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    INSIDE STORY: How Buganda Premier Mayiga’s Whatsapp Message Raised Dust In Meeting To Resolve Kooki And Buganda Kingdom Misunderstanding: Kamuswaga Threatens To Break Away From Kabaka Mutebi’s Kingdom…

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    1 year ago

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    Kamuswaga of Kooki (L) and Kabaka Mutebi (R) of Buganda

    On Wednesday last week, a meeting was hold at Buganda Kingdom headquarters in Bulange Mengo a Kampala suburb to strategies on how Buganda Kingdom can amicably resolve the ongoing misunderstanding with Kooki Cultural Institution.

    The meeting was chaired by Patrick Luwaga Mugumbule, the speaker of Buganda Kingdom parliament (Lukiiko).

    Others in the meeting include; Owekitiibwa Christopher Bwanika, the Buganda Attorney General, Owekitiibwa Henry Moses Ssekabembe Kiberu, Buganda’s sports minister, Buddu County Chief, Jude Muleke, Maj. Musazi, the head of Security in Buganda Kingdom and Annette Nakanjako, who recorded the minutes of the meeting.

    The Kooki delegation was led by Godfrey Kimbugwe, the Deputy prime minister and Owekitiibwa Stanley Ndawula, the information minister.

    Before the meeting started, Kimbugwe’s delegation insisted that the Kooki’s Anthem should be sung which the chairperson Mugumbule accepted.

    Both Buganda and Kooki Anthems were sung.

    The meeting was summoned after officials from Mengo led by Bwanika failed to agree with Kimbugwe during their meeting at the office of the Rakai District Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Sarah Kiyimba.

    Mengo sources revealed that Bwanika’s team traveled to Rakai on the instructions of Buganda Premier Charles Peter Mayiga to meet the RDC who is a daughter to her friend Hajjat Brovard, the Masaka City businesswoman and other security Chiefs.

    Sources disclosed that Mayiga wanted the District Security Chiefs to provide security during the flopped football match between Kooki and Butambala County which was supposed to be played in Kooki.

    Sources further revealed that when Bwanika explained to Kiyimba why his delegation was in her office, the youthful RDC told him that her office has already received a complaint from the leadership of Obwakamuswaga bwa Kooki led by Apollo Ssansa Kabumbuli II concerning the said football match.

    She explained to them that Kooki is an independent cultural institution recognised by the Constitution and they recently complained to her office that the Mengo administration did not follow the required protocol for a cultural institution to visit another cultural institution.

    Sources added that Bwanika’s explanation confused Kiyimba and she decided to make a phone call to Kimbugwe, who was around Rakai town. She asked him to come to her office for a meeting with officials from Mengo.

    Sources added that when he reached the meeting, Kimbugwe told Mengo officials that unless they address the four issues raised by the Kamuswaga, when he wrote to them, the football match was not going to take place.

    In an exclusive interview with the Grapevine, Kooki information minister Ndawula revealed that in 2014, Kamuswaga, as the head of the Kooki cultural institution, wrote to Mengo administration banning all official representation to Mengo until the four concerns were resolved.

    The Kamuswaga’s four concerns are; Returning the 13 land titles which President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni returned to Mengo in 2013 as part of ‘EBYAFFE’ to the Attorney General for him to be given back to Kooki.

    Ndawula claims that the said Land titles are for land in Kooki and Mengo cannot claim ownership because they are also a recognised cultural Institution.

    He added that Kamuswaga also wants the Mengo administration to return his official chair which was removed from Buganda parliament (Lukiiko) as it was agreed when the 1896 agreement was signed between the two cultural institutions.

    It is alleged that when he was appointed Katikkiro, Mayiga removed Kamuswaga’s official chair from the Buganda Lukiiko arguing that they cannot have two cultural leaders in the kingdom parliament.

    Kamuswaga also wants the Mengo administration to suspend the administration structures which they established in Kooki cultural institution, claiming that they cannot accept foreign administration in their cultural institution because they are independent.

    Kamuswaga requested Mengo to review the 1896 agreement claiming that much of the articles in it are outdated and need to be amended to fit in the current situation which Mengo administration under the leadership of Mayiga failed to respond to.

    Ndawula accuses Mayiga of personally insulting Kamuswaga to the extent of appointing him as a County Chief in his own Cultural Institution an act they protested.

    He added that one time, Kamuswaga was invited as a friendly cultural leader at the annual CBS fm radio celebrations (Enkukka) but he was not recognised as a cultural leader. He was belittled and given a plastic chair to sit behind with commoners.

    “The late Kaaya Kavuma, the former Managing Director CBS radio,  recognised Kamuswaga seated behind with commoners when he was moving around talking to different people. He politely asked him who told him to sit behind with commoners yet he is a royal. But he also did not give him another chair, he just moved on. He realised that the move to allocate him a seat behind was planned to humiliate him and show that he is nothing in Buganda. He had to storm out of the event,” Ndawula narrated.

    He asserted that that was not the first time Buganda was humiliating other leaders.

    He divulged that before the coming of Mayiga, Buganda had a misunderstanding with Kooki, during the reign of JB Walusimbi as Katikkiro.

    Walusimbi rushed to Kooki after receiving their protest letter challenging Kabaka’s planned visit to Kooki without consultation form the Kamuswaga, the legally known cultural leader in Kooki.

    Walusimbi drove his car to Kooki and personally held talks with Kamuswanga who later okayed Kabaka Mutebi’s visit.

    INSIDE MENGO FLOPPED MEETING

    Back to Mengo meeting which was held in Bulange, the chairperson of the meeting Mubumbule told members that the emergency issue which they should first handle was how to allow Kooki to participate in the ongoing Buganda County football tournament then other four issues listed by Kamuswaga will be follow up.

    However, the Kamuswaga’s team also insisted that Mengo had to first suspend Getrude Nakalanzi Ssebugwawo, the Kooki County Chief.

    Sources revealed that in his Submissions, Kimbugwe accused Nakalanzi of insulting Kamuswaga at a number of public functions in Kooki which has made many people in Kooki bitter with her. He insisted that the only way they can calm these people down, so that they participate in the County football tournament is by suspending Nakalanzi.

    Sources said that members took over two and a half hours discussing the issue of Nakalanzi until the Mengo team disclosed that they don’t have powers to suspend Nakalanzi because they are not the ones who appointed her.

    MAYIGA’S WHATSAPP MESSAGE RISES DUST

    As the meeting was going on, one of the Kooki representatives peeped into a WhatsApp conversation between one of the Mengo official’s and Mayiga.

    A source who was in the meeting disclosed that the Mengo official in the meeting was updating Mayiga, who was following the proceeding from his Bulange office.

    When he (Mayiga) was asked for his opinion on Nakalanzi’s issue, Mayiga allegedly advised his team to reject Kooki’s proposal because it will give a bad impression to the public that they (Mengo) were defeated by Kooki.

    A source added that after reading the WhatsApp message, this Kooki official told his nearby neighbour (Ndawula) that they were wasting their time because Mengo people were not going to accept suspending Nakalanzi, and it was an order from Mayiga.

    Sources re-counted that Ndawula lost his temper and grabbed the microphone without the permission of the chairperson, shouted on top of his voice and blasting Mengo officials for wasting their time by calling them in a senseless meeting yet they knew all along that they were not going to accept their proposals.

    The source quoted Ndawula telling the meeting that Kooki was done with Mengo’s pretense, before they stormed out of the of the meeting.

    “I am a journalist, you know me. I speak the truth; I don’t believe in hypocrisy and these things of diplomacy. I told my team to move out and we moved out of the meeting,” Ndawula confirmed.

    Sources said that Mengo officials blamed Ndawula and accused him of indiscipline.

    They were further told that Mayiga was not going to take a photo with them like it was planned earlier before the meeting.

    Sources said that Ndawula responded by telling Mengo officials that they didn’t come to Bulange to have photo moments with Mayiga; they came to resolve the ongoing misunderstanding which can result into bloodshed.

    Ndawula at first refused to be part of the final photo taken for the officials who attended the meeting but Kimbugwe pleaded with him and he accepted.

    Ndawula warned Mengo officials especially those on CBS radio particularly the presenters of Kalisoliso morning show to stop issuing threatening statements on air against Kooki leadership.

    He reminded them that what happened in 2009 can happen again if they continue undermining Kooki.

    In 2009, there were riots in most Buganda counties after government stopped Kabaka Mutebi from visiting Bugerere County without first asking for a consent from Ssabanyala, the cultural leader of Bunyala (Bugerere).

    Other sources in security revealed that intelligence agencies have already picked interest in the matter and are following statements which are being made by some CBS radio presenters who have quickly forgotten what happened in 2009.

    A security source confirmed that in 2009, security was caught off guard and a number of people were killed and injured.

    KOOKI THREATENS TO BREAKWAY

    Ndawula revealed that if Mayiga doesn’t want their misunderstanding resolved amicably, they will take a painful decision of breaking away from Buganda.

    “We have a very good working relationship with our brothers in Toro Kingdom and it is nearly possible to join their counties football tournament. We even share a lot with our brothers in Busoga. So Mayiga should know that we can jump out of his disrespectful marriage,” he said.

    MENGO SPEAKS OUT

    Bwanika, a seasoned Constitutional law giant noted that Mengo as an institution is still fighting to make sure that the ongoing misunderstanding can be resolved amicably.

    He added that the negotiations are still ongoing because Buganda and Kooki are one family and they don’t want to fight.

    He declined to comment on both the Rakai and Bulange meetings that flop.

     

    By Sengooba Alirabaki

    Views: 1,369

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    CRIME

    Lawyers Alaka, Mukasa Mbidde, Ochieng Listed Among Top Lawyers Likely To Face Arrest Over Balondemu’s Forged Medical Letter…

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    1 day ago

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    December 2, 2023

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    Embattled Kampala District Land Board chairperson David Balondemu (L) and lawyers Alaka (Top R) and Mbidde (bottom R)

    The mighty Grapevine has exclusively learnt that very soon, some top city lawyers are likely to face arrest over Kampala District Land Board chairperson David Balondemu’s alleged forged medical letters.

    Highly placed sources at police’s Directorate of Criminal Investigation(CID) have revealed that last week, Jackson Tweheyo on behalf of Maj. Dr. Tom Magambo the CID Director summoned lawyers Caleb Alaka, Evans Ochieng, Hassan Kamba, Fred Mukasa Mbidde, Robert Bautu to appear before the State House Anti-Corruption Unity to record statements on allegation of forging a medical letter.

    The lawyers were supposed to appear before the Department of Economic Fraud and Anti-Corruption on 28th of November 2023 but they all snubbed the summons.

    However, when contacted, lawyer Alaka rubbished the allegation of face arrest explaining that he personally hasn’t yet been summoned but his friend Bautu told him that he was summoned to appear before State House Anti-Corruption Unit.

    Counsel Alaka, a Criminal law giant explained that the State House Anti-Corruption Unit under the command of Brig. Gen. Henry Isoke doesn’t have powers to summon a lawyer on grounds of offences committed by his client.

    “They are not serious, Advocates are Officers of Court. We are just helping court to deliver justice. For us we just represent clients. They are the ones who give us documents including local council letters. So, we are not the ones authorising those documents,” Alaka noted.

    theGrapevine has learnt that lawyer Bautu wrote to State House Anti-Corruption Department explaining why they will not appear to record the said statements.

    He noted that they have the privilege to present the documents given to them by their client to a judicial officer and thus are not answerable for those documents.

    Buganda Road State Attorney Ivan Kyazze brought to the attention of the presiding magistrate in Balondemu’s bail application Winnie Nankya that the accused person with the help of his lawyers forged medical letters from Kampala Hospital.

    He presented the affidavit of Dr. Peter Kibuka the Kampala Hospital Chief Executive Officer denying the said letter noting that it was not authored from his hospital.

    The letter presented by lawyers indicated that Balondemu, who is battling multibillion fraud cases was supposed to have a surgical operations in the very week the application came before the magistrate.

    Highly placed sources at State House Anti-Corruption Unit told theGrapevine that the detectives were set to arrest the said lawyers last week but all of them run into hiding.

    The said lawyers were added on the list of over 50 city lawyers who are under investigation on allegations of abetting fraud and corruption.

    Among the lawyers who is set to be arrested before Christmas is one working with Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) who issued a bribe of Shs70m to a top politician at City Hall to be given a juicy job.

    State alleges that Balondemu, Erick Geoffrey Mkwe, Joseph Ibona  together with others still at large fraudulently obtain Shs2.2bn from the American company KG Unlimited under the guise of awarding them a contract of supplying agricultural drone sprayers and fertilizers in the Ministry of Agriculture.

    Sources at the State House Anti-Corruption Unit said that Balodemu has two already sanctioned criminal files by Justice Jane Frances Abodo the Director Public Prosecution and 15 other files have not yet been sanctioned even though investigations are done.

     

    By Sengooba Alirabaki

    Views: 923

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    NATIONAL

    High Level Lobbying Kicks Off For UNRA’s Kagina To Replace Gen. Katumba In Ministry of Works As M7 Finalises New Cabinet That Will Sail Him Through 2026 Elections…

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    1 day ago

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    December 2, 2023

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    UNRA's Allen Kagina and President Museveni

    For fear of losing workaholic Allen Kagina the Executive Director of the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) in the ongoing process of merging government agencies as a mechanism to cut government expenditure, a number of lobbyists including politicians from both the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and the opposition are persuading the appointing authority to appoint her a minister.

    According to a recent cabinet brief, UNRA is set to be taken back to the Ministry of Works and Transport which means that Kagina has to compete with other candidates to head a department in the ministry and her powers will be reduced because she will no longer be the final decision maker on road construction matters.

    Maverick Kira Municipality legislator, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda said that if such a move to merge government agencies is executed, it will be a disservice to the public because UNRA, being an independent body has been making constructive decisions which have benefited the public.

    Ssemujju noted that if UNRA is taken back to the Ministry of Works and Transport, he will be among those who will lobby and pray that Kagina is appointed a minister so that she remains the final decision maker.

    “For me I like that woman, not because she has helped construct and rehabilitate roads in my constituency but because she is not corrupt. Many people in Museveni’s government are very corrupt, their names are on the corruption wall of fame but for Kagina, No. I speak this with authority because as a Member of Parliament I’ve sat on several accountability committees including chairing COSASE but Kagina’s name was never cited in any corruption scandal, which is not easy when you are working in Museveni’s government,” Ssemujju said.

    He added, “And when you enter her office asking for construction of your road, she doesn’t make phone calls to receive orders from above, she makes her decision there and then. We need such people because she is close to Museveni’s family.”

    Highly placed sources in the corridors of power confirmed to theGrapevine that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is likely to reshuffle his cabinet during Christmas holidays.

    Sources disclosed that a number of people have been recommending Kagina for the position of Works and Transport minister.

    We have been told that Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala the current Minister for Works and Transport is set to be transferred to the Prime Minister’s Office to help the president clean that docket which has been named one of the most corrupt.

    Sources said that when Gen. Katumba went to the works ministry, he started a cleaning process and a number of untouchables were put to order.

    Sources revealed that in the Prime Minister’s Office, there are many untouchables especially in the office of the Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness, and Refugees.

    When the current Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja tried to expose them, she was character assassinated and humiliated to the extent that the appointing authority started asking questions.

    Senior presidential advisor on media and also a seasoned social, political and economic commentator Joseph Tamale Mirundi recently disclosed that in the coming reshuffle, the president is going to appoint a team of ministers who will help him sail through the 2026 general elections.

    Mirundi explained that the President’s immediate opponent Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) of the National Unity Platform (NUP) is trying to portray his government as one full of human rights violators and they plan to use these accusations as a weapon during the 2026 campaigns.

    He noted that a number of ministers are living in fear of being fired in the next reshuffle.

    “Now all of them are running to get photos with Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Many of them have been fighting the MK Movement but they now want him to appoint them to organizing committees of barazas which are going to take place in their constituencies,” Mirundi said.

    He added that Gen. Muhoozi is going to be a strong factor in deciding who to appear on the list of incoming ministers.

    He was supported by shadow finance minister Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi who said that in the coming reshuffle, Museveni is going to appoint more youths in his cabinet as a way of countering Bobi Wine.

    The Butambala county legislator gave the example of Ruth Katushabe the former Bukomansimbi legislator and also the Senior Presidential Advisor on Political Affairs who was assigned by Museveni to make sure that most of the students in Secondary and University vote for him come 2026.

    Kivumbi claimed that Katushabe has been moving school to school, university to university campaigning for Museveni and before her appearance at any learning institution, the heads first receive commands from above to allow her to talk to students.

    Kivumbi however boasted that NUP and Bobi Wine are also campaigning clandestinely in schools.

    Sources in the corridors of power told theGrapevine that among the ministers who are likely not to comeback are Amos Lugolobi the state minister for finance in charge of planning, Agnes Nandutu the state minister for Karamoja affairs and her boss Marry Gorreti Kituntu who are currently battling with corruption charges at the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court.

    Others are; Moses Ali the Second Prime minister, Anifa Kawooya the state minister for health,  James Magode Ikuya the state minister for East African affairs who sources claim are going to be fired on health grounds.

    Sources divulged that Gen. Edward Kale Kayihura the former Inspector General of Police is likely to be appointed a senior Minister of Internal Affairs, Lillian Aber the women’s representative for Kitgum District is set to be appointed a state minister in the Ministry of Labour, Otuke Member of Parliament Paul Omara is set to take over Lugolobi’s office, Kagoma North Constituency legislator Brandon Kintu who is also the NRM parliamentary caucus spokesperson will be taken to the Ministry of Information and National Guidance.

    Dr. Chris Baryomunsi is likely to be taken to the ministry of health and chances are high that Nabanja is going to retain her position as the country’s prime minister.

     

    By Sengooba Alirabaki

    Views: 990

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    NATIONAL

    Why NUP Want Dead Body Of Bobi Wine’s Bodyguard Exhumed; Mpuuga Set To Make More Demands…

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    1 day ago

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    December 2, 2023

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    Bobi Wine (R) with the late Ssenteza (L)

    The Opposition in Parliament lead by the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP) Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba on Tuesday are set to task Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire the Internal Affairs senior minister to give a detailed report concerning the circumstances that caused the death of Francis Kalibbala Ssenteza the former bodyguard to National Unity Platform (NUP) Principal Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine).

    Shadow Finance minister and also Butambala County legislator Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi told theGrapevine that they were not convinced with Gen. Otafiire’s report and they are going to give the country a response through Mpuuga on the floor of Parliament.

    Kivumbi said that among the issues they want explained is the way Ssenteza was killed in a motor accident because Gen. Otafiire’s report claims that he was knocked by Bobi Wine’s Toyota Hiace which he used during the 2021 presidential campaigns.

    He narrated that Gen. Otafiire who signed the Statement, even though it was read by his State Minister Gen. David Muhoozi confirmed that at the scene of crime, there was a military vehicle.

    He added that government intentionally refused to carry out a postmortem report on Ssenteza’s dead body because they feared that it would reveal the cause of his death.

    “He stated that NUP supporters run away with the dead body and it is the reason they gave why they didn’t make a postmortem report but all of us know very well that the State has the capacity to exhume a body and carry out an autopsy because we cannot allow a person to die in such circumstances not subject his body to a postmortem,” Kivumbi said.

    Ssenteza, who was a carpenter at Mulago ku Biiri along Bombo road was knocked dead at Busega roundabout and buried in December of 2020 at his ancestral home in Masaka district.

    Kivumbi added that another explanation they want from Otafire is the circumstances under which Bobi Wine supporter Ritah Nabukenya died in a motor accident.

    He said that Otafire confirmed that Nabukenya was knocked by a speeding police patrol at Nakawa a Kampala city suburb and the driver of the patrol was arrested but the Director for Public Prosecution (DPP) Justice Jane Frances Abodo declined to sanction the file on grounds that it did not have supporting evidence.

    He insisted that the evidence was there but the file was not sanctioned on political grounds.

    However when contacted, Gen. Otafiire boasted that he is ready to face Mpuuga in parliament and he will answer all his questions on the floor of parliament because he will be there himself, not his junior minister.

    Highly placed sources in the LOP’s office told theGrapevine that immediately after Mpuuga makes his response, he will table fresh demands.

    They will include demands for an explanation on the arrest and humiliation of Muslim clerics and the issue of Balalo in northern Uganda particularly in Acholi.

    But Otafiire said that once the new demands are raised, he will ask the presiding speaker to give him more time to investigate the allegation and report back as he did with the first demands.

     

    By Hadijja Namagembe

    Views: 452

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