Such was the case last Saturday when thousands turned up at Mengo for the Kasiki ahead of the Kabaka's 20th coronation anniversary celebrations due this Saturday. It just needed a few mentions by the CBS radio station for kingdom loyalists to start trekking to the newly-refurbished Kabaka-Anjagala road in big numbers.

The whole stretch from the CBS gates down the road to the roundabout was cut off by police right from Saturday morning in preparation for what would be trans-night celebrations in a road bash - for ease, call it a street jam.

As early as 3pm, business-minded people such as food vendors, dealers in soft drinks, mulondo (a chewable root with alleged Viagra effects), coffee beans, cultural literature, and caps/T-shirts with totem and cultural messages, among others, had already set up their stalls.

With Uganda breweries as prime sponsors of the event, there was at least a well-stocked tent every 50 metres of the road stretch; so, revellers would not worry about beer.

On the other hand, at the Kabaka-Anjagala junction near the Posta Uganda office, business specializing in local brew (tonto or mwenge-bigere) was booming. Traders had stocked in plenty and would call on every passerby to come and have a taste of the best brew made in Buganda, creating long lines for this cultural drink.

At just Shs 1,000, one would get a half-litre bottle of tonto but others preferred a cultural feel of gourds which were also readily available for sale. As it started getting hotter, the area mayor, Joyce Nabbosa Ssebuggwawo, came at around 8pm and thanked the thousands that had already turned up and promised them security till morning.

"Thank you for loving your Kabaka. Please party till morning and drink as much as you can," she said, causing uproars from the crowds.

At such an event, there is no measure of class, age, race or tribe; everyone was free to enter and they were well-catered for. While the young and energetic youth enjoyed the secular music at both ends of the road, others found solace in cultural dance competitions. For some, it was a perfect family night-out - young couples were seen with their babies enjoying the cultural songs.

Before she left, Ssebuggwawo asked people to go for HIV testing at a UHMG van that was parked in the middle of the road and they responded positively. The van turned out to be the most crowded area, at least until 10pm when people were getting drunk and rowdier.

Though there were no local artistes to perform, the people were more than happy to do their own mimes, as they drank and networked with one thing in mind: 20 years since the reinstatement of their kingdom.

CBS FM's Meddie Nsereko Ssebuliba and Patriko Mujuuka joined the celebrants towards 10pm and brought the Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga's message who asked them to party as much as they can but cautioned them to drink responsibly such that they could live to see the following day and be able to work and develop their kingdom.

CBS deejay Emma, on the other hand, did audio mixing for the overwhelming crowds. By midnight, the whole road stretch was fully packed and nobody seemed to be planning to leave any time soon. Unlike other events, people partied without any violence; even those that were drunk remained calm but jubilant.

Ssebuggwawo asked them to exhibit a similar solidarity when the Kabaka goes for the tree-planting session on July 31 at Twekobe and later on the same day go to the Kabaka's lake. During KCCA's superb road works, the old Kabaka-Anjagala trees, after which the road was named, were cut down with the kingdom's permission to expand the road. Fresh trees are to be planted to retain the tradition of the stretch.

The celebrations will climax this Saturday, August 3, at Bulange Mengo.