Top leaders of the Institution of the “Obwakyabazinga bwa Busoga” bitterly clashed on 5he issue of the return of kingdom property from the central government during g a meeting at the Atyorney General’s Chambers on Wednesday, 18, in Kampala.
The officials who met Attorney General Kiryoowa Kiwanuka on the contentious subject were led by Busoga Kingdom Prime Minister, Dr Joseph Muvawala Nsekere, and Kingdom Attorney General Kafuko Ntuyo, alongside Chief Nkwigha of Bunhole Bunanumba, Owek’Luyigo- the Luuka Premier, Ivan Tibenkana and a one Batabane of Butembe and Samuel Babuli Mutono, the Primier for Bulamogi Chiefdom.
The meeting resulted from an earlier letter dated August 14th by the Solicitor General to appear before the Attorney General for the crunch deliberations.
The furnace hot meeting that lasted in excess of an hour started with submissions from Dr Muvawala and Busoga Kingdom Chief Attorney, Ntuuyo who argued that all Kingdom assets be returned to the Bugembe based institution for the Kingdom leadership to oversee their distribution to the different chiefdoms.
Muvawala bitterly punched holes in the demands by the Chiefs to have the assets returned to individual chiefdoms, insisting these are subordinate principalities whose overall supervision is vested in the Kingdom.
These, however, put the PM and Obwa Kyabazinga Attorney General on the sword to explain the accountability for the kingdom property returned to the Kingdom earlier in 1998. They argued that Bugembe under Kyabazinga Gabula Nadiope has no Board of Trustees, social economic development system, annual budget, land policy to manage the assets. They also cited a breakdown in allegiance and cruel acts directed towards them under the current Bugembe regime.
After carefully listening the the submissions from the two parties and realising the legal implications to both the central government and the Kingdom, AG Kirywowa Kiwanuka suggested a meeting for all the eleven(11) chiefdoms on further engagement on the matter. He, however,said this would only be possible upon clearance by the president to whom he said was going to report whatever had transpired in the meeting.
Bugembe continues to remain shaky with disagreements among the royals, years after HRH William Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope was elected Kyabazinga on the 23rd, August, 2014.