President Yoweri Museveni has advised the people of Busoga to stop dragging the central government into issues of the Kyabazinga, saying that is the duty of the chiefs and the people of Busoga.
The President, who was recently speaking during the Centenary celebrations for St. Luke Archdeaconry at Kaliro Town Council said that when the National Resistance Movement came to power in 1986, they thought it wise to reinstate the traditional and cultural institutions that had been abolished by the UPC government in 1967.
He said to ensure that there is harmony in those institutions in all parts of Uganda; through article 246 of the 1995 Constitution, it was agreed that traditional institutions be reinstated by people ‘who so wish’.
The President emphasized that the Busoga traditional leadership wrangles are not a political matter to be solved politically by the Central Government.
“In Ankole where I come from, the kings there are my relatives but the people there opposed the reinstatement of the traditional institution and we have no king up to today. There is nothing much the Central Government can do. In Busoga you wanted to have your Kyabazinga and we advised you to follow the law which you made under the leadership of the late Kyabazinga Wako Muloki. But you failed to do that two times and later went to court,” he said.
The President said later 10 chiefs of Busoga agreed on a new arrangement, put it in writing, signed it and handed it to the Central Government which was the reason he attended the coronation in Bugembe.
The President advised the Basoga who are not satisfied with the new arrangement to petition the courts of law other than politicizing and inciting people.
The President later paid a courtesy call on Prince Columbus Wambuzi of Bulamogi at his palace in Kaliro and appealed to him to advise his followers to use constitutional and legal means to solve issues related to cultural leadership in Busoga and not to politicize the matter.
Meanwhile, President Museveni has blamed the non functional secretariat of the National Resistance Movement for the failure to sensitize the population on the roles of the different government institutions and structures and those of other institutions in the country.
Responding to reports that it was the rich and elite who are benefiting from government’s operation wealth creation program, the President urged the people to make good use of the existing elected local government structures to stop the injustices.
“Petition your democratically elected leaders at grass root to solve these problems. Don’t wait for me who will come after two or three years when a lot has been wasted. What is the use of having these structures if they can’t help you solve problems? I’m however happy that the government has done her part and delivered the agricultural seeds and breeding stock. The problem is distribution but as long as NRM is still in charge, a lot more will be delivered,” he said.
Mr. Museveni said that government was on the right track in service delivery and urged the people to do their part to overcome household poverty by engaging commercial, modern agro production.
He said that since the land in the region is fragmented, it is important to engage in high yielding agricultural projects that can be done on small acreage such as coffee and fruit farming, poultry, piggery, zero grazing and also produce some food to ensure food security.
The President contributed 60 million shillings towards the fundraising drive for the completion of St. Luke archdeaconry – Kaliro. He also commissioned new 20 classroom blocks and a library block at Kamuli High School. The education facilities were constructed by the Uganda government with support from the World Bank.
