Katikiro Mayiga leadership style proves critics wrong

By Patrick Nakabale

trueRecently the Katikiro of Buganda, Charles Peter Mayiga, paid a historical visit to Parliament. The purpose of this visit was to pay homage to the institution of Parliament and also to mobilise support and resources for the reconstruction of the Kasubi Tombs.

Seeing non-Baganda Members of Parliament generously offer towards the reconstruction of the Kasubi Tombs demonstrates the goodwill that other tribes and nationalities have for Buganda.

The visit of the Katikiro to Parliament signals fundamental things; that there is goodwill from the Government towards the full functioning of cultural and traditional institutions; that the cultural leaders and their representatives are free to move to whichever part of the country. For instance, Mayiga has traversed to most of the Kingdom territories interacting with his people and mobilising resources from the subjects to support the Kingdom.

Kayunga was once a bloody issue in 2009 which culminated into loss of life and property when the Kabaka and then Katikiro JB Walusimbi were barred from visiting Kayunga, part of the Kingdom’s territory. But seeing Katikiro Mayiga freely visit Kayunga today is true testimony of the healthy relations between the central government and the Buganda Kingdom.

A harmonious society is built around respecting the interests and demands of various social groups. People should be left to work according to their abilities and get their due. From start to last, human society has always developed and advanced amidst numerous and complex contradictions. In terms of cultural rights and interests of all citizens, Uganda need to satisfy the multi-layered and multi-faced cultural demands of all society with respect to each other and to realise people’s all round development.

I also commend the Katikiro, for not heeding the views and opinions of some elements who would want to continuously saw seeds of discord between the Kingdom and its people on the one hand, and the central government and the rest of the country on the other. It also bolsters the recent Memorandum of Understanding that the central government signed with Buganda Kingdom.

The Katikkiro is a leader who is upbeat and passionate about the development of Buganda Kingdom. At least for most of the time he has engaged the Government, he has been gentle, civil and all-accommodating. He hasn’t been the aggressive politician he was before being appointed Katikkiro. In fact some pundits had started to think that his appointment as Katikkiro, the Kabaka was looking for someone who would fiercely engage central government. They have since been proved wrong as Mayiga has shown that he is not for war but peace and the speedy development of the Kingdom.

By mobilising the private sector into the affairs of the Kingdom, Mayiga is also proving that the development of the Kingdom can only happen by working closely with the private sector. For instance, there is a proposal by the private sector and the Government through the CAA with a blessing from the Kingdom to build a modern mini-airport around the Bulange besides the private sector to invest heavily in promoting tourism in Buganda.

The other feature of the Katikkiro’s official engagements is calling on the Buganda youth to work hard to create their own jobs.
Looking at the key components of his vision, I see that it draws richly from the National Vision 2040. On this, I would want to thank the Katikkiro for accepting our proposal of Buganda Vision 2040. Collectively, we are ready to work for the development of Buganda and Uganda at large.

The writer is the Central Region Youth MP and General Secretary NRM Parliamentary Caucus