Museveni breached agreement – Mengo

Sources at Mengo blamed the current stalemate in talks between the kingdom and the central government on President Museveni’s ‘pollution’ of the negotiation environment rendering the opportunity for follow-up meetings “useless”.

A source that preferred anonymity in order to speak freely on the matter said both leaders agreed on a number of issues that could have set a clear basis for further serious dialogue on all the contentious issues. “The two leaders while in Entebbe agreed to have everything put on hold until the talks are over but the President seems to have violated the entire arrangement,” a source said, adding, “We were supposed to exchange notes after the first meeting but nothing has been done.” According to the sources, kingdom officials were surprised and taken aback when the President signed the new land law yet it was among the issues agreed to be delayed.

Other breaches
When contacted by this newspaper, Eng. Walusimbi said other breaches on the part of government that have strained relations with Mengo , include the “illegal creation of chiefs” within Buganda and branding the kingdom an enemy whenever it gives a ‘divergent view’ on national issues. “These are some of the issues that depress us further and develop a feeling that the government intends to frustrate Baganda Kingdom,” Eng. Walusimbi said.

Buganda Information Minister Charles Peter Mayiga said the prevailing circumstances had prompted people to believe that there could be a scheme to break the kingdom’s “back”.

Citing examples, Mr Mayiga said the government has since last year switched off Central Broadcasting Service (CBS) radio without a clear reason , blocked the Kabaka from visiting some parts of his kingdom, deliberate denial to clear the kingdom’s rent arrears amounting to Shs20 billion and failure to grant a federal system of governance. “This builds a feeling among the Baganda that the central government is working against the Kingdom,” Mr Mayiga said.

According to sources, the two leaders, during a meeting in Entebbe on September 30, 2009, resolved to halt the passing of the Land Bill, avoid politicising the closure of the kingdom’s radio-CBS, identify each other’s troubles and ensure meaningful communication between the two parties to avoid unnecessary confrontations. However, weeks after the meeting, the NRM-dominated Parliament passed the Land Bill, a piece of legislation that Mengo opposed on grounds that it was a ploy to grab its land and the President later assented to it .

The Entebbe meeting followed clashes between security agencies and pro Buganda Kingdom rioters that left at least 27 people dead and over 600 arrested.

When contacted, the Presidential Press Secretary, Mr Tamale Mirundi, described the claims by Mengo officials as baseless and only aimed at blackmailing the President. “What I know both leaders exchanged documents and I am not aware that they had to meet soon because no date was set,” Mr Mirundi said. He said the kingdom officials were heaping blame on the President because they had failed to give people the reasons for the lukewarm relationship between the two institutions.

“Let them admit that they are under intense pressure from kingdom diehards who want to see the relationship between Buganda and the state repaired,” he said. He said although negotiations between Mengo and the government were good, they can not derail other state programmes.

“A country cannot stop just because people are negotiating. We had negotiations with Kony but the country continued moving. If they (Mengo) are playing their games to delay the process, it is the kingdom losing not the President,” he added.

After the meeting, the President said the talks were to form a basis of continued dialogue until “we reach a definite dialogue”. The Kabaka reportedly said then, “We had constructive discussions. There emerged the idea that we exchange our respective documents that will be studied thoroughly and take advice after consultations. This will form the basis of the first step to organised dialogue and the first step in organising our people. I thank the President for the fruitful discussions and look forward to more dialogue”.

Buganda Kingdom Minister in charge of Royal Travels Kabuuza Mukasa said the President lacks the political will to settle the kingdom’s concern in an authentic manner. He suggested that meaningful talks be mediated by a neutral party to reach a legitimate consensus. “By meeting the Kabaka at Entebbe, the President simply wanted to cover-up his earlier frustrations against the kingdom. He is the very person who pushed off our [Kingdom’s] earlier [in 2008] efforts to reach a middle position through negotiations when he cancelled the talks indefinitely,” Mr Kabuuza said during an interview at Mengo.

Entebbe meeting
Just last month, President Museveni said he would not engage in any more concessions with Buganda Kingdom. During an exclusive interview with Daily Monitor Managing Editor Daniel Kalinaki last month, the President said the kingdom should take a regional tier system, which the kingdom rejected years back.

Mengo deputy Information Minister Medard Lubega Sseggona said the President was at liberty to take any decision since the kingdom’s demands were not addressed to him individually but to the government. He said he was optimistic that kingdom’s demands will be fulfilled by the next regime since the current one has “proved adamant”.

Recently, the President met a section of CBS employees andhe reportedly blamed some of his ministers for keeping the radio off-air. “Some cabinet ministers have been opposing the re-opening of CBS [but] I will handle that,” Mr Museveni reportedly said during a secret meeting at Entebbe State House.
The President did not name the ministers. Ms Amelia Kyambadde, the principal private secretary to the President, brokered the meeting.