Fixing Kabaka’s 54-year-old Rolls-Royce to cost Shs300m

Buganda Kingdom has finalised plans to restore a 54-year-old Rolls-Royce Phantom V car for use by Kabaka Kabaka Ronald Mutebi, with the Katikkiro describing the move as historic. 
The vintage car, built by British luxury automobile maker Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd, was first used by Uganda’s first President Edward Mutesa, the father of Kabaka Mutebi.

 Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga told a group of wealthy city businessmen at Mengo on Wednesday that the task ahead was huge but achievable. He said all the groundwork had been finalised.
Mr Mayiga, who was speaking at his official residence established in 1929, said: “We asked government to return the car and it was returned. Now we must show that we can refurbish it for the Kabaka’s use. We will need Shs300 million for the work.” 
Mr Mayiga said his administration had two options; to fly the vehicle to the manufacturer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd, a subsidiary of BMW in West Sussex, England,  or to import its spare parts.

He said flying the car abroad  proved expensive  as it would  cost £400,000.
 “Then we identified a vehicle with similar parts to the Kabaka’s Roll-Royce, and what remains now is getting the Shs300m to patch up the Kabaka’s car and hand it over on his next birthday.”
Mr Mayiga said the would-be hurdles of importing the car since the country’s bars entry of vehicles manufactured before 2005, was waived by Works and Transport minister Gen Katumba Wamala.

He said they will bring it tax exempted and get the parts into the Kabaka’s Rolls-Royce.
 Mr Mayiga said a committee headed by businessman Freeman Kiyimba with members as Joseph Yiga, Emanuel Katongole, Godfrey Kirumira and Nnalinya Carol are championing the drive. 
 He said an entire Shs300m was mobilised in a single day on Wednesday.
 Mr Mayiga, who has championed previous fundraisings, including Ettofaali to reconstruct Kasubi tombs, and Twekobe ejjudde, among others, asked those to whom he always reaches out to whenever in need to understand him.
 “You are the people I know who are always available to bail me out,” he said.

On July 13, 2015, Mr Mayiga told Buganda’s Parliament that government had refused to return the Rolls-Royce Phantom V car that had at the time been in government hands for 40 years. 
It was then removed in 2013 from State House Nakasero in Kampala where it had been grounded and transferred to the Uganda Museum.
 Mr Mayiga said then Tourism minister Maria Mutagamba had informed the kingdom that the car was bought by the central government for Kabaka Edward Mutesa who was at the time Uganda’s president.

 Mengo insisted the vehicle was bought by the kingdom in 1965 when Mutesa was President and that it was within public domain that the government had last bought its own Rolls-Royce cars in 1959.
After frantic talks, the government returned the vehicle on September 17, 2020.
 Handing it over to Kabaka Mutesa’s son, Prince David Wasajja, then Tourism minister Tom Butime asked Mengo to keep the vehicle as a treasure and let all Ugandans view it.

 Buganda’s minister of culture, tourism and security  Kyewalabye Male said the car had turned to be expensive.
 Emotional attachment
Prince Wasajja says the vehicle is a depiction of the 1960s period when their father used to ride it.
 “The vehicle has emotional attachment to the Kabaka and the royal family, and the kingdom in general. We thought it befitting to re-own it,” he says.
 Mr Mayiga said the Kabaka had three Roll Royce – some registered in his name.
Whereas Mengo was upbeat about the project, some Baganda criticised it as an unsuitable one that will consume millions of money.

 Mr Stephen Lwetutte, a commentator on matters Buganda and other current affairs, said: “I would like to be reassured that much as that Rolls Royce is a relic of Buganda’s contemporary history, its renovation at a substantial amount of money is being rightly prioritised. 
“Given that we have struggled to complete the renovation of the main Royal Tombs at Kasubi amid severe lack of resources, l have my doubts. Besides Kasubi, there are at least 30 other tombs across the kingdom, some of which were reported to be in a very sorry state,: he said. 

“As the spiritual and cultural centres of the kingdom, it would be prudent and reassuring to the kingdom to confirm that they are now all in a good state of repair, to be able to justify and demonstrate that the timing of the renovation of the Rolls Royce, with clearly no matching cultural significance as compared to the tombs, should have been prioritised next,” he added.
Mr Steven Kisira said injecting Shs300m into the vehicle is a bad move. 
He said the kingdom needs its own museum and that amount of money would act a good capitation.