By Mulengera Reporters
On Thursday, thousands of Baganda converged at Kibuli Mosque in Kampala’s Makindye Division to celebrate Kabaka Mutebi’s 32nd coronation anniversary. He was crowned Kabaka of Buganda on 31st July 1993 at Nagalabi in Buddo those days when Gen Museveni was still very popular with Baganda.
At Kibuli, many big-name Bagandas assembled including NUP President Bobi Wine Kyagulanyi Ssentamu. It was Prince Nakibinge, the Kibuli boss (titular head of Muslims in Uganda aka Jaaja w’obusiraamu) who created a moment off his speech to provide time for some of the political leaders present to say something.
Even when more senior NRM cadres and Ministers were present, Nakibinge (with a lot of fondness) singled out Microfinance Minister Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo (his blue-eyed boy) to be the one to speak on behalf of all the big men from the Movement and from Museveni’s government.
He directed Kasolo, with whom he seemed to have a lot of personal chemistry, to step forward, greet Kabaka’s people and then proceed to introduce all the big men from Museveni’s government and party.
This indicated the growing influence Kasolo, the incoming CEC member and NRM Chairman for Baganda, is continuing to have in the management of public affairs in Buganda, Muslim faith and Uganda too, making him hard to ignore. It was a massive event and the crowd comprised of largely big people, not just ordinary Kampalans. Remarkably, Haruna Kasolo was welcomed with lots of cheers and applause from the gathering, which these days rarely happens for Museveni’s Ministers at such gatherings in Buganda region.
As Kasolo, himself a devout Muslim loyal to Kibuli, moved to the microphone to do as instructed, Prince Nakibinge asked Bobi Wine who was nearer to be coming to briefly greet Kabaka’s people and proceed to introduce fellow opposition parties’ leaders present. Instead, Bobi Wine opted to take longer time than he had been allocated.
After introducing the PFF big men Erias Lukwago and Semujju Nganda (who are frequent worshippers at Kibuli and are Prince Nakibinge’s blue-eyed boys), Mr. Wine went on to introduce his SG David Lewis Rubongoya, LoP Joel Ssenyonyi, his Deputy Muwanga Kivumbi and all his NUP party MPs present.
However, Mr. Wine controversially skipped Mathias Mpuuga, his former Deputy President, LoP and Minister in Kabaka’s government. Mpuuga was conspicuous at the event but Mr. Wine contemptuously never made any reference to him, something which Katikkiro Mayiga must have taken note of and disapproved of.
When he was making his speech much later on, Mayiga politely rebuked Mr. Wine making it clear it was a big oversight not to recognize the immediate former LoP and ex-NUP Deputy President.
Ostensibly to avoid embarrassing and making Mr. Wine to feel uncomfortable, the Katikkiro told the cheering gathering that he is convinced that Kyagulanyi hadn’t taken note of Mpuuga’s presence otherwise there is no way anyone sensible would have expected him not to recognize and introduce a big man like Mpuuga who, moreover returned to Parliament in 2021 on the NUP ticket and as LoP was leading the very MPs the man from Magere proudly introduced to the gathering.
Many of the MPs he introduced are so insignificant and obscure to the extent that they are not even fit to untie Mpuuga’s shoes. Indeed, Prince Nakibinge’s directive was for the NUP President to introduce all fellow opposition parties’ heads and not NUP MPs.
Mpuuga was naturally supposed to be introduced by Mr. Wine because apart from PFF’s Erias Lukwago, he was the other opposition political party leader present because the Democratic Front (DF), which he heads as President, is officially one of the political parties on the opposition side with even representation in Parliament. In order to ensure that Mr. Wine doesn’t feel very uncomfortable with a lot of guilt over the Mpuuga fiasco, Mayiga covered him up by asserting that he believes the man from Magere had just not seen Mpuuga.
“You know that position where Rt Honorable Mathias Mpuuga sat makes it hard for my brother-in-law [Bobi Wine] to have seen him. And it’s understandable because even myself I hadn’t seen him actually except that someone has just sneaked to me a small piece of paper notifying me about his presence in this function,” Mayiga said in a comment many construed to be mere sarcasm since he was saying all this after clearly humiliating and deflating Mr. Wine.
To many people at the Kibuli event and those following via media live broadcasts, declining or refusing to recognize Mathias Mpuuga portrayed Mr. Wine as a very vindictive person who holds grudges, doesn’t forgive and doesn’t let go that easily. And all that negative portrayal of Mr. Wine was a direct outcome of Mayiga’s insistence to politely and casually protest about apparent Kyagulanyi efforts and undermine and belittle his former Deputy.
KABAKA’S MESSAGE: In a related development, the Kabaka also sent in a recorded message which was aired virtually without him physically being present at Kibuli. In his message, the Kabaka castigated Museveni supporters (many thought he was veiledly referring to Minister Sam Mayanja) who quote laws in some unusual way to justify their hostility to him, his interest in land and the entire Buganda Kingdom. He thanked Baganda for always standing firm against such detractors.
He also talked about the upcoming 2026 elections and asked his people to be cautious because, in his view, its during such heated moments that Buganda’s enemies take advantage of the chaos to sneak in unworthy leaders who win positions which they proceed to use to undermine his throne and the Buganda Kingdom at large. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
