By Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi
The Council of Bataka (Baganda clan leaders) held a retreat last week in Masaka City, and zeroed, among others, on promoting cultural tourism.
This was overdue. Originally, the Lukiiko was made up of the Kabaka, who is the Ssaabataka, the Bataka (clan leaders), abakungu (officials) and abaami (chiefs). This is well illustrated by the long session at Nnono near Magonga in Busujju County, present day Mityana District, where Kabaka Kintu, 700 hundred years ago, presided it and it made an unwritten constitution. Baganda traditions , customs and norms, that are still applicable until today.
By then, Bataka were powerful and doubled as officials and chiefs. For example Omutaka Kisolo, was Kabaka Kintu’s Prime Minister. Others like Kyaddondo were saza chiefs.
While in early years of Buganda Kings such as Kintu, Chwa, Kimera, the Kabaka was like a senior chief among other chiefs, the Kabaka later became so powerful and with over -centralization starting with Kabaka Ssemakookiro, after a long civil war with Kabaka Junju in early 18th century, who conquered Buddu and Greater Masaka from Bunyoro, hereditary political and administrative positions were abolished and Bataka and royals ceased to hold political and administrative posts.
The Lukiiko was standardized as composed of officials and chiefs . The Bataka, who were ultra nationalists and sided with Kabaka Mwanga at the time of colonial conquests between 1890 and 1900, were politically edged out. Although initially they were the custodian of clan land, did not benefit from 1900 Agreement land bonanza, and they were the first to agitate against injustices created by the agreement as far as land matters are concerned.
The Buganda Agreement of 1900 necessitated Buganda Lukiiko to be composed of three ministers, 20 county chiefs, 60 notables and six Kabaka’s nominees. No wonder, the Bataka were some of the pioneers of the independence struggle under the Federation of the Bataka and Bataka Party although some of their demands including a campaign against starting Makerere University in 1922, fearing that it would water down Buganda’s traditions and customs, were ultra conservative. Bataka leaders like Joshua Kate Mugema and Peres Kabazzi Miti of Mpindi clan, featured prominently in the struggle including starting an indigenous print media to reawaken the natives.
When political parties started, Uganda National Congress by Ignatius Musaazi in 1952, Progressive Party by Muliira in 1954, Democratic Party by Yakobo Kasolo in 1954 and others, Bataka were opposed to the parties saying that they would split Buganda and on this one, they were supported by officials at Mmengo who feared for what they used to call the twin position of the Kabaka and Buganda in an independent Uganda.
When politicians messed up everything including tagging the Kabaka into partisan politics like standing for election as President of Uganda in 1963, which culminated into 1966 Crisis and abolition of kingdoms and federal and semi federal states, the Bataka filled a vacuum created by the absence of the workshop and negotiated with some governments of the day like Idi Amin in 1971 and 1972 that allowed Prince Ronnie Mutebi to be called Ssaabataka, and in 1980 with Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) Government under Godfrey Binaisa, though the then Minister of Culture and Community Development Prof. Dani Wadada Nabudere.
However, serious and meaningful negotiations started with President Museveni in 1986 when the Bataka were led by Ndugwa Grace Ssemakula and later Nadduli Kibaale and the climax was the restoration of institutions of traditional/cultural leaders in 1993 through resolution of Army Council that sat in Gulu in 1992 and National Resistance Council which first sat as a political organ, in 1993, both presided over by President Yoweri Museveni.
That seemed to have marked the end of regular direct negotiations between the Central Government and the Bataka, as politicians now, opportunistically hijacked the process and the last was a Regional Governments deal which was agreed by both sides but later Mmengo changed mind and rejected it, opposing among others, the election of the Katikkiro as a Regional Premier as if under 1955 and 1961 agreements and 1962 Independence Constitution, the office of Katikkiro was not elective.
The Memorandum of Understanding signed by the President and the Kabaka in 2013 to mark 20 years of the coronation would have been a milestone, but the Bataka seemed to have been left out and hence some of the provisions, like official states including estates of ministers and Saza and Gombolola chiefs , which were for local administration purposes, were given to the traditional/cultural institutions and there is now a crisis on Official Mailo estates between customary tenants and bonafide occupants on one hand, and Buganda Land Board Limited on the other.
Local government in Buganda, who are legitimate beneficiaries of those estates are either forced to rent, lease or abandon and then, the tax payer who paid the bill of erecting those blocks, is again burdened with buying land for local administration and building new blocks.
The Kabaka’s subjects find themselves meeting the bill of supporting local administration Gombolola and Muluka chiefs and those for Mmengo yet one chief is enough to play the local administration role, as it was the case in the past, and more so now since there are today we have democratically elected local government chairpersons and councils.
l am, therefore, of the view, that in the absence of regional governments, Councils of traditional/cultural institutions should be made up of primarily, clan leaders other than politicians, that are fighting central government from within and they should negotiate directly with the President and Central Government.
Haji Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi is a veteran journalist and Deputy Resident City Commissioner for Masaka City.
P- 0756 (772) 836537
E- hajiahmedkateregga2016@gmail.com
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