The East African Diaspora Media Watch (EADM)

In Summary: They came. They prayed. They praised and worshipped. With hope, they went. Peace and protection over Buganda are securely in God’s hands. Kabaka Mutebi’s health is double dipped into the blood of the lamb. Prosperity for the Baganda in Buganda and in the Diaspora beckons. As Joseph Kamugisha reports, the prayers, and supplications of members of the Dallas-based KamuKamu Cultural Group must have ripped open the heavens to attract answers and heavenly hosts to take care of Buganda’s known and unknown enemies. It is hard to disagree!

Dallas, Texas—The Dallas-based KamuKamu Cultural Group held festivities to mark the Buganda day with prayers and supplication for peace and unity for the kingdom of Buganda, for total healing and health of the Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, and for the wellbeing and prosperity of the Baganda both in Uganda and the Diaspora. Buganda Day is an annual event on the Buganda kingdom calendar observed to creatively showcase, celebrate, and preserve Buganda’s culture through various ways including but not limited to dress code, updates from Mengo, and social etiquette. The KamuKamu ceremony was headlined by a renowned Ugandan-born  lawyer and scholar Mr. Mubiru Musoke Esq., resident in Atlanta, Georgia. The KamuKamu gala to mark Buganda Day were held in Arlington, Texas, a few weeks ago. KamuKamu is a cultural organization comprising of the Baganda and their friends living in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area, Texas, USA.

The atmosphere inside and outside the venue was electrified by the jubilant gathering of men and women clad in the traditional kiganda white tunics (kanzus) for the gentlemen and the elegant busuuti or gomesi for the ladies. Adding to the pomp and pageantry was the day’s Mistress of Ceremony, the ever-green Omumbejja Lorna Nabachwa Kabali, now a budding Celeb who worked the microphone to an unparalleled crescendo. With her trademark soothing contra-alto voice, Mrs. Lorna Nabachwa Kabali guided the  exuberant audience to get on its feet and join the Kabaka's representative to the southwestern Region of the United States Owek. Dr. Abu Senkayi and his deputy Owek. Dr. Frank Sentamu to welcome the guest of honor, Mr. Mubiru Musoke Esq, with a thunderous applause. “She is one of a kind,” one reveler told the EADM.

But there was more to the day than just making merry. True to the Buganda anthem that glorifies God, the ceremony opened with a ‘prayer for prayers’ for Buganda, Kabaka, and the Baganda in Uganda and in the Diaspora. The honor to pray for the prayers and the whole event fell on the head of Omusajja wa Kabaka the Rev. Joseph Kamugisha. In his opening prayer, the man of God  petitioned the “Almighty to cover the occasion with peace and blessings for the hosts and guests, health and healing for the Kabaka, and tranquility over the kingdom of Buganda and her people in and outside Buganda.”

Since the Dallas-based KamuKamu Cultural Group organized the Buganda Day event to intercede for Buganda, the Kabaka, and the Baganda in and outside Buganda, three pastors; Ishmael Kigozi; John Musoke; and Harriet Walulya were lined-up to lead the intercessory prayers. Drawing from  the book of 11 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray…,” Mrs. Walulya emphasized that the key words in the scripture were “humility, repentance, and prayer.” She said that “if peace, unity, health, healing, wellbeing, and prosperity are  to be realized in Buganda and among the Baganda both at home and abroad, then the Baganda should repent and abandon their wicked ways.” Pastor Harriet Walulya also  encouraged the audience not to lose hope and never to give up on prayer and trusting God to meet the needs of His people.

While praying for special protection, provision,  and intervention for the Baganda in Buganda and those in the diaspora, Pastor John Musoke quoted Psalms 127:1, “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain….”  The pastor admonished the people of Buganda never to give up on hope in the Lord. “For the Lord is our refuge even in good or bad times…,” he said.

 

Pastor Ishmael Kigozi reminded the guests that since Uganda as a country has been infected with evil, “It will take our collective efforts to strive hard, especially through prayers to get rid of the evil in our midst that pervasively manifest through corruption, abuse of human rights, murder, land grabbing and other wicked practices that hinder the progress of the country and Buganda in particular.” Referencing Psalm 91, pastor Kigozi prayed for a quick recovery, good health and long life for His Majesty the Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II and the Nnabagereka (Queen) of Buganda, Sylvia Najjinda Luswaata, the princes and princesses. “With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation, Psalm 91:16.”   

In the ensuing interlude, the celebrants were treated to a sumptuous dinner which was prepared by the members of KamuKamu Cultural Group. The generosity of the members ensured that  the supply chain of the delicious food and drinks never stopped turning. “This is the most delicious grilled brisket I have ever eaten,” one of the revelers was overheard by the EADM as he made his way to the serving table for a second helping.

While delivering his keynote address, the chief guest, Mr. Mubiru Musoke Esq., first took a moment to enlighten the audience about the significance and uniqueness of Buganda's national anthem composed by the late Rev. Polycarp Kakooza in the early 1940s. Mr. Mubiru Musoke observed that there are no national anthems on the entire African continent, from the Ibo, Zulu, Ashanti, Yoruba, etc., that is comparable to the national anthem of Buganda. He observed that the “Buganda anthem was written in a form of prayer, glorifying God the creator, the glory of the land of Buganda and her people, among other lyrics which bear great inspiration as an anthem,” he stated.

 

Mr. Mubiru Musoke then took his audience down memory lane by treating it to a history and civics lesson about the strong pillars of democracy on which the kingdom of Buganda and its governance were built. "Democracy is the right to be at liberty," the erudite Mubiru Musoke declared, adding, ” The Kabaka is not an absolute monarch because the Baganda and their clans are sovereign  entities.” He said the kingdom of Buganda was founded on an  inherently elaborate and democratic system of governance with the observance of the rule of law as one of its major pillars of democracy.

Mr. Mubiru Musoke Esq explained that the kingdom of Buganda draws heavily from, and routinely practices,  elements of the historical concept of the rule of law pioneered and implemented in 1335 by the then British Chief Justice, Cook, who ordered the unconditional release of one of the King’s subjects who had been unjustifiably arrested and imprisoned. “In Buganda, the Kabaka's authority can be challenged, too,” he said,  unlike in other jurisdictions which only give lip service   to the concept of the rule of law which prescribes justice and fairness to all the people.

Mr. Mubiru Musoke scoffed at the tendency in Uganda where leaders proclaim and relentlessly echo the empty rhetoric that the country espouses and practices the ‘Rule of Law’ under a ‘Democratic’ system of governance yet frequent occurrences of torture, murder, oppression of political opponents, abuse of human rights, and other forms of impunity continue unabated. He said that despite the rampant abuse of human rights of the people of Buganda and Uganda in general, the kingdom of Buganda remains committed to the rule of law and continues to serve her people, uphold, and practice all principles of democracy.

The second pillar under democratic rule in the kingdom of Buganda is the sovereignty of the people and clans of Buganda. "The sovereignty of the People of Buganda is sovereign," the learned Counsel declared. He explained that in Buganda, the Baganda are sovereign; they all come from respective clans; with each clan holding a seat and a leadership role in the kingdom governing structure. Mr. Mubiru Musoke Esq further elaborated that the cultural origin of the clan system  is an example of  the sovereignty  of the Baganda and their clans that are inherently entrenched and intertwined in the kingdom’s governing structures. He noted, the strong  pillars on which the kingdom governing structures were built were  based on principles of democracy in which the Baganda are intrinsically, culturally, economically, and politically invested.

For example, Mr. Mubiru Musoke observed that “Although Dr. Obote thought that he had abolished the kingdom of Buganda, the institution remained strong.” “Why?” He rhetorically asked. “Because the abolition of the kingdom would have meant a total elimination of all the Baganda, in order to render meaning to the senseless act,” he stated. “A senseless  act which would have been impossible to achieve,” Mr. Mubiru Musoke confidently asserted. Interestingly, he said, Buganda’s historical democratic governance structures are consistent with contemporary article 25 of the rights for the existence and protection of Indigenous cultural practices and article 21 of the International human rights law.

Mr. Mubiru Musoke Esq further touted the embodiment of the concept of sovereignty   of the people of Buganda in the kingdom’s governing  structures  as a precursor to a similar provision in the nascent 1995 constitution of Uganda. “                    Article 152 of the 1995 constitution clearly stipulates the sovereignty of the people of Uganda, even to the point of empowering the citizens to take arms against a repressive regime,” he observed. However, he wondered  : “Can taking up arms against a dictatorship be tolerated let  alone contemplated under the current circumstances in Uganda?” “Your answer is as good as mine!” He noted, drawing prolonged  loud murmurs from the audience. Mr. Mubiru Musoke observed that under normal procedures and practices of the rule of law, every citizen is entitled to the right to live, the right to associate, and the right to all forms of human rights. Yet, he stated, that in most African countries, the normal is no longer normal.

Mr. Mubiru noted that although the concept of democracy is overly broad and abstract,  in the context of Buganda as a kingdom, it remains relevant and practical in all senses of the word. On the contrary, although the 1995 constitutional review  report  released by Justice Benjamin Odoki reaffirmed that "All persons have a right to exist and prevent injustice...,"  the recommendations have remained on paper. It appears, he observed, that the abuse of human rights with impunity by state security agencies that was triggered by the Buganda crisis of 1966 and continued through the 1970s, has never taken a break but has, instead, escalated.

Meanwhile, the buganda Kingdom minister in charge of the Diaspora Owekitiibwa Joseph Kawuki delivered a recorded video message from Mengo, the seat of Buganda Kingdom to  the gathering. Owekitiibwa Joseph Kawuki conveyed warm greetings from the Kabaka Mutebi and assured his subjects in Texas that the Kabaka is "Alive and well." "Kabaka ali ku nnamulondo, alamula O'Buganda (the king is sitting on the throne and is reigning over Buganda)!, he declared."

Owekitiibwa Kawuki told the guests that in this year alone, Kabaka Mutebi has appeared before his subjects on three different public occasions, “a continued sign to prove that he is in perfect condition and going stronger each day contrary to the naysayers and haters, who have even gone beyond the norm by pronouncing the Kabaka among the dead,!” he lamented. “It is such a disheartening, shameful, and disturbing attitude,” he regretted.

Owek. Kawuki cautioned the audience to be circumspect because Buganda has so many enemies including “those who are known and those who are unknown to us." Some of the enemies, he lamented, “are near us while others are far from us.”

He drew parallels with the betrayal of Jesus Christ, stating, "Just as Judas in the Bible betrayed our Lord Jesus Christ, there are so many people in and around the kingdom who hate us," adding, “some are saboteurs while others are focused on undermining and degrading the dignity and majesty of the Kabaka.” Unfortunately, he disclosed, that “some individuals have attempted to go as far as publishing and circulating photo shopped pictures of the Kabaka which don't represent the true image and shape of our Kabaka.”  

More disturbingly, he revealed, that “there are some people who claim to be princes and princesses, yet they are not.” Additionally, “there are some individuals who claim to know more about the palace matters than those who live there,” he said. Worse, he added, there even “those who claim to be Bataka yet they are not!” Owek. Kawuki admonished the Kabaka’s subjects in Texas to ignore and treat with contempt all those who sow seeds of disunity among the communities.

Addressing himself to the importance of the singing of the Buganda national anthem, he encouraged all the Baganda to learn and always sing it in honor of the king and the kingdom. Referring to verse five of the anthem, he noted that it was modeled after a prayer  that outlines the need for always keeping the Kabaka in prayers. Owek. Joseph Kawuki encouraged parents to always endeavor to groom their children in the cultures, traditions, and norms of Buganda. In  addition, he advised the Baganda to cultivate and practice unity among themselves as a way of fostering love within their communities, their  king, and kingdom as a whole.

On a positive note, the  buganda minister in charge of Diaspora affairs thanked the Kabaka representatives of the southwestern region of the USA Dr. Abu Senkayi and Dr. Frank Sentamu, for keeping the Buganda flag flying sky-high through their exemplary and challenging work on behalf of the Buganda kingdom.

Owek. Joseph Kawuki, therefore, asked members of the Dallas-based KamuKamu Cultural Group to  focus their attention, time, and  resources on three key areas: First, “listening to the representatives of the Kabaka by collaborating with them in the process of rebuilding Buganda.” Second,  “attending in large numbers the upcoming  Buganda Bumu convention which will be held during the Memorial Day weekend (May 26-29, 2023) in Seattle, Washington State.” third, “buying as many Buganda kingdom certificates as possible to enable the kingdom generate revenue to subsidize some of the projects in the kingdom.”

Owek. Joseph Kawuki reiterated the problem of lack of clean drinking water in some of the areas of Buganda but noted with happiness that thus far, the kingdom has built seven hundred water wells in the counties of Ssingo, Buwekula, and Ggomba. He appealed to all the Baganda and their friends in Texas to generously contribute towards the construction of as many water wells in Buganda as possible. He disclosed that constructing one water well costs approximately USD 6,000 [dollars]. To that end, he extended a  special " Thank you" to the Baganda living in the "Rocky Mountain" region of Colorado for fulfilling their pledge of raising funds to construct water wells in Buganda.

The well attended Buganda Day event was graced by some of the leaders of the Dallas-based  KamuKamu leaders including the interim chairperson Omumbejja Jackie Nakalema, Ssalongo Roy Kayizzi, Andrew Mulinde, and Mrs. Jane Kibuule. Also, in attendance were some of the executive members of the Ugandan American Association (UNAA); Mr. Lambert Etibot, the current UNAA Executive secretary and aspiring presidential candidate in the upcoming UNAA general elections an Mr. Elvis Nsereko, current UNAA Treasurer, seeking re-election to the same position. Ms. Hudah Mukiibi, a resident of San Francisco, California  seeking the UNAA Executive secretary post, was one of the out-of-town guests who graced the occasion.

The event also  served as a launching pad for raising funds towards the construction of clean water wells in all counties in Buganda as the lasting solutions to the problem. The cost of constructing one water well is estimated at $6000. Donations towards the  project  can be made online at:  https://GoFundMe.me/e35aa48a Or Search for "Water wells in Buganda." Other additional forms of donations are: CashApp: $bugandabumu. Zelle: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For cash donations, contact Jackie Nakalema @ Mobile Phone # 972 201 7335.

They came. They prayed. They praised and worshipped. With hope, they went. Peace and protection over Buganda are securely in God’s hands. Kabaka Mutebi’s health is double dipped into the blood of the lamb. Prosperity for the Baganda in Buganda and in the Diaspora beckons. Indeed, the prayers and supplications of members of the Dallas-based KamuKamu Cultural Group must have ripped open the heavens to attract answers and heavenly hosts to take care of Buganda’s known and unknown enemies. It is hard to disagree!

Meanwhile, the  exquisitely decorated hall that reflected and infused the respective glamour and ambience to the event was the craftsmanship of Mrs. Lukia Pope & family. Kudos to them!