By Stephen Akabway Jr
As an election looms, a prayer cited in 1993 a takes centre stage though silently.
The prayer wished President Yoweri Museveni longevity in power.
Rev Daniel Kajumba Kimbugwe who was a General Secretary of Buganda Kingdom and also the second highest priest under the British Anglican Church by the time of his retirement, cited the memorable prayer in favor of Museveni.
Museveni received Rev Kajumba’s blessing during a colorful ceremony at which he surrendered back Buganda kingdom’s Mengo main palace to Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi.
Overcome by joy, the bearded Rev Kajumba asserted that he and many of his Baganda tribemates never knew that the institution of Kabaka would ever be restored and his palace returned following the abolishment of monarchies by Dr Milton Obote in 1996 and confiscation of Buganda kingdom’s key properties.
Before it’s return, Mengo palace had been converted and used as a military barracks by the two governments of Dr Milton Obote, the regime of Idi Amin, the governments of Prof Yusuf Lule Kironde, Godfrey Binayisa and the military junta of Gen Tito Okello.
Interestingly, Prof Lule and Binayisa were Baganda by tribe but none of them ever made any attempt to return Buganda’s properties confiscated by Dr Obote let alone restored Buganda’s monarchy.
Their failure combined was many years later exploited by Museveni, a non Muganda president, and he finally restored the institution of Kabaka on top of returning his palaces, amassing a lot of political support from Baganda and the likes of Dr Daniel Kajumba who prayed for his longevity in power.
By 1993 when Dr Kajumba cited the memorable prayer, Gen Museveni had spent merely seven years in power.
Since 1993 to date, Museveni has ruled Uganda for a combined total of 32 years.
Since 1986 when he first swore in as a relatively younger and a much leaner new president than he is currently, Museveni has ruled Uganda for a total of 39 years combined and counting.
If you factor in the total years all his predecessors ruled Uganda, Museveni’s are greater in number than their’s combined together.
Rev Daniel Kajumba, who worked as a CBS FM Radio’s manager, left Uganda in 1998 under mysterious circumstances.
His departure for the United Kingdom was followed by strange news which indicated that he and a mysterious girl had been found at Namirembe Cathedral in a compromising posture.
Rev Kajumba before going away explained that he was merely counselling the mysterious girl when the pair were found in the compound of Namirembe Cathedral late in the evening.
The return of Buganda kingdom’s Mengo main palace marked a very significant milestone within Buganda kingdom.
Before the return of Mengo main palace, Kabaka Mutebi used to be hosted by his subjects including Eng Ddungu who owned Namulondo Bar in Bweyogerere and Hajj Mohammed Majid Bagalaaliwo who introduced the Coca Cola franchise to Uganda and who is currently lying in a two-year coma.
Museveni’s return of the palace, accelerated Kabaka Mutebi’s final coronation held at Buganda kingdom’s historical Naggalabi coronation site located in Buddo in Wakiso district.
Rev Kajumba’s prayer underlined his and his Baganda tribemates deep elation and their extreme gratitude towards Museveni’s action.
Museveni’s gesture underscored his commitment to undo the historical key mistakes committed by Dr Milton Obote when he abolished Baganda’s much cherished monarchy and confiscated Buganda kingdom’s palaces among other such key kingdom’s assets.
But Museveni’s action was also seen as a political scheme intended to woo Baganda politically to his government and to antagonize Obote’s support within Buganda kingdom by presenting himself as a key ally of Buganda kingdom who was indispensable and irreplaceable.
As the election peeps, bookmakers strongly back Museveni to return to power thanks to a disjointed opposition unable to agree on one candidate to take on a man who has been in power for 39 years and who boasts of a complete control of the army, the police and other security organs, over the country’s finances, parliament, the country judiciary and the civil servants.
