Why Museveni statue should be erected at Mengo

By Kavuma-Kaggwa

Over the recent past, there has been big events in Buganda all of them touching on the Kabaka, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, the symbol of unity of the Baganda.

One thing clearly stands out that these events are a sign of peace and happiness in the hearts and on the faces of the Baganda.

The Kabaka spends almost the whole year going to different areas of the country urging his people to work hard and to develop themselves economically, educationally and socially.

Since the Restoration of the Buganda Kingdom on July 31, 1993, there has been remarkable progress in Buganda and the rest of Uganda. At Mengo, the Baganda have built “MASENGERE”, an ultra-modern building which will accommodate various services of the Kabaka’s Government as well as the Buganda Radio, CBS and most likely the Buganda Television which they plan to establish, if all goes well, in the near future. 

The Kabaka’s government built a huge Commercial Building called “MUGANZIRWAZA” at Katwe/Kibuye and many private companies are accommodated in this Building. The Baganda, under the leadership of the Katikiro, Charles Peter Mayiga, have rebuilt the Kasubi Tombs which were burnt by unknown people in March, 2010.

What excites the Baganda more is the time when the Kabaka appears in public, either at Mengo or when he goes to different places in the country. The moment it is announced that the Kabaka will go to a certain area, the people in that area build triumphal arches, they clear everything to make the place look good, there is dancing on the road and they bring all kinds of presents (Amakula) and offer them to the Kabaka.

Recently, he was in Buruli county, Nakasongola district and the people were extremely happy to see him and a big number of them had never seen him before. The people told the Katikiro that he should take the Kabaka again to their County. I understand there are plans to develop that county in a big way.

On May 30, 2015, the Kabaka was at Mukono, the Headquarters of Kyaggwe county, to mark Local Government Day. More than a million people turned up to welcome him.
The Kabaka authorised May 30 to be observed every year in Buganda to be observed as the Local Government Day.

The Kabaka has offered a shield to be competed for by all the counties, in promoting development projects intended to eradicate poverty in Buganda. The Kabaka’s government set up a committee, which goes round all the counties to check what kind of development projects have been set up in the villages. The county which wins receives the shield.

This year 2015, Kyaggwe County came out number one in Buganda and it was the first county to win the shield.  Sabasajja Kabaka, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, handed it to the Saza Chief Alex Benjamin Kigongo Kikonyogo, at Mukono Saza Headquarters. The Kabaka also gave Kyaggwe County sh7m because of being successful in promoting development projects to eradicate poverty in the county.

The event which will always be remembered for years to come was the commemoration of 60th Birthday of the Kabaka on April 13, 2015 at Mengo. Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II is the only Kabaka of Buganda who has lived for 60 years simply because we are now living in a Century of Democracy and Rule of Law.

I saw tens of thousands of people from all over the country at Mengo, who had come to celebrate with the Kabaka.  If you lost a relative or a colleague while there the answer was to wait for him at home.  Celebrations started with the marathon on April 12, 2015 and all the runners were wearing special red shirts.

The number of people I saw could only be compared to almost 2,000,000 people who covered the entire Mengo Hill on October 17, 1955, the day Sir Edward Mutesa returned from exile in London, 1953-1955.  I am proud to say that I am one of those remaining Ugandans who witnessed that return both on October 17 and October 18, 1955 when he signed the 1955 Buganda Agreement.  I was a student at Namilyango College.

On April 13, 2015, I stood somewhere near the big junction not very far from Wankaaki (the main Gate to the Palace) I watched thousands  and  thousands of people  who were  extremely happy and singing Kitiibwa kya Buganda (the Glory of Buganda), walking  along  Kabaka Anjagala towards Bulange.  Some of them could not move because of the big crowds.

One thing came to my mind.  I remembered one man, President Yoweri Museveni who restored the Buganda Kingdom on July 31, 1993 at Naggalabi, Buddo.  I remembered the years 1966 to 1986 when Baganda could  not  go anywhere near the Palace and could not go anywhere near Bulange.  To go there, Obote’s soldiers and Amin’s soldiers were taking you to face death.  During the time of Obote and Amin the Army had occupied the Palace and named it “Malire Barracks” and they occupied Bulange and named it the “Army Headquarters”.

This came about as a result of the Mengo Hill attack by Obote’s Army which was commanded by General Amin on the morning of May 24, 1966.  When Buganda was under such a situation, we could not hold such a celebration or install chiefs as we did recently at Goma Sub-county in Kyaggwe County, Mukono District. Fredrick Mulamba Musoke was installed as the Gombolola chief by the Saza Chief Sekiboobo Alex Kigongo Kikonyogo.

The process of installing new Gombolola Chiefs has been going on in Kyaggwe and other counties throughout the whole month of April.

The Mengo crisis came as a result of a bitter political disagreement between Kabaka Mutesa who was the non-Executive President of Uganda and Milton Oboto who was the Executive Prime Minister.  It was also reported that it also centered on the return to Bunyoro of the two Counties of Buyaga and Bugangaizi.  It was agreed at the Lancaster Conference in London which approved the 1962 Constitution, that after two years,  in 1964, a referendum would be held for the people in that area to decide whether to be part of Bunyoro or to remain in Buganda.

Two years before the referendum, Kabaka Mutesa took many Baganda to that area in preparation for the referendum.  Obote as the Executive Prime Minister issued a decree that only those people whose names appeared on the voting register of 1962 would be allowed to vote in the referendum.  That was a big blow to Mutesa’s plan and he had no executive powers to enforce his plan and he had no control over Parliament.    Obote sided with Bunyoro in the whole process leading to the Referendum.  After the Referendum Mutesa refused to sign the Legal Transfer Documents.  He said that - - “I cannot give away Buganda Land”.  Obote as Executive Prime Minister signed the papers and the two men never spoke to each other again.

Obote was reported to have received what some people described as “wrong information”, that Mutesa had amassed a big cache of weapons preparing to attack Obote’s Government. Whether that information was wrong or correct, it is anybody’s guess. Obote moved very fast to pre-empt “that attack” and he ordered Army Commander Idi Amin (at that time) to attack the Palace.

The entire “Special Force” of 2,000 men which was sent first in the early morning of May 24, 1966, was wiped out by Edward Mutesa single handedly and he fought continuously for seven hours.  Amin increased fire power and dropped a bomb over the Palace then Mutesa escaped during a heavy rain.

He fled into exile to the United Kingdom where secret agents poisoned him on November 19, 1969.  His remains were brought back by President Idi Amin in 1972 and Sekabaka Mutesa was laid to rest at the Kasubi Tombs near Kampala.

Obote abolished the Buganda Kingdom and other kingdoms in Uganda and declared Uganda a Republic as well as abolishing the 1962 Constitution which had granted Buganda a federal status.

Obote is blamed so much on the “Mengo Hill Crisis” but looking at the other side of the coin, you will find that some blame was put on Mengo. It was actually reported that there were people who had convinced Kabaka Muteesa that they would help him overthrow the Obote Government and that they would bring foreign troops from somewhere to help him.

Again, when the crisis was brewing up, a member of the Mengo Lukiiko from Kooki County, by the name Kaggwa, moved a motion in the Buganda Lukiiko ordering Obote to “remove the Obote Government from the Buganda Soil and take it to Lango”. When Obote got that information he moved very fast and arrested five of his Ministers who were reported to have been involved in the plot. Those ministers were released from Luzira Prison by President Idi Amin in January 1971 after the overthrow of Obote.

The happiness on the faces of the Baganda on the 60th Birthday of Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, made me think of what the people of Buganda should do to thank President Museveni permanently, for restoring the Buganda Kingdom.  Remember if it had not been for the  Baganda and President Museveni to work together and fight a five year bitter  war in the  “Luweero Triangle” to remove  the  tyrannical rule of Obote, we would  still be suffering and we could not hold  celebrations in Mengo  as we do now and  we would  still be under some kind of tyrannical rule.

I know he has been President of Uganda for 30 years and will continue until 2021 but there must be something more to that. I would like to suggest that the people of Buganda should build a statue for President Museveni on the eastern side overlooking the Kabaka’s Palace.  The most ideal place is that piece of land on the eastern side of the Palace when you are approaching Wankaaki from Katwe or the Queen’s Clock Tower. That piece of land had three houses which were accommodating Kabaka’s ministers but they were destroyed by Obote’s Army on May 24, 1966.


There are other prominent Baganda and non-Baganda whose statues should be erected there by Buganda.  People like Sekabaka Mutesa I who invited the White Missionaries in 1875 to come and educate Ugandans.   There is also Archbishop Joseph Kiwanuka who was ordained the first Bishop in Africa in 1939. Apollo Kivebulaaya who spread Christianity in Mboga Zaire, Rwanda and Burundi and missionary Semei Nyanzi  who spread Christianity in Northern Uganda. J.W. Kiwanuka, who built Wankulukuku Stadium in 1958, and was Chairman of Uganda National Congress. Semei Lwakirenzi Kakungulu who spread the Kiganda type of administration in Bugishu and other areas of Eastern Uganda

The other people are; I.K. Musaazi and Abu Mayanja (Buganda) Stefano Abwangoto (Bugisu), Ben Okwerede (Teso), Yekosofati Engur (Lango) and S.B. Katembo (Toro). These were the founders of Uganda National Congress, the party which fought for Uganda’s independence and spread the gospel of Nationalism and National unity.

The others are; Joseph Kasolo, Joseph Kasule, S.B. Kibuuka, P. Nsubuga, A.B. Serubiri, L.M. Tyaba, M. Kiddu and Alfonse Ntale, the founders of the Democratic Party and Benedicto Kiwanuka, Uganda’s first Prime Minister in 1961.

There are also Daudi Ocheng, who bridged the gap between Buganda and the North, Brig. Shaban Opolot who was a good friend of Buganda, Dr. B.N. Kununka, a Munyoro who represented Buganda in the Uganda Legislative Council in 1955/61 before Independence, George Kakoma, who composed the Uganda National Anthem and Polly Kakooza who composed Buganda’s Anthem, “Ekitiibwa kya Buganda”

The 1900 Buganda Heroes, Sir Apollo Kaggwa, Stanislus Mugwanya, Zakaliya Kitaka Kisingiri who made The 1900 Uganda Agreement with the British and the Mill Hill Missionary, Bishop Henry Hanlon who was their Chief Advisor and a Signatory on that agreement.

With the strong leadership of Katikiro Charles Peter Mayiga, I am absolutely sure that the Baganda can organise “Harambe” which we call “Ettofaali” (fundraising), to build an unbreakable statue of President Museveni to thank him (okumweebaza) for restoring the Buganda Kingdom and bringing Peace and Tranquility and Economic Development in Buganda and the whole of Uganda.

Finally, the young generation in Buganda should be educated on what happened in Buganda when Milton Obote abolished the Buganda Kingdom and other Kingdoms in Uganda.  The abolition of the Kingdom completely crashed the political power and economic power of the Baganda.  Thousands of Baganda fled into exile in Kenya, the United Kingdom, USA, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Lesotho, Sweden and German.

Holding any celebration related to the Kingdom would be a dream.  Baganda could not convene clan (Ebika) meetings openly.  Communication was in a mess and there was one radio station in the whole of Uganda.  The only source of World News was the British Radio BBC.  Funny enough the social conversations in bars and other recreational places, was mainly about sex, beautiful girls and all kinds of obscene language.  It was suicidal to engage in any meaningful political conversation.

The extremely exorbitant, fabulous and very expensive Introduction or Kwanjula ceremonies which are common now in Buganda, where not there at that time because the people were poor.

When President Museveni restored the Buganda Kingdom on July 31, 1993, He actually opened the way for the Baganda to rebuild their economic power and political power.  Our brothers the Banyoro are now sure that they are going to develop Bunyoro Kitara with the enormous revenue from their oil.

In Buganda people have  built  schools, universities, hospitals, hotels/lodges, factories and  industries, towns , trading centres, big commercial   buildings, supermarkets, churches and other  places of  worship, social  centres.   The Baganda have developed music which entertains people in the Church and  all  kinds  of  social  gatherings.  People have built places of recreation all along Lake Victoria.

People are rich and a big percentage of people own cars and other kinds of vehicles.  Traffic jam is the order of the day on all roads leading to Kampala.  People feed well and the population has increased to 46 million people.  People are engaged in the service industry everywhere in Uganda which has done a lot to reduce unemployment.

People have built and continue to build good and permanent living houses everywhere in Uganda

Kampala is now the undisputed engine of Uganda’s trade and economic development for our people as well as people from the neighboring Countries.  That is the meaning of the Thirty Years of Political Stability which President Museveni has brought.

The writer is an elder from Kyaggwe in Mukono District