Queen Sylvia Nagginda Luswata is on the spot after President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s Senior Presidential Advisor on media Joseph Tamale Mirundi questioned her relationship with Ronald Muwenda Mutebi the Kabaka of Buganda.

Mirundi accuses Nagginda of abandoning Kabaka Mutebi at the time he needs her most.

“Every married man knows that when he gets sick, he wants his wife to be close to him. But since Kabaka Mutebi got sick, I have never seen a photo of him with his wife comforting him. I’m sure her distance from the king is sending a message to Baganda,” Mirundi said.

He added that if Nagginda as the official wife was performing her duty to take care of her husband as she vowed when they were officially getting married in church, Baganda would not be raising questions over his whereabouts because they would know that she is in the right hands.

Mirundi explained that Baganda would have believed any message communicated from Nagginda than any other person including Buganda premier Charles Peter Mayiga.

“Baganda are not stupid people. They know that their king is a human being who can get sick but they got annoyed when Mayiga told them that their king was suffering from Allergy.

But what I can assure Mayiga and Nagginda is that if anything bad happens to Kabaka, they will be blamed first because his life is in their hands. I know what Kabaka means to Baganda,” Mirundi warned.

He wondered how Nagginda organized a colourful ceremony to launch her book without the blessings of her husband, and even though most members of the Royal family shunned he launch, she remained unapologetic.

She did not stop at that, she is on a fundraising drive to get money to help the mentally sick get proper medical treatment without the blessing of the King.

However, Buganda Kingdom historian, Mubiru Njuuki rubbished Mirundi’s allegations explaining that in Kiganda culture, Nagginda as the official wife to the king is not responsible for comforting the King when get sick.

He explains that people like Omuttaka Kasujju the clan head of Engeye, omuttaka Mugema the clan head of Ekima, Kasujju Lubinga and Nadduli Kibale are the ones answerable.

He added that it is not the first time Baganda are putting the King’s wife on spot when he is troubled. He gave the example of Damalie Kisosonkole the official widow to Sir Edward Walugembe Mutesa, father to King Mutebi who was blasted for putting on sunglasses when she was accompanying the body of her husband from United Kingdom where he died from.

“You know our people love their king so much, they wanted her to start crying on top of her voice as soon as she came out of the plane. You know because Damalie was a modern wife, and when she put on sunglass, people accused her that she was not hurt by the King’s death that is why she was only enjoying her fashion style,” Njuuki said.

He added that when Drussila Namaganda the widow to Sir Daudi Chwa remarried after the death of her husband because she was still younger, and her son King Muteesa allowed her to get marriage to another person, Baganda turned guns on her and her new husband and they were badly hated in Buganda.

Njuki accused Premier Mayiga of mismanaging Kabaka’s sickness thinking that it will make him more powerful.

He says that little did Mayiga know that he was creating troubles for himself because if anything bad happens to Kabaka, he will be on spot and the most hated man in Buganda.

However recently, photos of Kabaka leaked on social media with his brother Joseph Ndawula and the Kingdom minister Kitooke revealed that he is in Namibia resting after being released by doctors in Europe.

But highly placed sources in the palace insist that Kabaka Mutebi returned back into the country a few weeks back and the said photos were taken in Uganda.

Sources insist that prince Ndawula who is a brother to King Mutebi has been in the country enjoying life with his longtime friend Godfrey Kirumira the Namibian consular in Uganda.

Since 2019, Kabaka Mutebi has been receiving medication.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

In the last sitting of the parliament, Speaker Annet Anita Among adjourned the House sine die and the mighty Grapevine has established that the move was intentional.

A highly placed family source has told this website that family members, friends and her personal doctors realized that Among needs time to rest because the pressure which has been mounted on her is becoming a threat to her life.

The decision was taken after she received a copy of the letter written by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni directing the Inspector General of Government (IGG) Beti Namisango Kamya to give him a list of the properties she declared as required by the Leaders’ Code to establish whether she did not violate the law.

Museveni gave the directive after a short meeting with United Kingdom High Commissioner in Uganda Kate Airey at Nakasero State Lodge where she briefed him over the intended sanctions her country was set to slap on Among.

In the said letter, Museveni stated that Kate confirmed to him that Among owns properties in United Kingdom which she obtained from corruption and they were going to be freeze all her properties together with the billions of money she keeps on UK bank accounts.

“She needed time to rest, because as things stand, we might lose her. She has issues with her blood pressure and if it is not handled early and properly, she may develop other illnesses because she has been betrayed by people she has worked with for a long time,” a family source said.

He explained that Among was very sure that president Museveni was going to stand with her, but she was very surprised to see the letter directing IGG to investigate her. Sources also indicated that suprisingly, Museveni did not brief Among about his meeting with Kate.

“On Tuesday at 1000 hours, I met the British High Commissioner at her request for an urgent meeting. The meeting was at Nakasero but I was on my way to Entebbe for another meeting. I, therefore, did not have time to discuss with anybody the issue,” Museveni’s letter reads in parts.

Among’s family members fear that Museveni’s directive to further investigate her can resulted into prosecution which will humiliate and dent her political career.

An International Relations expert told theGrapevine that when a person is sanctioned, big international airlines can stop him or her from travelling on their planes.

Apart from that, Among is going to face difficulties with international financial institutions especially banks because her bank accounts will be placed under a red line and most of her family members will be affected.

International medical facilities which have connections to United Kingdom, United States of America, United Arab Emirates and other countries which are members of the European Union will also be very careful when dealing with her for fear of being isolated which can affect their businesses.

Based on the above, Among was advised to be very careful with her health especially how she eats and stop being stressed because she will be putting her life in danger.

However, those who understand Among very well told theGrapevine that they are not sure whether she will take a rest and look on as her enemies humiliate her and kill her political career because she is also a fighter who has gone through a lot to climb the top of Uganda’s political ladder.

Chris Obore, Parliament’s Director for Communication and Cooperate affairs revealed that inside NRM government, there are people who feel that Among is nothing and cannot be a Speaker of parliament to lead the second arm of government.

Obore claims that their reasoning is that Among didn’t participated in the 1980 liberation struggle that brought President Museveni’s government into power.

They allege that she is just a new defector from Dr. Kizza Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).

During the course of investigating this story, theGrapevine established that Among has been threatening the Deep State which is controlling the country’s political, social and economic affairs in their plan on who will succeed President Museveni.

“Do you mean Theodora Ssekikubo (the Lwemiyaga county legislator) and Anderson Burora (the interdicted Lubaga Division Deputy Resident City Commissioner) were fighting and making those statement against Among on their own? Among is not in calculations of the Deep State concerning Museveni’s successor and beyond, she was very naïve to think that she can use her power as a Speaker of Parliament and a catholic to disorganize their plans. What they did was they gave her a rope and she hang herself by misusing public money to enrich herself and her husband Moses Magogo. They are now publicly discrediting her,” a source said.

Kira Municipality legislator Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda recently revealed that there is a plan to force Among out of the Speaker’s office insisting that Ssekikubo is President Museveni’s henchman who he uses to fight his political wars.

He supposed that during the 2005 presidential term limit period, Ssekikubo was driving a car with State House number plate.

On several occasions, Ssekikubo has pressurized Among to allow Members of Parliament to discuss the corruption allegation placed on parliament leadership.

A source said that when Among realized that she was under attack by members of the Deep State for threatening their succession plans, she decided to use a primitive method of politically fighting by summoning and parading all MPs including those in opposition to her home area in Bukedea district.

What she wanted according to sources was to show the country that she controls the entire parliament including members of parliament which was a threat to Deep State’s calculations because it showed that she can command parliament to impeach the President thus causing political turmoil in the country.

Another source added that being a woman, Among can put up a strong challenge if she publicly declares her presidential ambitions.

Senior presidential adviser on media Joseph Tamale Mirundi stated that women are always used to fight long serving presidents because of the public sympathy they receive if attacked by presidents in power.

Among is also well connected to the catholic church and has held several private meetings with Pope Francis; such signals scare the Deep State.

He explained that Among was naïve to parade her multimillion wealth before the public because that’s when her enemies started strategising on how to discredit her before right thinking members of the public as a corrupt person who cannot be trusted with State power.

Mirundi accused religious leaders especially the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Dr. Stephen Kazimba Mugalu and Mufti Sheikh Shaban Mubajje of misleading Among on the Homosexuality bill.

He said that what Among did was like threatening Museveni’s local popularity because by not signing the bill into a law, his enemies especially National Unity Platform’s Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) would have used it as a campaign tool to tell the public that Museveni refused to sign the homosexuality bill so he supports the vice.

Bugweri county legislator Abdul Katuntu confirmed that Museveni summoned them at Entebbe State House and explained to them the danger of the bill they wanted him to sign into a law but sources allege that because Among did not listen, Museveni decided to sign the bill knowing very well that it backfire on her and other legislators who supported the bill.

Mirundi explaind that Super powers are going to fight and make sure that Among losses the parliamentary speakership to scare other African Speakers.

Mirundi added that Homosexuality supporters are very powerful individuals and they control the world.

And because Museveni understands this very well, that’s why he was very careful when Among and other people started jumping and chest thumping after passing the bill as a way of scoring political goals.

Sources said that Museveni cannot fight for Among against the sanctions because he also wants to use her saga as a tool to mend his diplomacy troubles especially involving his longtime ally the United Kingdom.

By Sengooba Alirabaki

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was overwhelmed and openly told angry traders to stop intimidating him but instead listen to him just like he also listened to them for more than two hours.

Museveni made the statement after some traders started shouting on top of their voices.

Some of them even started to move out of Kololo while he was still speaking.

However, they were stopped by Special Forces Command (SFC) Commandos from getting out of the Kololo Independence ground gates until the President finished speaking.

SFC Commandos told some of these angry traders that they had come to listen to the President and since he gave them time, they should also wait until he finishes. One by one they were forced to go back to their seats in the tent.

President Museveni’s 1981 war comrade and political competitor Dr. Kizza Besigye revealed that it is the first time in many years that he has seen Museveni being publicly embarrassed by civilians.

However, the mighty Grapevine has exclusively learnt that what happened at Kololo was not accidental but a planned move which was defused by SFC Commandos.

Highly placed sources within traders leadership revealed that on the fateful day of 7th May 2024, a section of traders leadership held a private meeting in the morning at the offices of the Kampala Acarders Traders Association (KATA) chaired by Godfrey Katongole.

Others in the attendance included; Moses Lwegaba on behalf of Katukazane shoe traders, John Kabanda who represented the Kampala New Generation Traders Association and also the Federation of Uganda Traders Association.

Sources divulged that the gist of the meeting was to strategise on how to counter the submissions of Dr. Thaddeus Musoke Nagenda the chairperson of Kampala City Traders Association (KACITA) and his Secretary Isa Ssekito.

They suspected that KACITA had plans of diverting the President from addressing the real issues by resorting to praising him.

They alleged that they established that on several occasions, KACITA has held private meetings with the president without the knowledge of the traders.

Before the meeting openly started, Kabanda was grilled and placed on the spot to declare his secret relationship with Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) senior minister Hajjat Minsa Kabanda after his colleagues openly told him that he also might be working with their enemies.

Kabanda denied the allegations.

The traders leadership became suspicious of Kabanda when he supported Minister Minsa in one of the precursor heated meeting at Hotel African where she was trying to convince all traders not to bring the issue of landlords who are mistreating them before the president because it was not discussed in the previous meeting held in State House in April 2024.

They told Kabanda that what he did to support the Minister was an act of betrayal because he also knows very well that landlords harass them just like the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS).

They started accusing him of being bribed by landlords.

Traders disclosed that it seems the landlords who Kabanda wanted to save are the ones who supported his lavish wedding last week. The meeting ended in fighting and Minister Minsa was saved by his security.

In the Tuesday meeting, Kabanda assured fellow traders leadership that he is with them and a decision was taken to inform their respective members on their different WhatsApp groups to storm out of the meeting immediately once they discover that Museveni is not going to ban the use of EFRIS.,

This is what they tried to do but the move was fused by SFC Commandos.

However, before Museveni addressed the traders, some of their leaders had successfully executed their mission of exposing Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja Musafire and Junior Minster for investment Evelyn Anite who they declared a mafia who takes fake investors to President Museveni who give her incentives.

They accused the said investors of facilitating smuggling of goods into the country.

Minister Minsa, who feared that traders were going to embarrass her before her boss was forced off the microphone because they were shouting at her for not helping them.

Sources said that the ministers were embarrassed before their boss because some leaders of the traders have information that they are sealing deals with KACITA leadership which are costing the common trader.

Traders further sent a warning message to President Museveni, his ministers and Members of Parliament (MP) that if their issues are not solved they are ready to stand against them or support by financially facilitating their opponents in the coming elections.

Democratic Party’s Richard Ssebamala the Bukoto Central MP warned President Museveni to be very careful with traders issues because for a long time, they have not been involving themselves in political issues especially during elections but only concentrated on their businesses.

But now that they have issues, if these concerns are not properly resolved, it may be a spark for his downfall.

Some Ministers were shocked when angry traders praised fired trade minister Harriet Ntambazi telling Museveni that mafias in the Ministry of Finance and those in the Trade Ministry fought her and misled the President even though she always acted swiftly in resolving their problems.

theGrapevine established that Ntambazi always supported Kabanda’s leadership and she was a ground minister who attended traders meetings in Kikuubo and other places and one time she nearly survived being tear gassed by police in Kikuubo who accussed he of attending an illegal meeting.

However, former trade minister Amelia Kyambadde claims that people who make such statements before the president are always paid by the side which is fighting a certain government official who is embarrassed before the president.

Nabbanja denied the allegations that she is not responding to Kabanda’s letters and explained to the President that she has never seen any letter from Kabanda.

She wondered why Kabanda didn’t come to her country home in Kakumiro district since he is a son from the neighbouring Mubende district.

Sources disclosed that Kampala city junior minister Christopher Kabuye Kyofatogabye predicted that he was going to be embarrassed before the president because the traders accussed him of being very arrogant and using the divide and rule method to frustrate their fight against high taxation.

He decided not to attend the meeting but his car was cited at the premises of Kololo Independent ground.

Even though the traders were served drinks and food, with some claiming that over 20 cows were slaughtered for them, some have decided that they will not attend the next meeting  with the President come 20th of June 2026.

Sources added that a section of traders’ leadership are buying the proposal that the 20^th June meeting should only be attended by their leaders. But Kabanda insists that all traders should attend.

Other traders want to get an expert in tax laws to lead them during their negotiations with URA insisting that URA officials are exploiting their ignorance on tax issues to double tax them.

Sources among the traders disclosed that they have started engaging Kabanda not to politicize their fight against high taxation by threatening that if EFRIS is not banned, they will carry out a three months strike by closing their shops.

However, Dr. Besigye predicted that Museveni is going to use guerrilla war tactics to divide traders and very soon they are going to start fighting each other.

Joseph Tamale Mirundi the senior presidential advisor on media told theGrapevine that Museveni will not ban EFRIS because banning it will attract other people including policemen and women, teachers, doctors to strike because they will have established that he fears strike.

He added that traders lack serious knowledgeable leaders who can compromise Museveni to side with them.

He insisted that Museveni clearly know that people like Ssekito are dealers who are always used by his opponents and government mafias to pressurize him on traders’ issues, which is why he does not respect them.

He questioned the expertise of URA and Ministry of Finance when it comes to traders and tax issues because instead of widening the tax base they are harassing the poor traders.

He however challenged Museveni on the issue of stopping traders from importing goods from abroad revealing that much of the products which they would have exported with additional value are monopolised by members of his family so the traders don’t want to enter open competition.

By Sengooba Alirabaki