Sam Akaki
18 October 2008
opinion
I swear by the All Mighty God that the evidence I will give before this court [of public opinion] is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help me God.
The resumption of hostilities in the crisis between the Baganda and Museveni's government, which blocked Kabaka Ronald Mutebi from visiting Nakasongola two weeks ago, is not unique.
From the British colonisers to-date, every noteworthy government that has ruled Uganda before and since independence, has used the Baganda to gain control of the country, then mercilessly persecuted them.
Yet, as hundreds of thousands of "foreigners" happily living in Masaka and Kayunga would testify, individually and collectively, the Baganda are the kindest and most accommodating group in Uganda, if not Africa.
Individually, as a young man training to be a commercial pilot at Wilson Airport, Kenya, it was a Muganda instructor, Stephen Walusimbi, his wife Jane and their son Frank, who took me to the Aga Khan Hospital before nursing me in their house in Westlands; thus saving my life. Walusimbi lost life his 20 years ago last Friday when his plane crashed at Fiumicino Airport , leaving me in his eternal indebt.
But as an older man, in 1981, it was a fellow Lango soldier who fired at me at close range, as I slept in the spare room used by my sister, Margaret Abonyo who was then a manageress at Equatorial Hotel.
The Lango soldier would have certainly taken away my life, which had been saved by a Muganda, had he not been too drunk to aim properly.
Other Luo-speaking soldiers eventually raped, then murdered Margaret in Gulu on August 3, 1985.
Collectively, between 1890 and 1900, the Baganda welcomed the British who used them not only to fight their genocidal war against the resistant Banyoro, but also to spread their rule in eastern and northern "provinces" where Gen. Kakungulu left an enduring record of brutality.
As a reward, the British grabbed 9,000 square miles of Baganda land, and gave to their Queen.
Today, over a century later, the Baganda are yet to regain their land.
In 1961, the Baganda put the Milton Obote on the same pedestal with their Kabaka and sang "Ye-ye- ka-a-a; Yeyekka Obote waffe; Akalulu ko kkawe Obote yekka; Obote ne Kabaka yekka!" before handing to him all directly and indirectly elected Members of Parliament; thus enabling him to become the first Executive Prime Minister on October 9, 1962.
But in the book, The 1996 Crisis, Obote reportedly said "The moment he [the Kabaka] took the Bible and swore allegiance to Uganda, I knew he was hooked!"
And in May 1966, Milton Obote's troops drove the Kabaka into exile, turned Lubiri Palace into a military barracks, made Bulange (formerly seat of the kingdom) the headquarters of the victorious army, abolished the kingdom and declared a state of emergency, which was only lifted by Idi Amin on January 25, 1971.
On that day, the Baganda welcomed Amin with a song, "Abaana ba Uganda mwebale; weraba, Obote weeraba!" Their jubilation in the capital and throughout the strategic central region ensured the success of Amin's coup in the first critical days.
But Amin soon turned on the Baganda, killing anyone who was someone. According to the book, Days of Judgement by Sir Peter Jeremy Allen who described himself as "A Jude in Idi Amin's Uganda", over 300,000 ordinary and prominent Baganda lost their lives between 1971 and 1979 when Idi Amin was over-thrown.
Perhaps Buganda's most priceless welcome and support was given to Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Army (NRA), which set up bases in Buganda.
Throughout the five-year bush war, the Baganda spared no food, money or precious blood to ensure that the NRA prevailed, and it did.
Twenty two years on, the Kabaka of Buganda is not allowed to travel to some parts of his kingdom, and the government is set to amend the 1998 Land Act, which will leave the kingdom landless, according to certain kingdom voices.
Meanwhile, the Buganda Kingdom has been referred to by government types as a non-governmental organisation!
If this trend continues, as it seems, won't historians be passing a unanimous verdict in 10-30 years' time that it was Yoweri Museveni who used the Baganda most then persecuted them out of existence?
Undeterred by a consistent history of betrayal, according to Mukasa Mbidde, "Baganda are civilised people who don't vote on basis of tribe but look for ability.
Didn't they vote for Museveni in 1996 instead of their fellow Muganda Ssemogerere?" ("DP Fronts Mao for President in 2011", New Vision, October 12)
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