Baganda welcome Kabaka's call on political positions

PIC: The Kabaka, Ronald Mutebi interacts with Baganda in the diaspora at dinner in Lubiri Palace, December 28,2017.PHOTOS BY Eddie Ssejjoba

The Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi's call on Baganda to lead a major push at all levels of political and leadership positions in the country has caused a mixed bag of optimism and excitement among his subjects.

The Kabaka made the call during the annual Buganda Diaspora Day at a lavish dinner in his palace at Mengo, Kampala.

According to Mutebi, contesting for all elective positions will help monarchists with the right agenda take part in key decision-making processes that affect the growth of Uganda's largest kingdom.

"We have been left behind because we let others make decisions for us yet they affect us negatively therefore, the time has come for us to have our voice heard and stand out to fight for what is right. The time has come for our people to actively engage in various political and leadership positions at all levels," the Kabaka remarked in no uncertain terms amid ululations.

In a rather intrepid tone, Mutebi argued that the nation is currently faced with very hard economic and political challenges whose solution needs strong-minded leaders advancing on a united front.

KCCA executive director Janipher Musisi dances with the Katikiro Peter Mayiga at dinner for the Baganda in the diaspora. Middle is Abbey Walusimbi who lives in the United States of America, December 28,2017.

He also noted that short of unity, Buganda risks depriving its self of the treasures of prestige and brotherhood.

The Kabaka's bold stance on the route his people should take on political affairs and the nation's governance comes twice in a space of one month.
In November, while marking the Buganda Youth Day at Ssaza grounds in Kyaggwe County in Mukono Municipality, the Kabaka urged the youth to take up leadership positions on the political arena and rallied parliamentarians from Buganda to rejuvena

te the constitutional struggle for a federal system of governance in Uganda.
A week later, Buganda's Lukiiko (legislature) went ahead and passed a resolution supporting the Kabaka's call to renew the agitation for federalism.
This comes at a time when the country is sharply divided between proponents of the recent constitutional amendments to lift the 75 years presidential age limit and extending the MPs tenure from 5 to 7 years but the people opposed to the move argue it has opened flood gates to life presidency.

The Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga coined his message around the importance of people working in the diaspora holding dear their home countries and applauded the new found relations between the youth in the diaspora and youth leaders in the kingdom.

But for those that attended the dinner, the Kabaka's message rhymes well with the challenges at hand because without good governance, development efforts are in vain.

Abbey Walusimbi, the NRM chairperson of the diaspora, welcomed the Kabaka's remarks, saying that it is important for Baganda to work together to push their interests but also create alliances with other stakeholders so that both Buganda and Uganda benefit in this development agenda.

"We shall work together with the kingdom and push Buganda's interests in the context of a larger Ugandan society. It is good for Baganda to have representatives at the decision making bodies, especially within the political arena such as Parliament, and in that regard we support the Kabaka fully because this is where key decisions are made that affect Uganda and Buganda alike," he said.

For the Buganda caucus Chairperson Johnson Muyanja Ssenyonga (Mukono South), it is strategic for the kingdom to have responsible leaders to represent its views because it gives chances of moving forward. Even in cake sharing, the area will benefit first because it has responsible leaders to sit at the round table."

Solome Nanvule from Toronto in Canada said that Buganda having leaders that understand what affects it helps them address people's woes like the land question.

At Uganda's independence, only Buganda, Ankole and Bunyoro had a federal system of governance but after the 1966 crisis that abrogated the 1962 constitution, partial federalism and kingdoms were all abolished.

Although the Justice Benjamin Odoki report on the 1995 constitution said majority of Ugandans favored a federal system of governance, Buganda's agitation for it since its reestablishment in 1993 has been in vain.

To highlight the magnitude of the matter, many of the speeches made during the dinner were littered with the desire for federalism in Buganda.

Whether the call for Baganda to seek power will translate into federalism as a desired system of governance is what remains to be seen