Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi refused to meet President Museveni on December 18 because he is angry over an alleged plot to humiliate him and dismantle his kingdom.

According to our sources, the establishment at Mengo, the seat of Buganda's government, has been gathering and analyzing intelligence and has now concluded that Museveni is working for its downfall.

The proposed amendments to the Land Act 1998 have worsened the relations between Buganda and the central government, already strained over federal demands.

With the Kabaka being the biggest landlord in Uganda, Buganda officials see a hidden agenda in a proposal that renders land titles almost worthless.

Under the proposed amendments, the landlord (title holder) will not be allowed to sell his or her land without consulting the tenants (kibanja holders).

Each landlord would be required to issue a certificate of occupancy and in case of refusal for any reason; the Minister of Lands would issue one immediately.

The tenant would also be given the first chance to buy the land in case the landlord wants to sell. With a growing number of herdsmen (Balaalo) migrating into Buganda, the kingdom sees in this proposal as a ploy by the government to give Balaalo permanent land rights in Buganda. Balaalo mainly hail from Western Uganda.

Buganda in East Africa

As if to lend credence to Mengo's suspicion, an army officer came up with a document that characterised Buganda as an impediment to Uganda's accession to the East African Federation.

The eight-page document authored by Capt. Vincent Bitature suggests ways of removing these roadblocks and neutralising Buganda. Titled 'Kabaka/Mengo's Position on East African Federation', the document was prepared for the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Aronda Nyakairima.

Aronda was to use it for a meeting with other security chiefs in the East African Community who in July 2007 discussed the fast-tracking of the federation in Kampala.

In his document, Capt. Bitature proposes that a strategy to divide communities such as Buganda that are a threat to the community be devised, including amending the Constitution to:

Return all Bunyoro territory (Nakasongola and Buwekula) given to Buganda in 1900

Return the status quo in all districts of Uganda as it was before 1900

Re-divide Buganda into the pre-1850 sub kingdoms; Ankole into Buhweju, Igara, Buzimba, Mpororo, etc.

Abolish Mailo land system and resettle all the land dispossessed Baganda and other peoples.

Re-activate the 1975 Land Reforms Decree

Establish a new order where the so-called 'Traditional Rulers' will be elected by the communities for a period of 20 years. Succession would not be limited to the so-called royal families.

"The aim of all such changes is to weaken all those propelling the parochial interests of Buganda and any other community likely to support Buganda's hardline position towards the East African Federation," reads Bitature's document.

The Army/Defence Spokesman, Maj. Felix Kulayigye, told The Weekly Observer that Capt. Bitature is a retired officer but currently working on contract with the Defence Review Secretariat, a British-funded project.

"I have not seen the document you are talking about. But those should be taken as Bitature's personal views. The Army is not in any way mandated to give such views," Kulayigye said of Bitature's document that has ruffled feathers in Mengo.

A senior minister in Mengo has told The Weekly Observer that the Kabaka's cabinet has discussed Bitature's document. The document, dated July 6, 2007, was written a month after a team of Mengo officials headed by the then acting Katikkiro Ambassador Emmanuel Ssendawula submitted views (June 6, 2007) to the Stephen Akabway committee in a meeting at Hotel Africana.

The Buganda team told Akabway that Buganda would only support the federation if the status of the Kabaka is entrenched, resource distribution agreed on and their federal status resolved.

It is believed that Capt. Bitature prepared his document after Buganda submitted its views.

However, Capt. Bitature distanced himself from the controversial document when The Weekly Observer contacted him on phone. Later, Maj. Kulayigye called again and said the views in the document are "backward" and can't be expressed by a modern CDF.

Kulayigye had earlier denied that there was ever any meeting of security chiefs "in recent times," but conceded later when The Weekly Observer reminded him that the meeting took place in July, 2007.

Suspicious Mengo

The President's renewed enthusiasm for land reforms has caused the Mengo establishment to analyse speeches he delivered while opening the Constituent Assembly (CA) in May 12, 1994 and during the promulgation of the Constitution on October 3, 1995.

These speeches spelt out his long-held views about land, particularly the need for government to easily acquire land for industrialisation and commercial agriculture. This has led critics to doubt whether the proposed amendments are indeed as a result of "rampant evictions" as the President says.

Mengo believes that Museveni wants to use the proposed amendments to achieve what he failed to achieve with the 1995 Constitution and the Land Act (1998) - government's easy access to, or even compulsory acquisition of private land.

Other sources indicate that Mengo also has information that multinational corporations in the United States and Europe are hunting for big chunks of land to grow plants to produce bio-diesel and Uganda could be a target.

Some Mengo sources claim that people like Baroness Lynda Chalker, former British Overseas Development Secretary, are lobbying President Museveni to have more land freed for their corporate interests.

Armed with these concerns, the Kabaka's advisers asked him not to honour the December 18 meeting that President Museveni had requested for.

There are also procedural issues that Mengo wanted sorted out first. For instance, the invitation letter did not provide an agenda or state the time for the meeting. The Kabaka's aides were not impressed that Museveni wanted to put the Kabaka on standby like he does other ordinary guests.

More suspicion

Mengo also suspects that President Museveni is secretly working to install Mutebi's brother Prince Goloba who lives in London as a traditional leader in Ssese Islands.

This suspicion echoes Capt. Bitature's proposal of dismantling Buganda into smaller sub-kingdoms of pre-1850.

Already, Museveni has presided over the installation of Sabaluuli in Nakasongola and Kamuswaga in Kooki. There were also plans to install a Sabanyala in Kayunga.

The publication of a new Uganda map which categorised all Buganda districts as 'Central zone' has further heightened the tension between Buganda and the central government.

The new map, distributed to the RDCs during a recent retreat at Kyankwanzi, refers to Buganda as 'central zone' while maintaining others as Acholi, Ankole, Teso, Bunyoro and Tooro.

In fact, Asadu Lutaale, the Kamuli RDC, told Kabaka during Idd celebrations in Butambala that he was also uncomfortable with the new map.

There were also reports that Museveni wanted to force the Kabaka to sign a communiqué denouncing a Mengo committee appointed to sensitise people on land.

Some people in Mengo even feared that Museveni wanted to arrest the Kabaka and that is why the Special Police Constables (SPCs) deployed during CHOGM have not yet left their base at Namboole. It is believed that the SPCs were to be deployed to deal with any mass reaction to the Kabaka's arrest.

Sources in Mengo have told The Weekly Observer that they have received information that Museveni's government is even linking Mengo to Al-Qaeda.

Makindye West MP, Hajji Hussein Kyanjo, is being referred to as an Al-Qaeda agent who has recruited Mengo.

Mengo resolve

Mengo Information Minister, Medard Lubega, told The Weekly Observer this weekend that President Museveni is free to contribute to the land debate like any other person in Buganda. He added that it would be unconstitutional for Mengo to stop the people of Buganda from sensitising one another on land matters.

"We are not going to refrain from the well thought out and focused position we have taken," Lubega said. He was responding to President Museveni's angry December 18 letter to the Kabaka after his invitation was snubbed. In the letter, Museveni asks Kabaka to stop the sensitisation campaign.

Buganda committee

There are two committees responsible for sensitising Baganda on the proposed land reforms. The committees are organized under Daudi Mpanga, Buganda's minister for Research who also heads the Central Civic Education Committee (CCEC).

Daudi Mpanga has told The Weekly Observer that stopping the sensitisation exercise would be an infringement on several rights.

He explained that Buganda treats land as a social-cultural and economic matter, which makes it legitimate for Bagana to discuss it.

Police summons

The Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) last week summoned Makindye West MP Hajji Hussein Kyanjo and interrogated him for four hours.

The CID told Kyanjo, whose interrogation took place in at least three different rooms, that he has since October been making statements likely to incite people, and of a seditious and sectarian nature.

Kyanjo, accompanied by his lawyer Yusufu Nsibambi, made a statement and left. He was accompanied by JEEMA President Mayanja Kibirige, Kawempe North MP Latif Sebaggala, Lubaga North MP Beti Kamya, Ken Lukyamuzi and Dr. Abed Bwanika, among others.

Last week, CID also summoned Buganda Minister Mpanga and two CBS Radio presenters - Meddie Nsereko and Daudi Zziwa. But Mpanga told The Weekly Observer that CID had temporarily suspended their appearance. Meanwhile, First Deputy Katikkiro Emmanuel Ssendawula had summoned all Mengo ministers, Lukiiko members and all Baganda to escort Mpanga.

This might have forced Police, for the time being, to back off. But for how long?

First committee:

1. Betty Nambooze (chairperson-DP)

2. Lubwama Mukubabyasi (deputy-NRM)

3. Kyeyune Kitikyamuwogo (commissioner in Mengo youth ministry NRM)

4. Moses Kasibante (CBS news reader -DP)

5. Sewava Sserubiri (ex mengo minister- FDC)

6. David Mayinja Tebusweke (lawyer with Lukwago- DP)

7. William Makumbi (councilor Mukono DP)

8. Suzan Nabuuma (Mityana)

9. James Sserunjogi Mukiibi (CBS newsreader)

10. Hamuza Ssenoga Batiibwe (CBS)

11. Harriet Nalubega (NGO)

12. Jamiiru Kakembo (councilor Mukono)

13. Joseph Kawuuki (Buganda Youth Council)

14. Ssentamu Ssewandagi (Bimeeza panelist)

15. Saddam Gayiira (Bidandi personal assistant)

Second committee (resourceful persons)

1. Rev. Dr. Michael Solomon Senyimba (Ndejje University)

2. Imam Kasozi (Uganda Muslim Youth Assembly)

3. Fr. Lawrence Kanyike (Makerere University)

4. Bishop Adrian Dungu emeritus Masaka

5. Higiro Ssemajege (acting Buganda Lukiiko Katikkiro)

6. Israel Mayengo (former minister)

7. Hajji Abdu Nadduli (former Luwero chairman)

8. Hajji Hussein Kyanjo (Makindye West MP)

9. Beti Olive Kamya (Lubaga North MP)

10. Kaddu Mukasa (Mityana South MP)

11.Erias Lukwago (Kampala Central MP)

12. Maj. Magulu Mali

13. John Ken Lukyamuzi (CP President)