Connect with us
  • NEWS

    What Kabaka Federo Comments Say About Mayiga’s Leadership

    Published

    on

    By Otim Nape
    Since taking office, Katikkiro Peter Mayiga who many suspect to have a soft spot for Prsident Museveni has carefully avoided vehemently pushing for the Federo message.  His explanation, widely parroted by his adherents, is that there is a lot Buganda can do to demonstrate the Federo benefits even before the much –cherished system of government is granted.

    Even when you closely study his so-called ensonga ssemasonga, you will clearly see that Mayiga is being cautious to avoid confrontation with the M7 central government in the pursuit of Federo. Whether this is cowardice or strategy as Mayiga supporters argue, is debate for another day. In 2016, for the first time, Uganda held general election campaign without Federo being a big campaign
    issue. This was so because Mengo, under Mayiga’s leadership, decided to become vague on the issue. Critics believe this ambivalence by the Mengo leadership was meant to smoothen things M7 as he campaigned for reelection. Depending on who you talk; majority believe that Mengo’s ambivalence didn’t work as M7’s foes like Kizza Besigye were able to grow their vote fraction, for the first time, without having any semblance of an alliance with Mengo. In fact in Besigye’s campaign, the Federo issue didn’t feature that much.  It’s believed he could have scored more if the Mengo Federo grievances played out so openly like in the previous elections. Some consider that by failing to vehemently push the Federo issue once again, Mayiga inadvertently led to the demystification of the Buganda question in Uganda’s general election. We are unsure whether this silence was a deal with M7 but what is certain is the fact that for M7, Mengo’s ambivalence worked because it enabled him face less official hostility in the populous and politically very influential region of Buganda. But City Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago’s resounding victory even after Mayiga had publicly embraced his foe Jennifer Musisi whose candidate was Raga Dee of the NRM, is proof Mengo emerged politically weakened and bruised in the 2016 election season.
    THE BOBI WAR
    The lost political war with Bobi Wine, and the staying away of militants like Semujju Nganda, Betty Nambooze and others from CBS protesting Mayiga’s pro-central government conditionalities, further manifested a Mengo leadership clearing sinking into oblivion and irrelevancy. And the Kabaka Mutebi, who still speaks to some of the militants Mayiga purged, was increasingly becoming concerned. To Mutebi, whereas you need the money and M7 good will to do your activities uninterrupted, the political crowd is as important because that simply is how to demonstrate your might and clout even when you are legally barred from open political participation as a kingdom. The crowds that come out to meet him when he comes to the Lukiiko or wherever he goes in Buganda is nowadays less enthusiastic than was the case in the pre-Mayiga era. JB Walusimbi, Mayiga’s predecessor, was less charismatic but never suffocated those that sought to use Kabaka’s functions to make or act political statements against the M7 establishment. Mayiga, who as information minister resented Walusimbi’s moderate approach, has excelled in purging anti-M7 crowds at Kabaka’s events in order to give room to richer VIPs from M7 central government. This partly explains why, important as it was, the Friday youth event in Kyaggwe had only one Buganda MP Muyanja Senyonga attending it. In the past you would have all the Ganda MPs and those from other regions coming to symbolize their solidarity with the Kabaka whose Mengo government had clearly distinguished itself as a powerful center of power occasionally checking on M7’s excesses. This began changing when Mayiga became Katikkiro and chose those with money (read Jeniffer Musisi, Edward Sekandi, Judith Nabakooba etc) while sidelining victims (read Erias Lukwago) of injustice which the Mengo he served as information minister always condemned. He told Lukwago
    supporters who fluked his tofali session with Musisi inside city hall and implored him to denounce Lukwago’s mistreatment that “sorry this is time for development, time for work and not politicking.” This hurt Lukwago but he was advised to ignore, keep quiet and avoid open confrontation with Mayiga. Lukwago attempted to join the ‘ttoffaali’ fundraising inside Mayor’s gardens where Mayiga and Musisi were
    presiding over tofali fundraising but was brutally turned away by pro-Musisi police and Mayiga said nothing. Things like those gradually alienated Mengo from would-be popular Baganda politicians that happen to be anti-M7. Extremists like Betty Nambooze started hitting him openly disputing his leadership on face book after Mayiga insisted on censoring their shows on CBS. Semujju Nganda is said to have told him off openly in a meeting to which Muwanga Kivumbi, Nganda, Lukwago and others were invited and urged to reduce their hostility to M7 in return for their continued appearance on CBS. Nganda said he couldn’t and it was okay not being hosted on CBS. And recently when Muzaata, Gashumba and Tamale Mirundi ganged up on Mengo and used the Kyapa mu Ngalo to demonize the kingdom, Mayiga was subdued and all of a sudden realized he needed the endorsement of these very popular Ganda politicians to effectively counter the Mirundi trio. Talk shows were specially organized for the likes of Lukwago, Nambooze, Medard Segona and others to appear on CBS to counter the Mirundi trio and lands minister Betty Amongi who was determined to use her powers to stop the Kyapa campaign. Palace sources say Mutebi then realized it was a mistake for the Mayiga administration to sideline these popular young politicians in order to reciprocate the good will of M7 manifested in the return of numerous Buganda properties immediately after Mayiga became Katikkiro.

    Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi posses for a photo with some youth and leaders in Kyaggwe

    THE MAYIGA NARRATIVE
    Since Mayiga became Katikkiro, a new narrative emerged at Mengo and it goes as follows; Buganda has fought M7 too long and in the process lost chance to partner with him to fight household poverty while
    creating wealth. At a personal level, Mayiga admires the Aga Khan model whereby a powerful institution, with a lot of history and popular good will behind it, is able to do charity-oriented development programs without having express political power. This was the motivation for his Tofali campaign which the M7 central government enabled by providing police VIP security and by refraining from taxing the collected revenues. Close to 15bn was collected in one year and some believe this is the reason Mayiga’s hands were tired when it came to renewing Federo demands in 2016. It took eloquent criticism by Tamale Mirundi, Nuhu Muzaata and Frank Gashumba (who detention ironically excited Katikkiro) for the Kabaka to feel some shame and
    order Mayiga to stop the very exploitative tofali tours. During Mayiga’s reign, radicals that were using their Mengo offices to openly castigate M7 while demanding for Federo have all been purged e.g. Nakirembeka Waliggo, Sevume Musoke, Dr. Jack Luyombya, Gideon Kisitu and others. The purging has happened in the Lukiiko and Clan heads council. Even those active federalists still in Cabinet like Apollo Makubuya and Daudi Mpanga (whose Brother Peter is PPS and writes Kabaka speeches) are ever sidelined by Mayiga’s draconian approach to leadership at Mengo. Sources say that, excited about this effective purge, M7 at some point considered zeroing on Mayiga to be his successor. He courted the Catholic clerics to buy into this promise
    but many of them became cautious the moment Cardinal Wamala reminded them of a similar promise M7 made to Bukenya in early 2000s that never materialized. During Mayiga’s tenure, M7 has reaped the Mengo
    political dividend than he ever imagined. His expectations have clearly been exceeded.  Reliable sources show that, there is a big powerful man in Bulange in Mayiga era cabinet who specializes in sweet-talking young opposition politicians to either openly defect to M7’s NRM or at least unofficially work with it while remaining in
    their parties. Reliable sources show that the Prof Bukenya defection from TDA back to M7 in the heat of the 2016 campaigns, wasn’t only welcomed but was actually mediated or brokered by someone very powerful in Mayiga’s cabinet. Bukenya was told it was counterproductive to resist M7 who was clearly going to win after TDA Principals Besigye and Mbabazi failed to agree on one candidate. Poor Bukenya was left at cross roads after M7 used his defection to re-energize his campaign while demoralizing opposition supporters. Yet
    all that was promised to him (including cabinet re-appointment and support to keep his Busiro North MP Seat) were never delivered upon by M7. Reliable palace sources say for sometime the Kabaka has been
    uncomfortable seeing the Mayiga leadership at Mengo failing to seize the opportunity availed by the ongoing Togikwatako debate to renew Federo demands. The official response from Mayiga’s Bulange-based
    supporters is that deputy Katikkiro Apollo Makubuya is charged with spearheading Federo and he is the one failing Buganda and not Mayiga.
    Yet in actual sense there isn’t much Makubuya can do as long as Mayiga, who remains the very powerful centralist overall Mengo boss, isn’t in favor of renewed Federo demands as that would politically
    complicate things and offset M7. Hence reliable sources say that Kabaka’s decision to use the Mukono Kyaggwe youth event to renew the Federo demands himself is in a way a vote of no confidence in
    Katikkiro Mayiga’s leadership. Muyanja Senyonga, in his capacity as Buganda Caucus chairman, tried to imitate Raphael Magyezi by having a private members bill on Federo but gave up after the Mayiga-led Mengo developed a lukewarm attitude towards his plan. In fact even CBS wasn’t permitted to give prominence to the Muyanja plan in its news bulletins. In doing this publicly, Mutebi is sending out signals that  “whereas I have a disinterested leadership at Mengo, I haven’t denounced my desire to have my kingdom operate under the Federo system of government.” Mutebi will clearly have to do much more, including repeating this call at future public events, because it’s unlikely that CBS which Mayiga firmly controls will allow politicians appearing on it to ride on Mutebi’s speech to renew Federo demands. Mind you since the 2009 closure, the CBS radio operates without a license (but on M7’s good will) and Mayiga rightly fears that, once provoked, M7 can just ring UCC boss Godfrey Mutabazi to do the needful. In the meantime we await to see if Senyonga will act on the clear demand the Buganda youth leaders, publicly backed by the Kabaka, made to him during the Friday youth event in Kyaggwe/Mukono and renew his proposed private members bill calling for Federo

    Comments

    Click to comment

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    MY MONEY

    EXCLUSIVE: Crisis At Judiciary As Kabaka Mutebi, Tycoon Sudhir Are Set To Evict Anti-Corruption, Crime War, Mengo, Mwanga Ii Courts Over Rent Arrears…

    Published

    on

    L-R: Tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia, Chief Justice Dollo and Kabaka Mutebi II

    The Permanent Secretary and Secretary to Judiciary Pius Bigirimana has exclusively confirmed to the mighty Grapevine that the Judiciary is handling administratively the eviction threats from Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, the Kabaka of Buganda Kingdom and city businessman Sudhir Ruparelia.

    “I cannot comment much on those issues but we are handling them administratively,” Bigirimana said in a telephone interview.

    Multiple credible sources in judiciary intimated to theGrapevine that Kabaka Mutebi’s government has given judiciary three options; either to pay their rent arrears which are in billions of shillings, vacate their building or buy them.

    The building in question house Mwanga II and Mengo Chief Magistrate’s Court.

    “We don’t have the money to buy the building, and the only option we have now is to vacate and we are working overtime to make sure that before the end of this year, we vaccate Kabaka Mutebi’s building. They have already issued the eviction notice and we cannot wait to be humiliated by Court bailiffs. Because if we insist, we risk seeing our court files being throuwn out and making headlines,” a top judicial officer said.

    He added that the judiciary is still searching for a suitable building where to shift to. The one they got near Noah’s Ark Secondary School Kabuusu was rejected because it can only house Mwanga II Court yet their goal is to get a building which can house both courts as it is at Kabaka’s building.

    The insider added that another building at Wakulukuku was also rejected because it is too far. The two courts at Kabaka’s building handle cases from Lubaga division and Natete, yet the Wankulukuku building was too small and could only house Mengo Chief Magistrate’s Court.

    The building where Kabaka is evicting the judiciary is part of the first properties that  president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s government returned to Kabaka in 1993.

    Buganda Kingdom  was not reached for a comment because Owekitiibwa Noah Kiyimba, the Kingdom spokesperson’s known phone known numbers were not going through, We were later told that he is out of the country.

    “He travelled with Premier Charles Peter Mayiga to the United States Of America. And he is the only person authorized to speak on that matter,” a top minister in Kabaka’s government told theGrapevine.

    Last year, Mengo wrote to president Museveni’s government demanding rent arrears worth Shs.215bn.

    Among the government properties that are seated on Kabaka’s land include Entebbe State House.

    Mayiga told the media early this month that government is not paying rent on which State House is seated.

    Others government buildings that have huge rent arrears include sub county buildings, military barracks, prisons, schools and others.

    However, controversial city lawyer Hassan Male Mabirizi protested the move to evict the judiciary through a deadly letter to Kabaka Mutebi’s lawyers of K&K Advocates.

    In his letter Mabirizi wants the Kabaka to halt demanding rent and evicting government agencies from their buildings until the determination of his petition he filed at the Constitutional Court.

    “Under paragraph 4 of the above petition, 1, among others prayed orders Nullifying all arrangements, settlements and understanding between Kabaka and Government of Uganda that Kabaka be compelled to refund to government of Uganda all monies received under cover of ground rent, lease premiums” the letter reads in parts.

    Last year, the Judiciary vacated Kasangati Magistrate Court which was also owned by Buganda building. They relocated to another remote place in Namavundu.

    SUDHIR EVICTS ANTI-CORRUPTION AND WAR CRIMES COURTS

    The judiciary also faces another eviction from city businessman Sudhir Ruparelia, the chairman Ruparalia Group of Companies who wants to take over the buildings which are housing the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court, the Anti-Corruption Chief Magistrate Court, Crimes War Division of the High Court.

    Highly placed sources in Judiciary revealed to theGrapevine that Sudhir informed them that he bought the said building located at Kololo, a Kampala suburb from the owner (names withheld) and he told the judiciary to leave because he wants to use it for other businesses.

    Sources said that the judiciary top management decided to shift to Col. John Mugenyi’s building at  Wandegeya opposite the Ministry of Health headquarters.

    Col. Mugenyi’s building has been empty since the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) vacated it early this year. The judiciary rented it to house the Supreme Court.

    Insiders in the judiciary disclosed that they are very sure that by the end of this year, the Supreme Court will be shifted to the new building at the High Court Criminal Division near City Square which is going to house the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.

    The Court of Appeal is currently renting at Twed Towers in Nakasero, a Kampala suburb.

    Sources further disclosed that the High Court Land Division and Civil Division of the High Court will remain renting at Twed Towers because they all cannot fit in the new building at the High Court Criminal Division.

     

    By Sengooba Alirabaki

    Comments

    Continue Reading

    CELEBRITY GOSSIP

    AHA MOMENTS: Massage Parlors Now Brothels: I ‘Chewed’ Masseuse Who Rubbed Her Boobs On Me, Married Woman Confesses How Parlors Sex Is Saving Her From Marriage Stress…

    Published

    on

    A lady receiving a massage

    Whenever you feel at your lowest, or when your body is shattered with fatigue, your mind always sends a signal to the body that it needs a massage and you run to a massage parlor.

    Surprisingly, since we are in an innovation age, these parlors now offer extra services that stimulates orgasm.

    Many massage therapists have mastered the art of arousing clients’ sexual desires which makes it hard for them to resist having intercourse especially after the body to body massage.

    You can’t confidently enter one during the day because onlookers will always think you are going in for a ‘sex service’ since they have made a name for themselves now as current headquarters for smart wires and call girls.

    However, many People say its modernization and we have to move with the trend, but should we?

    Recently, Dr. Shaban Mugerwa, the senior medical officer for care and support at the Uganda AIDS commission pledged to talk to policymakers to allow the commission to gazette massage parlors and bars as hotspots and places where a lot of sex happens.

    This was after they learnt that some of the massage parlors are hotspots for the spread of HIV/AIDS ever since they were turned into sex hubs.

    Jeff Kato says he once followed his friend Denis to one of the massage parlors in Makindye. It wasn’t his idea to be massaged but his friend asked him to enjoy the massage on his bill.

    “First of all, the prices at the reception are not final. I didn’t know how the system works but when Denis said I could get the service at his expense, I was like why not! I went in and the masseuses preferred to give me a body to body service,” he said

    Kato adds that he was given a Swedish massage and since the masseuse was dressed in only a biker and a bra, his manhood started saluting to the masseuse.

    “I was really surprised with the speed with which these women use to turn work into sexual moments and get more money. She was rubbing her boobs on my body the entire time. Fortunately, my friend had said I was free to get the extra service so I ‘ate’ the masseuse. I didn’t even ask how much it cost, after all, Dennis was paying because he was their usual customer,” he said

    Outhman (not real name), a married man frequents these places.

    He explained to theGrapevine that there are only a few massage parlors that mean business, the rest are places to cum so that your body gets relaxed.

    “I have visited many of these and in different areas so their prices vary. Parlors that usually offer exotic massage arouse sexual desires and there is no way you can escape them whether you are a man or woman. The prices range between Shs. 50,000 – 200,000. There are places that mean real business. These places openly present such packages and you pay knowing that there is sex too,” he said

    These local parlors are prominent sellers of ‘leg’. The women are sometimes just dressed in their thongs and lingerie with just a small apron which you can peep through and feed the eyes first before you chew.

    Those who mean serious business have massage uniforms.

    Flavia (not real name) revealed to theGrapevine that it’s the massage therapist that have kept her in her marriage of fourteen years. She says her friend advised her to try out a massage parlor just to calm her nerves since she was going through a lot at the time.

    “My marriage was breaking after I failed to forgive my husband for fathering a child outside. It was really eating me up so my friend said I should start loving myself more, by going out often either alone or with friends. One time we agreed to go for massage in Ntinda, I had the massage and it was really relaxing,” she said

    She added, “The next time I went to a different place, I had heard they give sex as a service so I went in purposely for that and I indeed got a happy ending. The guy knew how to play around without entering; he also has magic in his hands and knows how to use them. That treatment forced me to get his contact and he has been giving me mobile massage on my terms and money,” she says

    Brenda once owned a massage parlor and she explains that she was forced to close the business because people thought it was a brothel disguised as a parlor.

    “Everyone including my family told me that I and my employees were prostitutes. The pressure was too much so I had to close,” she said.

    So now you know, the next time your wife goes for a massage, check whether all the goods are still intact, but how do you check if you already ate the goat?

     

    By Rahma Zawedde

    Comments

    Continue Reading

    FARMING

    GOOD NEWS FOR FARMERS: Shs38tn To Be Saved As Uganda Biotechnology Scientists Help Solve Ticks Problem…

    Published

    on

    Dr. Fredrick Kabi (L), on the right is a cow that has been affected by ticks

    Uganda Biotechnology and Biosafety Consortium (UBBS) scientists led by Dr. Fredrick Kabi, the leading principal investigator in the fight to develop the anti-tick and tick borne disease vaccine has saved Ugandans from spending Shs38tn on buying acaricide, establishing measures to control ticks and treating their animals from deadly ticks.

    UBBS scientists’ goal is to create innovations and research on Biotechnology for socio-economic transformation and climate change resilience.

    During their innovations, the Scientists use living things or parts of living things to make useful products that benefit mankind and the environment.

    In agriculture, UBBS innovations are often used in combination with conventional breeding to develop improved plant varieties.

    In an engagement with Online media journalists, Dr. Kabi revealed that since childhood, he has been thinking about how he could use his knowledge to solve the ticks problem after establishing that 80% of cattle mostly in Africa are at risk of ticks and tick borne diseases.

    He explained that when he started the project of manufacturing the anti-tick vaccines ten years back, he was helped by other scientists to meet President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni who was very happy with their initiative.

    “President Museveni has been very supportive and we thank him as scientists for the achievement we have had. The vaccination has passed the trial stage and very soon, the vaccine is going to be on the market and we are very sure that the president and all herdsmen around the country whose animals were being finished off by ticks are going to get peace.” Dr. Kabi said.

    He added that according to his research, Ugandans have been spending between Shs2.5-38tn annually on fighting ticks using high cost treatments and control measures which in turn affect their animals’ productivity and the market.

    He explained that if his vaccine goes onto the market, farmers are going to stop using the acaricide to kill ticks because they have lost the potency due to their longevity of over 100 years in use.

    Dr. Kabi added that acaricide is not only costly to a farmer but also affects the environment and leads to food contamination and death of non-targeted life through meat and milk.

    He said that Uganda is not going to be the first country to use vaccination to kill ticks. He gave examples of Cuba and Austria who started vaccinating their animals as early as 1939.

    “Vaccines are safe, organic and more sustainable for tick control and this has been established by the National Drug Authority (NDA) and other drug regulatory bodies which permitted the conducting of continued field trials,” Dr. Kabi said.

    He added that their trial were carried out on cattle breeds of Friesians, Boram and Ankole cattle which were heavily affected by ticks and exercise took 360 days covering all climate seasons in areas of North East Uganda, Northern Uganda, Ankole, Bunyoro among others.

    Dr. Kabi said that in their observation during the trials, they established that there was no adverse effect associated with the trials.

    For the 360 days, they only used the vaccine and did not use acaricide, but the ticks were successfully managed.

    He revealed that since their trials succeeded, farmers’ lives have changed because their cattle are now free from ticks and the productivity is high which has saved farmers who were dying of stress caused by ticks which killed their animals.

    Dr. Kabi thanked president Museveni for the new modern technology equipment which he procured for them to help them during their research and innovation.

    Dr. Andrew Kiggundu the UBBS president pleaded with the concerned authorities to speed up the process of enacting a law to legalise UBBS work because it will help the world’s growing population which currently stands at eight billion.

     

    By Sengooba Alirabaki

    Comments

    Continue Reading

    like us

    TRENDING

    theGrapevine is a subsidiary of Newco Publications Limited, a Ugandan multimedia group.
    We keep you posted on the latest from Uganda and the World. COPYRIGHT © 2022
    P.O Box 5511, Kampala - Uganda Tel: +256-752 227640 Email: info@thegrapevine.co.ug
    theGrapevine is licenced by Uganda Communications Commission (UCC)