Banyoro-Bakiga wrangle: Time bomb in Kibale?
PEACE Ndyakihahe lies in Hoima Hospital with pain from the deep cuts on her head, back and hands. However this pain is not much a bother as her concern for what tomorrow will be like. Her two sons, David Ndyareeha, 16 and Barnabas Biryomumaisho, 14, of Kasenyi village, Bugangaizi county were butcher
PEACE Ndyakihahe lies in Hoima Hospital with pain from the deep cuts on her head, back and hands. However this pain is not much a bother as her concern for what tomorrow will be like. Her two sons, David Ndyareeha, 16 and Barnabas Biryomumaisho, 14, of Kasenyi village, Bugangaizi county were butchered at their home.
Ndyakihahe says 10 youths attacked their home with pangas on March 4th in what she believes is a tribal-related attack following clashes between Banyoro and Bakiga in Kibale district.
Kibale is gripped with tension due to the tribal conflict. Lives have been lost, many people injured and property worth millions destroyed. Though police and the army have been deployed in the area, incidences of violence continue to be reported.
The clashes between Banyoro and Bakiga in Kibale erupted again after the victory of Bakiga candidates Mable Bakaine (Bugangaizi) and Barnabas Tinkasiimire (Buyaga) in the recent parliamentary elections. Their victory has irritated many Banyoro, who feel they are being dominated by the Bakiga immigrants.
The Banyoro accuse the Bakiga of plotting to rule and dominate them through tribal voting. Some Banyoro have vowed that they cannot be represented by Bakiga and have orchestrated fighting mostly with pangas and spears, attracting retaliation from Bakiga.
However, the fighting is not from any organised group, but individuals on either side who feel an obligation to fight or defend their tribe.
Kibale District Police Commander Peterson Okuja says 24 people have been arrested in connection with the tribal violence and conflicts.
The Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kaihura visited the district last week and was there again on Wednesday March 8, urging the two tribes to desist from fighting each other.
NRM vice-chairman for western Uganda, Brig. Matayo Kyaligonza who comes from neighbouring Hoima district has urged the Banyoro and Bakiga in Kibale, one of three districts that make up Bunyoro Kingdom, to unite and end the tribal conflict.
Problem is historical
The Banyoro-Mubende Committee Officials, an 88-year-old Banyoro freedom movement, say violence in Kibale can only cease if the influx of the Bakiga is controlled and land problems solved.
They insist the main cause of tribal clashes in Kibale is the unsolved land problem in the lost counties and that the Banyoro believe that a Munyoro is better placed to advocate for their land issues.
Kibale is made of the two former lost counties of Buyaga and Bugangaizi that the British colonialists awarded Buganda Kingdom from rival Bunyoro Kingdom in 1900.
Although the Banyoro won back the counties in a referendum in 1964, most of the land is owned by absentee Baganda landlords and has been in contention for almost a century. In 1998, the Government put in place a land fund to buy land from Baganda landlords and give it to the Banyoro.
Although many Bakiga (who come from the overpopulated western district of Kabale) came under the two resettlement schemes (Rutete in 1960s and Kisita in 1993), many more have been coming to the area and settling in mainly forested areas. The Banyoro claim that the Bakiga are taking advantage of the historical land problem to move into the district in large numbers.
The Banyoro accuse some Bakiga of secretly buying land titles from absentee landlords. And that their ‘brothers’ in Government have been delaying the payment of absentee landlords and return of land to Banyoro so that most Bakiga will benefit from the constitutional 12 years for the land to be theirs at payment because they will have qualified as bonafide tenants.
Ford Mirima, the secretary of Mubende Banyoro Committee, says some Bakiga have been “arrogantly†talking of creating a “Kabaale of Bunyoroâ€. All they need is to be in power and replace the ‘I’ in Kibale with an ‘a’ to make it Kabale.
According to a memorandum by Banyoro from Kiryanga sub-county, Bakiga have left nothing to doubt as of their intentions. They cite the example of a speech by Tinkasiimire (MP elect) on the local KKC Radio, which was laced with serious tribal undertones. He allegedly called upon his supporters to hit the opposition with hoes.
With the coming of the regional tier where districts will form governments headed by a Katikiro and king as ceremonial leader, Bunyoro (which agreed to farm a regional tier) is now worried a Mukiga may be elected Katikiro.
Mirima, who is also the press secretary to the Bunyoro King, Solomon Iguru, says the kingdom recently joined traditional rivals Buganda to demand that the katikiro should not be elected, but appointed by the king.
Spark off
In 2001, the Banyoro rejected Fred Rulemera, a Mukiga who had been elected Kibale district chairman. It was only after President Yoweri Museveni convinced Rulemera to step down that tribal tensions eased.
Mirima says they want the two elected Bakiga representatives to resign in “the interest of peace†since the Banyoro cannot accept to be led by Bakiga who they accuse of being arrogant.
Both Bakaine and Tinkasiimire have vowed not to resign as this would tantamount to surrendering their right to stand and be elected.
Tinkasiimire says he was born in Kibale and accuses some Banyoro leaders of denying Bakiga the right to contribute to public affairs of Kibale. The constitution gives any Ugandan a right to settle and stand in any area in Uganda.
Dr Foster Byarugaba, a professor of political science at Makerere University, says, “The article 26, which gives rights to all Ugandans to settle anywhere says you can only settle according to the law.
The article provides that you must live according to the laws, rules and social systems of the people you find in the area where you have shifted. But when you go and start changing names of places, wanting to dictate matters, you are way off the mark.â€
Banyoro have been accusing Bakiga of renaming areas like Rugashari and Mpefu where most Bakiga live.
What is the real problem?
The Banyoro accuse the Bakiga of being tribalistic and engaging in tribal voting.
Byarugaba says, “The problem is deeper and tribal voting is a consequence. How did Bakiga go to Kibale in large numbers? How come there was no problem between these people before elective politics?â€
He says the answers to these questions show that the problem is external to Bunyoro.
“It is not that the Banyoro hate Bakiga. But somebody or a group of people have been ferrying Bakiga into the area, they acquire land and settle. The Munyoro had no quarrel with that. But for Mukiga to come and say I want to rule you, the Munyoro has to say no way certainly,†he says, adding that many Banyoro think the Bakiga are overstepping their welcome.
The Bakiga, who are referred to as Bafuruki (immigrants), by the Banyoro say they are just being discriminated against. “My family has lived here for 33 years. You can’t call me omufuruki,†says Patrick Zikansagyiza, a prominent trader in Kagadi town whom the Banyoro accuse of being behind a Bakiga movement. Zikansagyiza accuses local leaders of instigating violence.
Mirima says Bakiga big shots in the Government and in foreign countries are behind the “ferrying of Bakiga to Kibaleâ€. “They buy them off in Kabale and organise for them to go to Kibale. There are buses which commute daily between Kabale and Kibale.â€
One of the buses was recently set on fire, but police rescued it before it got severely burnt.
Bugangaizi MP, Kasirivu Atwooki and Ignatius Besisira, the current MP for Buyaga, say the problem is historical and it is worsened when the Bakiga tribalise voting.
“Banyoro remember what it means to be under tribal domination and that is why they are fighting to avoid a repeat of the past. If not solved the problem in Kibale is a time bomb,†says Kasirivu. “Banyoro had a Mukiga MP between 1996 and 2001 and there was no problem until Bakiga started tribal politics.â€
The Government set up a commission of inquiry on the clashes after the 2001 elections. The commission headed by National political Commissar, Dr. Crispus Kiyonga recommended that some Bakiga be resettled from the area and government solve the land problem.
Another commission headed by Makerere University professor of linguistics, Ruth Mukama, has also been gathering views on the same matter.
High cost of the conflict
Bakiga and Banyoro lived as friendly neighbours for years and even intermarried, but they must now live as enemies.
“It is difficult for them to cooperate in business now. Even in taxis, you find a lot of discomfort as quarrels may erupt anytime,†says Henry, 34, a teacher in Kibale.
Some schools in conflict-ridden areas like Kicucura and Rusekere primary schools have closed.
Even the relationship between teachers and pupils is affected by the tribal conflict.
During the recent campaigns, assailants in Muhoro burnt a music system and vehicle for Julius Kamanyire and the Banyoro blamed the Bakiga. Attempted arson on Kagadi Academy owned by Zikansagyiza (a Mukiga) was blamed on Banyoro.
Police in Kagadi have arrested people who were training with bows and arrows in preparation to fight the Banyoro. There is fear that the two groups could be procuring guns. But Kaihura said on Wednesday th Police was investigate the allegations.
A war of survival
Banyoro say they are struggling to ensure they don’t disappear from the map of Kibale.
“If I get some one to look after my kids, I will go and slash a number of Bakiga and be killed. Bakiga will then know that we are serious about retaining our land and our heritage. It is something I can die for,†one infuriated youth said.
The Bakiga also want to be leaders in order to insure their existence in this district where they claim they are despised by the indigenous Banyoro. Many Bakiga may be willing to fight to the last man because they left Kabale too congested to go back.
“Kibale is our home,†said one Mukiga in Kyenzige trading centre.
Kasirivu says there is no direct solution to the tribal clashes.
He says the government should solve the long standing problem of land ownership in Kibale, stop the influx of settlers in Kibale, initiate discussions between the indigenous people and settlers and put in place a policy to regulate the movement of Bakiga into Kibale.
Ultimate Media
Ndyakihahe says 10 youths attacked their home with pangas on March 4th in what she believes is a tribal-related attack following clashes between Banyoro and Bakiga in Kibale district.
Kibale is gripped with tension due to the tribal conflict. Lives have been lost, many people injured and property worth millions destroyed. Though police and the army have been deployed in the area, incidences of violence continue to be reported.
The clashes between Banyoro and Bakiga in Kibale erupted again after the victory of Bakiga candidates Mable Bakaine (Bugangaizi) and Barnabas Tinkasiimire (Buyaga) in the recent parliamentary elections. Their victory has irritated many Banyoro, who feel they are being dominated by the Bakiga immigrants.
The Banyoro accuse the Bakiga of plotting to rule and dominate them through tribal voting. Some Banyoro have vowed that they cannot be represented by Bakiga and have orchestrated fighting mostly with pangas and spears, attracting retaliation from Bakiga.
However, the fighting is not from any organised group, but individuals on either side who feel an obligation to fight or defend their tribe.
Kibale District Police Commander Peterson Okuja says 24 people have been arrested in connection with the tribal violence and conflicts.
The Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kaihura visited the district last week and was there again on Wednesday March 8, urging the two tribes to desist from fighting each other.
NRM vice-chairman for western Uganda, Brig. Matayo Kyaligonza who comes from neighbouring Hoima district has urged the Banyoro and Bakiga in Kibale, one of three districts that make up Bunyoro Kingdom, to unite and end the tribal conflict.
Problem is historical
The Banyoro-Mubende Committee Officials, an 88-year-old Banyoro freedom movement, say violence in Kibale can only cease if the influx of the Bakiga is controlled and land problems solved.
They insist the main cause of tribal clashes in Kibale is the unsolved land problem in the lost counties and that the Banyoro believe that a Munyoro is better placed to advocate for their land issues.
Kibale is made of the two former lost counties of Buyaga and Bugangaizi that the British colonialists awarded Buganda Kingdom from rival Bunyoro Kingdom in 1900.
Although the Banyoro won back the counties in a referendum in 1964, most of the land is owned by absentee Baganda landlords and has been in contention for almost a century. In 1998, the Government put in place a land fund to buy land from Baganda landlords and give it to the Banyoro.
Although many Bakiga (who come from the overpopulated western district of Kabale) came under the two resettlement schemes (Rutete in 1960s and Kisita in 1993), many more have been coming to the area and settling in mainly forested areas. The Banyoro claim that the Bakiga are taking advantage of the historical land problem to move into the district in large numbers.
The Banyoro accuse some Bakiga of secretly buying land titles from absentee landlords. And that their ‘brothers’ in Government have been delaying the payment of absentee landlords and return of land to Banyoro so that most Bakiga will benefit from the constitutional 12 years for the land to be theirs at payment because they will have qualified as bonafide tenants.
Ford Mirima, the secretary of Mubende Banyoro Committee, says some Bakiga have been “arrogantly†talking of creating a “Kabaale of Bunyoroâ€. All they need is to be in power and replace the ‘I’ in Kibale with an ‘a’ to make it Kabale.
According to a memorandum by Banyoro from Kiryanga sub-county, Bakiga have left nothing to doubt as of their intentions. They cite the example of a speech by Tinkasiimire (MP elect) on the local KKC Radio, which was laced with serious tribal undertones. He allegedly called upon his supporters to hit the opposition with hoes.
With the coming of the regional tier where districts will form governments headed by a Katikiro and king as ceremonial leader, Bunyoro (which agreed to farm a regional tier) is now worried a Mukiga may be elected Katikiro.
Mirima, who is also the press secretary to the Bunyoro King, Solomon Iguru, says the kingdom recently joined traditional rivals Buganda to demand that the katikiro should not be elected, but appointed by the king.
Spark off
In 2001, the Banyoro rejected Fred Rulemera, a Mukiga who had been elected Kibale district chairman. It was only after President Yoweri Museveni convinced Rulemera to step down that tribal tensions eased.
Mirima says they want the two elected Bakiga representatives to resign in “the interest of peace†since the Banyoro cannot accept to be led by Bakiga who they accuse of being arrogant.
Both Bakaine and Tinkasiimire have vowed not to resign as this would tantamount to surrendering their right to stand and be elected.
Tinkasiimire says he was born in Kibale and accuses some Banyoro leaders of denying Bakiga the right to contribute to public affairs of Kibale. The constitution gives any Ugandan a right to settle and stand in any area in Uganda.
Dr Foster Byarugaba, a professor of political science at Makerere University, says, “The article 26, which gives rights to all Ugandans to settle anywhere says you can only settle according to the law.
The article provides that you must live according to the laws, rules and social systems of the people you find in the area where you have shifted. But when you go and start changing names of places, wanting to dictate matters, you are way off the mark.â€
Banyoro have been accusing Bakiga of renaming areas like Rugashari and Mpefu where most Bakiga live.
What is the real problem?
The Banyoro accuse the Bakiga of being tribalistic and engaging in tribal voting.
Byarugaba says, “The problem is deeper and tribal voting is a consequence. How did Bakiga go to Kibale in large numbers? How come there was no problem between these people before elective politics?â€
He says the answers to these questions show that the problem is external to Bunyoro.
“It is not that the Banyoro hate Bakiga. But somebody or a group of people have been ferrying Bakiga into the area, they acquire land and settle. The Munyoro had no quarrel with that. But for Mukiga to come and say I want to rule you, the Munyoro has to say no way certainly,†he says, adding that many Banyoro think the Bakiga are overstepping their welcome.
The Bakiga, who are referred to as Bafuruki (immigrants), by the Banyoro say they are just being discriminated against. “My family has lived here for 33 years. You can’t call me omufuruki,†says Patrick Zikansagyiza, a prominent trader in Kagadi town whom the Banyoro accuse of being behind a Bakiga movement. Zikansagyiza accuses local leaders of instigating violence.
Mirima says Bakiga big shots in the Government and in foreign countries are behind the “ferrying of Bakiga to Kibaleâ€. “They buy them off in Kabale and organise for them to go to Kibale. There are buses which commute daily between Kabale and Kibale.â€
One of the buses was recently set on fire, but police rescued it before it got severely burnt.
Bugangaizi MP, Kasirivu Atwooki and Ignatius Besisira, the current MP for Buyaga, say the problem is historical and it is worsened when the Bakiga tribalise voting.
“Banyoro remember what it means to be under tribal domination and that is why they are fighting to avoid a repeat of the past. If not solved the problem in Kibale is a time bomb,†says Kasirivu. “Banyoro had a Mukiga MP between 1996 and 2001 and there was no problem until Bakiga started tribal politics.â€
The Government set up a commission of inquiry on the clashes after the 2001 elections. The commission headed by National political Commissar, Dr. Crispus Kiyonga recommended that some Bakiga be resettled from the area and government solve the land problem.
Another commission headed by Makerere University professor of linguistics, Ruth Mukama, has also been gathering views on the same matter.
High cost of the conflict
Bakiga and Banyoro lived as friendly neighbours for years and even intermarried, but they must now live as enemies.
“It is difficult for them to cooperate in business now. Even in taxis, you find a lot of discomfort as quarrels may erupt anytime,†says Henry, 34, a teacher in Kibale.
Some schools in conflict-ridden areas like Kicucura and Rusekere primary schools have closed.
Even the relationship between teachers and pupils is affected by the tribal conflict.
During the recent campaigns, assailants in Muhoro burnt a music system and vehicle for Julius Kamanyire and the Banyoro blamed the Bakiga. Attempted arson on Kagadi Academy owned by Zikansagyiza (a Mukiga) was blamed on Banyoro.
Police in Kagadi have arrested people who were training with bows and arrows in preparation to fight the Banyoro. There is fear that the two groups could be procuring guns. But Kaihura said on Wednesday th Police was investigate the allegations.
A war of survival
Banyoro say they are struggling to ensure they don’t disappear from the map of Kibale.
“If I get some one to look after my kids, I will go and slash a number of Bakiga and be killed. Bakiga will then know that we are serious about retaining our land and our heritage. It is something I can die for,†one infuriated youth said.
The Bakiga also want to be leaders in order to insure their existence in this district where they claim they are despised by the indigenous Banyoro. Many Bakiga may be willing to fight to the last man because they left Kabale too congested to go back.
“Kibale is our home,†said one Mukiga in Kyenzige trading centre.
Kasirivu says there is no direct solution to the tribal clashes.
He says the government should solve the long standing problem of land ownership in Kibale, stop the influx of settlers in Kibale, initiate discussions between the indigenous people and settlers and put in place a policy to regulate the movement of Bakiga into Kibale.
Ultimate Media