the year, count.

The writer is a senior presidential adviser on public relations