MPs left teary amid confusion over traditional leaders

By Henry Sekanjako

THE Gender minister Mary Karooro has assured Members of Parliament that government had not and was not ready to abolish the traditional leaders or their institutions.

The minister was responding to protests by the MPs following reports that Government had degazetted all the traditional leaders. Some of the legislators from Buganda region under the Buganda Caucus umbrella body fought back tears at Parliament.

But Karooro explained that the move was only intended to weed out imposters.

“What have been de-gazetted are not cultural institutions but tittles, it is out of good intentions that we are doing this, just to protect the image of these cultural institutions. I have no authority to abolish cultural leaders,” Minister Karooro told a group of MPs, particularly from Buganda region, at Parliament.

The MPs, addressing the media earlier, had protested the action to degazette the traditional leaders. 

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Gender minister Mary Karooro Okurut explained that the move was only intended to weed out imposters. Photo by Juliet Kasirye

The MPs belonging to the Buganda caucus demanded that government revokes a letter directing degazetting of the 14 traditional leaders including Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi.

“Buganda is the mother of NRM government; Buganda has done a lot for NRM. Luweero where I come from was the battle field for this government, what I am going to tell my electorate, that government has degazetted their king,” asked Godfrey Lubega, the Kassanda North MP before he broke down.

Bukomansimbi County MP Deogratius Kiyingi, while shedding tears said: “I didn’t sleep last night, people have been calling me over this development.”

The MPs argued that the degazetting of the traditional leaders amounted to abolishing their existence.

Karooro also addressed a briefing at the Uganda Media Centre on the matter, clarifying that Government hadn’t abolished the traditional leaders.