Patrick Luwaga Mugumbule the speaker of Buganda Kingdom Parliament has confirmed that King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi made a phone call to His Royal Highness Apollo Sansa Kabumbuli the Kamuswaga of Kooki Chiefdom.
The development comes after over fifteen years of bickering between Buganda Kingdom leadership and Kooki over allegations of disrespect which resulted into Kooki’s agitation for secession from Buganda Kingdom
In 1896, Kooki signed an agreement to be under Buganda Kingdom after secession from Bunyoro Kingdom. Kooki and Buganda agreed to mutual respect where Kamuswaga was given special status compared to other Buganda county chiefs in the Kingdom.
However, after being appointed the Prime minister of Buganda, Charles Peter Mayiga was accused of abusing the agreement by removing Kamuswaga’s special chair from the Kingdom’s parliament at a time when Kamuswaga was demanding that his chair should be put in all county main halls in the kingdom.
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After realising that Mayiga had ignored all the prayers and appointed a special Kingdom representative in Kooki, Kooki parliament passed a resolution banning the singing of Buganda anthem in their territory. They also adopted English as the primary language used in all the Chiefdom’s meetings
Buganda’s special representative in Kooki Gertrude Nakalanzi Ssebugwawo was arrested on orders of Kamuswaga administration who accused her of trespassing in their chiefdom and carrying out cultural activities which violates the traditional and cultural leaders’ restoration laws which states that for any cultural leader to go into another culture leader’s territory to carryout any cultural activity, they have to first get approval.
In 2022, Mayiga’s visit to Kooki was disrupted when natives who believe in Kamuswaga’s leadership demonstrated on the streets of Kooki against Mayiga’s visit to their territory without the approval of Kamuswaga. A number of meetings were chaired by Mugumbule and Buganda’s Attorney General Owekitiibwa Christopher Bwanika.
In their last meeting, Kamuswaga’s team stormed out citing disrespect from Buganda’s team especially Mayiga. They declared that they will only sit with Mengo leadership again once Kabaka Mutebi personally intervenes.
This website can exclusively report that Kabaka himself assigned Bwanika and Mugumbule who is a prince from Kooki to engage Kamuswaga’s leadership and he has been closely monitoring the negotiations until he made a phone call to Kamuswaga.
“Before reading His Majesty Kabaka Mutebi’s official condolence message to Kamuswaga and the entire Kooki Chiefdom, I wish to report that Kabaka himself made a phone call to Kamuswaga and has consoled him for the loss of his mother,” Mugumbule said.
In his condolence message, Kabaka Mutebi thanked God for the life of the late Namasole Rovence Namatovu Mazinga mother to Kamuswaga and his siblings.
Kabaka thanked Kamuswaga and other family members for taking care of their mother during her sickness until the time when God decided to take her and Buganda Kingdom consoled Kamuswaga with Shs3m.
Observers told this website that Kabaka’s actions during the challenging times for Kamuswaga for losing his dear mother is a symbolic gesture of good will noting that it is likely going to help to permanently solve the longtime misunderstanding between the two cultural leaders.
Buganda Kingdom Information and mobilization minister Owekitiibwa Israel Kitooke Kazibwe recently told this website that there are individuals who are fueling the fight between Buganda and Kooki to achieve their personal scores noting that Kabaka is ready for peace in his Kingdom
Stanley Ndawula the information minister in Kamuswaga’s government said that Kooki is ready to cooperate with Buganda but with both sides showing respect to each other.
Ndawula also added that they want a review of the agreement which brought both cultural institutions together.
