{UAH} Who will come to the ball with Buganda at the political dance?

Who will come to the ball with Buganda at the political dance?

I had been verbally invited to attend the royal wedding of the young brother of the Kabaka, but the invitation card never reached. As the kingdom prepared to celebrate the 20th coronation anniversary of Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi last weekend, I was invited again by telephone to be a guest.

Some small royal bureaucracy, perhaps in league or on the advice of those who felt that my presence was unwelcome, vetoed the invitation. The invitation might have been sabotaged because I am a well-known critic of bad governance in this country.

Be that as it may, I had an excellent opportunity to watch the spectacular occasion on television. The night before, the media had broadcast the good news that the central government and the government of Buganda had struck a deal by co-signing a Memorandum of Understanding on "Ebyaffe". The total sum of which was less than what the kingdom believes it lost when Kabaka Muteesa II was brutally overthrown by the Obote 11 regime.

Political advisers to President Museveni were overjoyed. They thought, quite wrongly in my opinion, that with the receipt and promised return of most of Ebyaffe, everything was now forgotten and forgiven and Museveni would be the most welcome visitor at the function.

Sadly, this is not what happened. The announcement that the President, restorer of monarchies and cultural institutions in Uganda, had safely arrived at the Mengo venue, was mutely received by very few of the thousands of Baganda.

Despite the brave and persistent efforts by the Master of Ceremonies to interest the massive crowd to warmly welcome President Museveni, the overwhelming numbers of the audience showed not only indifference but, here and there, hostility. No matter how else, it may be described by others, honest Ugandans saw nothing more than rejection of and humiliation of the man who decades ago was the hero and liberator of millions of Ugandans.

The President's participation in the events of Kabaka Mutebi's 20th anniversary, and the people's reactions to it, reminded Ugandans that he had ultimately reversed himself about everything he said and did before 1986, and had now become the very epitome of everything Ugandans hate and despise and the symbol of disunity, misrule, embezzlement of public funds and is presiding over corruption, abuse of office and mismanagement of public affairs on unprecedented scale.

I once observed that no Ugandan leader, however formidable his political and military power may be, can rule Uganda peacefully without recognising and accommodating Buganda. In the same vein, I cautioned that Buganda must realise that it is part and parcel of Uganda and she too has to accept that the kingdom cannot endure or prosper without the rest of Uganda.

It is here that I attempt to answer the impossible question of who will come to the ball. Mengo demands its ultimate goal "federo". Presently, that is a near impossibility to sell to and get the consent of the majority of Ugandans for a separate federated Buganda while the rest of the Uganda remains unitary. There is no grain of federation in the Memorandum of Understanding.

President Museveni has rightly set his eyes on the East African Community federation. Buganda may have to wait when it is its turn, if ever, Museveni will have long departed from political power. He who will thereafter wish to satisfy all Buganda's demands will have to persuade and convince the rest of Ugandans to agree. Perhaps, it will be Beti Kamya. Only Kamya among current political leaders has such a vision in her yet-to-be fulfilled dreams.

The majority of Ugandans, both within and outside Buganda will continue to be ignorant, afraid of and at most, hostile to the idea of partial "federo". Meanwhile, Buganda as presently led, will remain restless for "federo". The question as to who will come to the ball will linger on and remain unresolved for a longtime.

Prof Kanyeihamba is a retired Supreme Court Judge. gwkany@yahoo.com

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H.OGWAPITI
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"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that  we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic  and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
---Theodore Roosevelt