Busoga charter is ‘byoya bya nswa’

SIR—In his article of November 6, John Kakande lauds Busoga for forming a regional forum while Buganda has failed.

He advises the Baganda to emulate the Basoga and agree to cooperate as a region without involving the Kabakaship. I am no pessimist, but the Busoga Forum is clearly a flash in the pan. Here are my reasons:

It is being used by the top Busoga politicians of the day to build and sustain a power base for themselves in order to remain in the corridors of power.

The Busoga Forum charter is not a product of an adequate participatory process and cannot be said to have the blessing of all or even most of the inhabitants of Busoga. Mere endorsement by district chairmen and some councillors does not constitute such an agreement on the part of the population.

We the Basoga do not have in our tradition that sense and spirit of collective ascription and belonging. We are not like the Baganda who have a strong traditionally founded kingdom that brings them together. The Kyabazingaship of Busoga is itself a colonial creation.

Instituting a system along tribal lines in such an area negates the very purpose of unity and cooperation because Busoga is inhabited by many other tribes.

A regional development institution like the Busoga Forum cannot be practically divorced from politics and governance in the region. It is mere rhetoric and fallacious to say the Forum is for cooperation in development and not politics and governance. Development and politics are originally linked and inseparable.

At this stage, introducing regional power centres is to further draw back the progress so far made in decentralising governance. Therefore, Buganda has nothing to emulate from the so-called Busoga cooperation because it will not yield sustainable cooperation when it is not a product of a cooperative process. The ‘charter’ is a brainchild of influencial and opportunistic politicians who have caused much disunity and conflict particularly in Mayuge, Iganga, and Kamuli. If the Baganda must have a sub-national development institution above the district level, they would rather settle down for federo because it is inherent in their traditions than adopt a political contraption like the Basoga are being forced to.

Ignatius Waibi
Jinja