{UAH} In Uganda land is still the source of power and wealth

As preparations to discuss Buganda occupation at the Ttabamiruka conference in New Jersey, USA starting on August 30, 2013 enter the final stage, the debate needs to be crafted within the framework of the Great Lakes region where power relations between Tutsi versus the rest and acquisition of land by Tutsi at the expense of other groups have dominated the region's political economy. We must also keep in mind that you don't realize the real value of something when you have it in plenty. It is when a commodity becomes scarce that its real usefulness becomes evident. Tutsi pastoralists who are nomadic and require large swathes of land understand the value of land better than subsistence farmers.  

As nomadic pastoralists the ancestors of Tutsi who were Nilotic and Luo-speaking people and have remained Nilotic because Tutsi men don't marry outside of their ethnic group are believed to have been pushed out of South Sudan in part because of scarcity of pastures. Therefore they moved southward towards the Great Lakes region in search of pasture and water for their long horn cattle. In Bunyoro, Toro, Buganda and Karagwe of Tanzania they mixed with Bantu people and settled to other forms of economic activities thereby reducing the demand for large swathes of land to permit nomadic forms of existence.

In southwest Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and eastern DRC Tutsi abandoned the idea of mixing with Bantu to produce new communities. Instead, using their fighting experience, Tutsi chose to dominate Bantu people, impoverish and marginalize them into slaves or servants serving Tutsi interests. In areas where Tutsi settled, they took land ownership from Bantu people. But since cultivation is below the dignity of Tutsi people, the production of food for Tutsi became the responsibility of Hutu and Bairu people (the names Hutu and Bairu were coined by Tutsi and they mean slaves or servants of Tutsi to this day).

What has made land even more important especially in Rwanda, Burundi and eastern DRC is that in these areas the population and cattle densities are the highest in Africa and the shortage of land is severe contributing to conflicts. And nomadic pastoralists need more land to graze. And since Tutsi have remained cattle owners and nomadic and wealth depends on the head of cattle they need more land to increase their herds. And since there is no longer free land to move to Tutsi have to increase their land ownership at the expense of others.

When Tutsi arrived in Uganda with their cattle following the 1959 Social Revolution which they engineered by killing a Hutu sub-chief in Rwanda, they refused to stay in refugee camps but instead spread to many parts of Uganda and occupied other people's land including in Masaka and the Luwero Triangle.

Before becoming president of Uganda Museveni had expressed the desire to get land for his nomadic people and reduce population density in Burundi, Rwanda and eastern DRC. He used two approaches namely that Uganda still has plenty of unused arable land and water and talked a lot about relaxing immigration restrictions to be able to fully utilize Uganda natural resources by immigrants. The second approach was that his nomadic Tutsi people in Ankole had lost their land without compensation during colonial and post-colonial days which does not make sense because the Tutsi and their Hima cousins controlled administration of the kingdom and there is no way Bairu could have taken land from Tutsi. Mbaguta who was Engazi for some forty years since the start of colonial rule was a Tutsi. Kangaho, Rwetsiba, Ibingira and Museveni that have played prominent roles since Africans entered LEGCO and since independence are Tutsi. Museveni therefore devised that complaint to create conditions to allocate Uganda land to Tutsi people especially in Ankole where they have occupied former ranches and parts of Mburu national park.

Since Masaka was already occupied by Tutsi who had come in as refugees, Museveni focused on the Luwero Triangle which is by far the most fertile and well watered area in Uganda which the British had assigned to Protestants that later became UPC supporters.

Museveni chose Luwero Triangle to wage his guerrilla war for many reasons including removing Baganda and allocating the land to his Tutsi people at the end of the war. Relocating one million Baganda away from the Triangle and destroying properties even in areas controlled by NRA was designed to create space for Tutsi people. As we know half of Baganda lost their lives during the guerrilla war and a sizeable number of Baganda didn't return to Luwero after the war which means that their land has been taken over by non-Baganda and largely Tutsi. Because much land was not registered and those who had land titles were killed particularly Protestant and UPC supporters, there was no way of determining who owned what land before the guerrilla war. Consequently, resistance committees possibly dominated by Tutsi allocated land. And people who were herders and wage earners and these included many Tutsi were allocated land that they didn't own before.

Museveni also introduced into Uganda the concept of willing seller and willing buyer of land, meaning that if a Muganda wants to sell land and a Tutsi is willing to buy they should go ahead and conclude the sale. This has enabled rich Tutsi who also have access to credit facilities to amass land at the expense of Baganda who complained to the president in 1989 but nothing was done about land grabbing.

Land grabbing has also taken place in other parts of Uganda. One of the reasons for forming Banyakigezi is to help members and their relatives most of them Tutsi but present themselves as Bakiga to purchase land. The suggestion at a Banyakigezi conference to focus on land productivity rather than expand land ownership which would occur by displacing someone else was rejected.

NRM also inserted into the 1995 constitution an arrangement that allows anybody to move, settle and own land anywhere in Uganda. That is why Tutsi people have settled in all parts of Uganda where Museveni picks them from and gives them prominent and strategic jobs. It is difficult to detect them unless an effort is made because in their new places they adopt local names and local languages but don't intermarry so they remain Tutsi.

Since Museveni came to power, Tutsi living in eastern DRC, Rwanda and Burundi have been encouraged to come and settle in Uganda where they are displacing indigenous land owners. While in Eastern DRC on a mission some people who knew I came from Uganda approached me about the possibility of getting land in Uganda because they hear there is free land there.  Tutsi are therefore trekking to Uganda from as far as south of South Kivu.

When Museveni who had refused to reach an agreement with Buganda on the return of Buganda properties including land realized that Baganda were going to discuss Buganda occupation at the Ttabamiruka conference and land would be a prominent issue, he rushed and concluded a deal in secrecy in a three hour marathon meeting with an inexperienced Katikkiro and the younger brother of Kabaka (raising concerns of conflict of interest) plus one other person which was abruptly signed as an Agreement (not MOU as originally reported) by Museveni and Mutebi. It should be stressed for the record and easy reference in the future that Museveni attended the meeting without any other representative from the central government which raises serious concerns as to the motive.

This rushed Agreement doesn't tell us what is to be returned to Buganda and when that would happen. Buganda is to provide proof of ownership of those properties which is going to be an uphill task in view of scarcity of records most of them probably destroyed already. The Agreement further says that those already settled in Buganda implying those that have grabbed Buganda will not be evicted and will practice their culture freely, meaning including having their own rulers thus creating nations within Buganda nation. Worst of all, Mengo administration possibly including Lukiiko will not complain about the Agreement.     

Under normal circumstances, the agreement should be ratified, amended or even rejected by Lukiiko and Parliament but Museveni has ruled that out, reasoning that what has been signed by the President and the Kabaka can't be changed. This needs to be challenged by Lukiiko and Parliament failing which the people of Buganda and the rest of Uganda who are sovereign and have the final say should challenge the Agreement. If Baganda let this Agreement stand, they will have legitimized Buganda occupation. The deeper and hidden meaning of the Agreement which probably was signed at gun point or its equivalent is to legitimize occupation of Buganda. Make no mistake about that. My role as a researcher is to point out these things for Baganda's consideration.

Museveni emphasized in an interview in early 1990s that if one is stupid he/she should be colonized and/or taken a slave. Museveni believes that he fought a war against Ugandans and defeated them. Therefore he has a right to do what he wants with the territory and the people he defeated. Thus the occupation of Buganda is a logical outcome of that conquest. The people of Buganda and the rest of Uganda must liberate themselves of this occupation. Ipso facto, the Agreement between Museveni and Mutebi which has legitimized this occupation must be rejected not only by Baganda but by Ugandans as well because it has national implications.   

Let it be known to all at home and abroad that what we are discussing here are matters of national security and livelihood and have nothing to do with sectarianism against Tutsi people.

Eric Kashambuzi

August 27, 2013