Royal Ball this weekend

Dec 06, 2001

The Kabaka of Buganda was in unusually high spirits. When Simba Sounds struck the first chord of their guitars on their way to playing the song Omutanda Gyali, the Buganda king beamed from ear-to-ear, took one look at his sweetheart,

By Harry Sagara The Kabaka of Buganda was in unusually high spirits. When Simba Sounds struck the first chord of their guitars on their way to playing the song Omutanda Gyali, the Buganda king beamed from ear-to-ear, took one look at his sweetheart, Nagginda, held her by the hand and majestically ushered her onto the dancefloor before engaging in a tango. Soon the dance floor was filled with a myriad of couples who did not want to miss the opportunity to be seen dancing in the company of the King. This was the first time the Kabaka was actually dancing with the queen in public and this was no ordinary occasion: It was the much-hyped Royal Ball that took place in the comfy environs of the Kabaka’s Lubiri Palace last year. For those who were not there, here is a run down of the procedings: Punters bled sh100,000 just to be there and Annete Kironde, Kawalya Bwogi and Michael Sebalu were planted at the gate to make sure that there was no gate-crashing. The quorum here reeked of Kampala’s top social dogs. People like Owekitiibwa Eric Van Veen, Owek, Martin Aliker, Gordon and Moreen Wavamunno, Azim Damani (of Damanico) and an endless list of socialites. The Royal Ball was not a mere fly-by-night. It was worthy of every effort put in to make it happen–– and it really did. (I can see you are wishing you were there). Anyway, do not despair. This time an even better royal ball has been planned for Saturday, December 8. This year’s ball was sanctioned by the Katikiro and is billed to be a laid-back, glitteratti-filled affair. The organisers have vowed to make this one much better than last years. Micheal Sebalu Kyompitira, the organising committee chairman, says that the whole idea of this years ball is to celebrate the end of the year in style and of course raise funds for the Kabaka foundation. This year’s ball will consist a grand dinner and the Bulange compound will be awash with all sorts of wines accompanied by an alluring entertainment menu. Tickets are going for a mere sh 100,000 and the organisers maintain that this figure is the equivalent of a minimum donation to the Kabaka foundation. They are already on sale at Fotogenix and Afrique Voyages on Kimathi Avenue. Sebalu says that corporate tables at the ball are being sold at sh2m each. Over 400 tickets have been printed for the event and, according to Ann Kironde, they are selling like hot-cakes. ends

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