Opinion: Owek. Katikiro Mayiga Should Intervene And Save Us, Mafias Who Used To Disturb Kabaka’s Subjects Using Buganda Land Board Have Resurfaced

By David Serumaga

Just weeks after commending the Chief Justice, His Lordship Alfonse Owuny Dollo and businessman Hajji Hamis Kiggundu for taking the right path of settling differences with the Buganda Kingdom good-naturedly, a few individuals within the Kingdom have come up to resurrect Ham-Buganda disputes.

It’s unfortunate that the Buganda we love wholeheartedly and aim to keep protecting can push its sons and daughters away.

 Let me assume that Ham was scammed while buying the Kigo Land, he accepted to settle matters peacefully because as a Muganda, he preferred not to engage in any fights with his Kabaka whom he loves most.

 In doing this, like any other loyal subjects of our beloved Kabaka, he decided to quit the Kigo land because he does not want to under-look the Kingdom and Kabaka at large like it is said in Buganda that “Kabaka tatunulwa mukamwa’’.

However, according to a letter from the Commissioner of Land Registration, it shows how this office received a complaint from K&K Advocates with S&L Advocates asserting that they are working on behalf of the Kabaka of Buganda to the effect that Ham’s Freehold titles issued on Instruction of Wakiso District Land Board were illegally created over the existing earlier Mailo titles.

These details led to the fact that Ham had also responded to the said letter through his lawyer of Muwema & Co. Advocates to seek more clarity from the complainant and the survey report. All these letters circulating on social media do not build our lovely Kingdom but rather continue to expose a few people working within the Kingdom but with hidden interests.

If Ham made a decision to stop any development on the said land and leave it for Kabaka, why would a few people alleging that they are working on behalf of the lovely Kabaka resurrect land issues which were settled outside court?

In 2017, I wrote an opinion in the print media reporting and exposing the dishonest activities done by a few conmen claiming to be workers of Buganda Land Board (BLB) officials (then) who were destabilizing and evicting the fellow Baganda from Kabaka’s land using Kabaka’s name.

Their main scam slogan was “Kabaka Asiimye okutwala ettaka’’, meaning that the King accepted to take back His land and that it is through those people that Kabaka had sent.

Such illegal activities happened in Kayunga, Nakaseke, and Luwero districts but none of the BLB officials came up to condemn such acts not until residents in Luwero went violent to an extent of burning someone’s grader.

It’s from my complaints in the media and the public outcry that forced the Buganda Premier, Owek. Charles Peter Mayiga to act and streamline the activities of BLB, up to now, mafias using the Kingdom’s name disappeared and the Kababa’s subjects are at peace.

However, I wouldn’t want to call it a case of ‘Kabaka vs Ham’ because it’s not there though a few mafias are fueling it.

We call upon Owek. Katikiro Charles Peter Mayiga to intervene and solve this issue once and for all because as Baganda we are entitled to protect and build our kingdom which Ham considers first when it comes to matters of Buganda and the Kabaka at large.

 We have had fellow Baganda who have come up publicly and disrespected our King, we cannot do anything because our King has encouraged us to remain peaceful but in this matter, a few mafias with hidden agendas are dragging our King into land issues which were resolved. 

Like we say in Luganda that ‘’Akuba owuwe akuba awumbawumba’’, let us be human and aim to have a total reconciliation because no one in Buganda would wish to have an exchange with the King.

 If Ham remained humble and respectful to the King, why would those claiming to be Buganda officials want to push a fellow Muganda to the wall?

The writer is a Pan Africanist and a concerned citizen

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