The East African Diaspora Media Watch (EADM)

In Summary: They came. They fraternized. They made merry. They broke bread. They wined. They bonded and reaffirmed the solid historical ties between them. The friendship between the Batooro and Baganda is as old as the Tooro kingdom. It has endured to this day. Cultural unity, royal representation, and shared history was on display during the 2026 Tooro American Association Biennial Convention in Dallas.  A striking display of shared heritage was evident as Buganda kingdom reaffirmed friendship and hailed Tooro’s Legacy. As Samuel Muwanguzi writes, nothing better could offer the icing on the cake than the personal story of Dr. Abu Senkayi that embodied the enduring Batooro-Baganda friendship did. “Ssabasajja Kabaka wa Buganda Awangaale! Long live the King of Buganda! Hangiriza Agutamba, Hangiriza Entare ya Tooro—Long live the King, long live the Lion of Tooro.”

Dallas, Texas — In a powerful display of cultural solidarity, members of the Baganda community across the Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex turned out in large numbers over Memorial Day weekend to reaffirm their longstanding historical ties with the Batooro. Their presence added momentum to the record breaking three day Tooro American Association (TAA) Convention, hosted this year at the Embassy Suites in Grapevine, Texas.

The convention drew hundreds of Batooro from across North America and the global diaspora, along with representatives from other Ugandan communities in Texas and neighboring states. Organizers described the 3-day Dallas convention as the largest gathering in the association’s 11 year history.

The weekend’s climactic moment came during the Sunday evening royal dinner, attended by Ambassador Robina “Robby” Kakonge Akiiki, Uganda’s ambassador to the United States; Her Royal Highness Princess Ruth Nsemere Komuntale Akiiki Farquharson; and her husband, Duke Christopher Farquharson. 

Also present at the gala were TAA chair Mr. Tom George Balinda Akiiki, immediate past chair Dr. Michael Kisembo, and founding chair Mr. Albert Bakasara. Leadership from the broader Ugandan diaspora community attended as well, including Mr. Lambert Etibot, president of the Uganda North American Association (UNAA), and Daniel Engole, president of the Dallas-Fort Worth (Greater DFW area.

Except for the Batooro women and others from different communities who adorned in their traditional masuuka, distinguishing between the Baganda and Batooro was nearly impossible.

The majority of men—both Baganda and Batooro—wore the iconic white kanzu, a traditional Baganda tunic that historically replaced barkcloth. The shared attire underscored the deep cultural bonds and mutual respect between the two kingdoms.

The Baganda community’s solidarity with their Batooro compatriots was underscored by a special message from the Buganda Kingdom to the Tooro American Association (TAA), reaffirming the deep historical ties between the two kingdoms dating back to the early 19th century. The message—sent by Owek. Joseph Kawuki, Minister of local government, royal travels and Buganda Kingdom affairs abroad—was delivered on his behalf by Dr. Abu Senkayi, the former representative of the Kabaka to the Southwest Region of the United States.

Dr. Senkayi conveyed the message on behalf of the current Kabaka representative, Dr. Frank Sentamu, who apologized for his absence due to a scheduling conflict.

“Please accept my apologies for missing this momentous gathering,” Dr. Sentamu wrote. “On behalf of the Buganda Kingdom, I wish you a gathering of impactful discussion with strategic outcomes focused on the greater good for common causes that will uplift our communities.” Dr. Senkayi was joined by the Assistant to the Kabaka’s Representative in the SW region based in Houston, Ssalongo Mike Mukasa, and Mr. Mathias Kyobe, chair of KAMU KAMU, a cultural association uniting Baganda in the Dallas–Fort Worth area.

In his message, Owek. Kawuki expressed deep appreciation to the organizers and participants of the 2026 Tooro American Association Convention. He reminded the delegates that “the Kingdom of Buganda treasures the solidarity between the two kingdoms, and especially the close relationship between the royal families.” He noted that Ssaabasajja Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II and the Nnaabagereka of Buganda are among the Regents of the Omukama of Tooro, His Majesty Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.

Owek. Kawuki also highlighted the historical roots of the relationship, recalling that the first Omukama of Tooro sought military protection from the Kabaka of Buganda to defend his young kingdom. “Before the arrival of the Muzungu on our land, internal conflicts among rival groups were quite rampant,” he said. “Most territorial expansions came from conquering rival armies, securing rival treasurables, and subsequently the rival territory.”

Against that historical backdrop, he thanked the TAA leadership for extending an invitation to the Buganda community in North America through the Kabaka’s representatives in the Southwest region. He urged both communities to continue nurturing their longstanding friendship. “We pray that Buganda and the amazing people of Tooro continue the friendship because we have so much more in common than the issues that we might disagree on, both in Uganda and in the diaspora,” he said.

He encouraged the two communities to keep “working together to strengthen our bonds, love one another, and appreciate and complement each other culturally, socially, financially, economically, and spiritually.”

As a gesture of reciprocity, Owek. Kawuki extended an open invitation to members of the Tooro American Association to attend the Buganda Bumu North American Convention scheduled for Memorial Day weekend in 2027 in Denver, Colorado.

“Ssabasajja Kabaka wa Buganda Awangaale! Long live the King of Buganda! Hangiriza Agutamba, Hangiriza Entare ya Tooro—Long live the King, long live the Lion of Tooro,” the message concluded with the spirited salutations.  

Meanwhile, while Buganda Kingdom minister Owek. Joseph Kawuki praised the longstanding ties between Buganda and Tooro, there exists countless personal stories that  illustrate the depth of this relationship. Few embody that bond more vividly than Dr. Abu Senkayi, whose personal, academic, and spiritual connections to Tooro and its royal family reflect the enduring friendship between the two communities.

Before delivering a special message on behalf of Dr. Frank Sentamu, Dr. Senkayi—speaking in his characteristic soft tone—expressed his joy at attending the memorable dinner, which offered him an opportunity to share his own story about Tooro and its royal family.

“I first met the late Omukama of Tooro, Patrick Olimi Kaboyo II, back in the 1960s at Nyakasura School,” he recalled. As to why he chose to study at Nyakasura school, hundreds of miles from his home district of Mpigi (now Butambala), despite the availability of similar schools nearby, he smiled and said, “I was attracted by the Mountains of the Moon.”

At Nyakasura, the two young men lived in the same dormitory—Kasagama House—and became friends. “We often played table tennis together,” he said, drawing laughter as he added, “He used to beat me quite often because he was much taller than I was.” Patrick, he noted, also loved cricket and swimming. “But I never played cricket, and I was not a good swimmer at all. I could hardly make it across the swimming pool.”

The two also occasionally did homework together. After high school, their paths diverged: Dr. Senkayi proceeded to Makerere University for his BSC and MSC degrees, while Kaboyo followed his own trajectory. Their unexpected reunion came years later, in 1973, at the American Embassy in Nairobi—where Dr. Senkayi had traveled because the U.S. Embassy in Kampala was closed.

“As I was waiting for the elevator, I suddenly heard someone call my name,” he said, his voice tinged with nostalgia. “When I turned around, Patrick was standing right there.” The two enthusiastically exchanged salutations   as old friends. “I told him I was heading to the United States to study for my Ph.D. in soil science, and I introduced him to my wife and two little children.” He admitted he was deeply moved that Kaboyo remembered him after so many years.

Dr. Senkayi later shared this story with Princess Elizabeth Bagaya during her visit to his family in Duncanville, Texas, about fifteen years ago, and more recently with the reigning Omukama, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, during the king’s visit to Dallas.

Reflecting on his formative years, he returned to the question of why he chose Nyakasura School in the first place. “The answer is simple,” he said. “I was attracted by the Mountains of the Moon.”  Perhaps,  those mountains inspired his future career as a soil scientist. Dr. Senkayi retired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in December 2023 after a distinguished career. 

Dr. Abu Senkayi recently published his autobiography, Hard Work or Good Luck, in which he explores, among other themes, the geological processes that formed the Rwenzori Mountains. In honor of Ambassador Robina “Robby” Kakonge and in tribute to the people of Tooro, he autographed a copy of the book and presented it to the ambassador during the royal dinner. He also autographed a second copy of the book and handed it to the Ambassador to deliver it to President Yoweri Museveni who, on two occasions, was intrigued by the work of this ‘soil scientist working with the EPA. The encounters with president Museveni were in 1994 when the former was in the United States to attend a business and investment summit and in 2000 when the UNAA convention was held in Kampala, Uganda. “I am sure many of you will find this information very interesting,” he said in closing, noting that the stories he shared are described in greater detail in his book, now available on Amazon.