Buganda mourns passing of 1998 Land Act

On July 23, 1998, Buganda’s first deputy prime minister Kaaya Kavuma announced that due to the injustice done to the Baganda, there would be no celebrations to mark the king’s fifth coronation anniversary.
The declaration was as a result of the passing of the Land Act 1998 which entrusted the land to districts land boards. The Mengo government argued that the Act robbed them of the 9,000 square miles of land.
Mengo then decided to mourn during a time they would have celebrated the fifth coronation anniversary of Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi’s reign.

In his communication, Kavuma said: “Instead of the fanfare that goes with such celebrations, there will be mourning and special prayers to mark the anniversary.”
Slightly more than a week later, on July 31, 1998, Katikkiro (prime minister) Joseph Mulwanyamuli Ssemwogerere issued a statement to the kingdom’s subjects, saying in part: “I’m calling upon all Baganda to be determined and persistent when demanding for their rights. Do not fear but always remain calm.”
Usually, the weekend before the celebration is for special prayers, and in 1998 the mood at the prayers was sombre.
The prayers were kicked off at Kibuli mosque where mourners turned up with their tunics (Kanzus) folded up around their waists, as a sign of mourning.

Unlike all speakers before him who castigated the central government, Kabaka Mutebi took a different tone, commending those in Buganda who fought for the restoration of the kingdom with special emphasis going to the Kakungulu family.
The following day during prayers at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Najjanankumbi, Mutebi called on his subjects to be determined. “As we enter the fifth year of the restoration of Buganda Kingdom, let us be determined when it comes to solving Buganda’s problems,” Mutebi said.
The special Sunday prayers were held at St Nicholas Orthodox Cathedral, Namungoona. There, Mutebi was joined by his entire cabinet.

At the service, men were in their kanzus folded at the waist while women were in the gomesis without sashes, and only held together by pieces of cloth – how mourners in Buganda dress.
Addressing the congregation at St Nicholas Cathedral, Mutebi said: “Bending people’s cultures without their consent is very bad and causes discontent. Children should be taught the history of Buganda and Uganda.”
Metropolitan of Kampala and all Uganda Jonah Lwanga, who was the main celebrant, assured the Kabaka that God would help him overcome the problems in the kingdom.
While addressing the congregation after the service, then Rubaga North MP Wasswa Lule, who was one of the Baganda Members of Parliament advocating for the return of the 9,000 square miles, said: “It will help to create awareness among Baganda and it will wake up our detractors.”
However, as Christians sought solutions from the church, the traditional Baganda also turned to their gods.

Led by then Mengo culture minister Mustapha Mayambala, the group went to the Mukono cultural hills where they spent the day burning offerings and praying to the gods to intercede for Buganda.
On August 3, Katikkiro Mulwanyamuli Ssemwogerere presided over the opening of the fifth session of the Buganda Lukiiko (parliament). In his address, the prime minister warned the central government not to annoy Baganda.
“President Yoweri Museveni should not take Baganda for granted because they can also get annoyed,” Ssemwogerere said, adding: “Buganda helped Museveni capture power but it seems he has forgotten them. We went with the NRM to the bush, they had their own reasons and we also had ours. The war had failed until they brought you (the Kabaka). You fought and the war was won.”
The caution did not go down well with President Museveni. Through his media and public relations adviser John Naganda, Museveni responded to Mengo’s warning.

In an August 7, 1998, statement, Nagenda described the President as being deeply perturbed by the reported inflammatory language employed by the Katikkiro.
Writing in his weekly column, Letter to My Dear Mother in The Monitor newspaper of August 4, 1998, Ogen Kevin Aliro asked the significance of Buganda’s mourning to reach a point of cancelling the coronation anniversary.
“And what next after the mourning? There are a million questions one could ask and as many answers as there are Ugandans. But the significance of Buganda’s ‘mourning’ should not be lost on Museveni and his NRM government,” he wrote.
“Among other things, it indicates the growing discontent and social unrest even in the constituencies like Mengo where Museveni previously drew most support (outside his own western region).”

“The discontent did not start with the land Bill, it has been growing…. Problem is that Museveni advisers never noticed these things happen and took Buganda’s continued support for granted. The first sign of imminent fall out with Museveni became evident when sections of Buganda started complaining they had been given a raw deal (Byoya bya nswa) in the restoration of the kabakaship that had neither political nor economic teeth.”
Writing in the opinion page of the same paper a day later, under the title ‘Mourning is All Buganda Can Do’, Namutebi Ann said: “The Baganda must be wondering why they jubilated at the coronation of the Kabaka and now they are in crisis. It’s a crisis of compromise between the Buganda that is supposed to be and the one that is imposed on them.”
“The Buganda they know has land vested in the Kabaka, with political powers to go with it. The Baganda are not ready to change to suit the circumstance which is causing them more trouble.”

“The Baganda have been advised to count their blessings and stop mourning since the kingdom was constitutionally reinstated. It merely means that the Baganda cannot have their cake and eat it too. The only thing the poor guys can do for ebyaffe is mourn. Whoever begrudges them of the mourning leaves them with nothing. Let the angry men and women mourn.”
However, during the morning period, Buganda’s historical rivals Bunyoro were celebrating. To them, the new land Act was a God sent.
While making a presentation at a workshop in Makerere University organised by the Uogozi East Africa Leadership Institute on August 3, 1998, then Bunyoro prime minister Prof Yoramu Barongo said: “We are very happy with the land Act in Bunyoro, because our land which had been falsely and forcefully taken away is coming back. The Act will enable us have it back.”

Act challenged
The Act that gave Buganda officials and subjects sleepless nights was also challenged by the very people who drafted it. Makindye East MP Benedict Mutyaba lifted the lid off the controversy, saying the final Act was doctored.
While appearing before the Natural Resources Committee of Parliament, Mutyaba said the final land Act that was passed was different from that that his committee prepared.
He cited a clause in the Act that read differently from what had been presented for enactment. For instance, Mutyaba said, “where a lease of land exceeds one hundred hectares is converted into freehold the owner shall pay the market value” was changed to read “to allow people to freely convert leaseholds which are less than one hundred hectare for free”.