The Kababa of Buganda His Royal Highness Ronald Muwenda Mutebi and President Yoweri Museveni have held a closed door meeting at State House N Entebbe.
According Mr. Don Wanyama, Senior Presidential Press Secretary, the meeting the president and his visitors was limited to the two. The Kakaba was accompanied by his young brother, Prince David Wasajja and the Katikiro of Buganda, Charles Peter Mayiga.
“I have no much details about that meeting because it was restricted to only the president and the Kabaka” Mr Wanyama told EagleOnline.
However, the meeting comes at the time when there are issues of land concerning Buganda kingdom and its subjects as far the collection of land dues are concerned.
Mr Male Mabirizi Kiwanuka contends that the Kabaka’s land where subjects are living was returned to the king by the central government and is public land collectively owned by the people of Buganda. Mr Kiwanuka says the Kabaka is only holding the land in trust for his subjects but is not their landlord or master.
In the petition filed before the High Court in Kampala, Mr Kiwanuka is challenging the Kabaka’s action, requiring all his subjects living on the kingdom land to register their plots at a fee ranging between Shs100,000 and Shs600,000 depending on the location. Registration of land in Kampala, Wakiso or the surrounding areas is Shs600,000 while in the rural areas, the owners pay Shs100,000.
The petitioner is seeking court declarations that Kabaka Mutebi’s actions through the Buganda Land Board to impose compulsory registration fees and threats to evict people who will not register their land in the king’s name are illegal.
Mr Kiwanuka is also seeking a declaration that the collection of a 10 per cent charge on the sale of land registered in the Kabaka’s names as per the Restitution of Assets and Properties Act is unconstitutional.
However, the meeting could also be focused on the issue of the relationship between Buganda and other traditional leaders/ institutions in Buganda. Recently Security Minister, Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde blocked the construction of Kabaka’s palace in Nakasongola amidst protests from the Baruuli who insisted that the land on which the palace was being constructed belong to them and therefore, the Kabaka/ Mengo ought to have sought for permission in order to construct the palace.
This is also the second time Kabaka Mutebi is meeting President Museveni after the bloody Kayunga riots.
