Has buganda forgotten the 1964 referendum?

Jan 15, 2008

EDITOR—From press records early this week, MacDonald estimated the Buganda Province to cover 19,600 square miles. This is according to surveyors led by Sgt. Maj. E. Vaughn, assisted by W. V. Morris who surveyed the Buganda region in October 1902. The surveyors in fact found the area to cover 17,30

EDITOR—From press records early this week, MacDonald estimated the Buganda Province to cover 19,600 square miles. This is according to surveyors led by Sgt. Maj. E. Vaughn, assisted by W. V. Morris who surveyed the Buganda region in October 1902. The surveyors in fact found the area to cover 17,301 square miles only.

The 1900 Agreement with the British Government entails records of the beneficiaries of parts of the land including the right of control over the earlier assumed 10,550 square miles of waste, cultivated, uncultivated, or forest lands, which were ceded to the British Government and included the so-called 9,000 square miles (Akenda). On computing the difference between the estimated and the actual figures, i.e. (19,600 – 17,301) square miles, there is a shortfall of 2,299 square miles which, if deducted from what was assumed to be 10,550 square miles, brings it close to what was reported by H. B. Thomas Obbi and E. A. Spencer in their History of Uganda and Surveys to be 8,260 square miles.

When we deduct the 1,500 square miles of forest lands, this gives us 6,760 square miles as the only available land that was ceded to Her Majesty’s Government.

Buganda must respect the results of the 1964 Referendum held on Buyaga and Bugangaizi Counties (present-day Kibaale District) covering an area of 1,641 square miles.

The two counties reverted to Bunyoro Kingdom and therefore must be deducted from the 6760 square miles, which leaves the so-called Akenda at 5,119 square miles only.

Ugandans, particularly the young Baganda should be guided and or educated on the actual location of the 5,119 square miles that remained as part of what was ceded to Her Majesty’s Government under the 1900 Agreement.

Georgena Bahemurana
Hoima

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