Embattled Bunyoro PM Byakutaga should know that even the longest snake has a tail

Op-Ed: To begin with, without fear of any contradiction or being in favor of anyone, I must, and on a very serious note, emphatically state that the current noise pollution between the Okwiri of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom Mr. Fred Mugenyi Rucunya and the purportedly expired Omuhikirwa Mr. Byakutaga Andrew is unfortunate, disgraceful, unacceptable, embarrassing, callous and generally to say the least, totally uncalled for. That said, every right thinking descendant of Bunyoro should join me to condemn the ongoing saga in the strongest and loudest voice possible.

You see, when you fight with your wife outside the house and you grab her gomasi in a hurry to tear into pieces her Kaleegato shame herand, in the same spirit, she grabs back your trouser and throws the father of her children before our naked eyes for everyone to see because of anger, when the same anger evaporates and the two of you reconcile, it does not wash away the details of the images as in shapes and sizes of the things our eyes saw. In our free time, we look at you and flashback at the unlimited experience you threw to us at a free cost.

With the two kingdom officials, each one declaring the other to be fraudulent, liar, conman, illegal and generously corrupt, whether true or not, such unsubstantiated tantrums have seen Karuziika, in the ears and eyes of public opinion, degenerate into a theatre of absurdity where wickedness seems to be off-limit. BKK administration is today, more than before, famous not because of its rich history related to wars of conquest but because it has become a mirrored laughing stock.

I have listened to Figo West’s new song ‘Ensonga’. In this song, West is heard lamenting, ‘abebitinisa mukutinisa’ meaning ‘men with repute are now scaring’. West goes on to borrow the famous phrase ‘Entebbe ewoma’ meaning ‘the chair is sweet’ from the man who ruled Uganda as a President for the shortest time (June 1979-May 1980) HE Godfrey Binaisa. Myultimatepoint of interest in West’s song comes when he says that the leadership of push and I push or pull as I pull will murder the reputation of the Kingdom and concludes his lyrical statement by inviting the embattled Omuhikirwa to relinquish power.

It is surprising that Byakutaga as a beneficiary of forced evacuation of his predecessor Mr. Norman Lukumu back in 2018, learnt nothing and forgot everything. He should have shown remorse as early as last year when the chaos about his contract began to emerge and some people were speaking in low tones that his tenure at Karuzika had expired. A man who goes to bed with an itching anus must not be shocked when he wakes up the next morning with smelly fingers. He should have seen this coming through the binoculars of history. They say, history does not repeat itself but foolish actors of history repeat the same historical mistakes.  Apparently, there is no legacy whatsoever in forcing himself to be the first prime minister without ministers in the history of the Kingdom. All his ministers honorably, left office and that should inspire him to have the courage to leave as well. The rest can be discussed when he is out of office.

His argument that only the King appoints and disappoints does not hold water. In this case, the Babiito clan, the heads of all Nyoro clans and the critical mass of Bunyoro are not questioning the appointing authority. They are simply saying that his contract expired and that makes him illegal in the palace. If he feels that he is the only person who is righteousness enough to be the prime minister of BKK, I want to think that he stays near the King. The thing is simple, let him go like he is going on his routine visit togreet the King in the morning andpolitely ask him to renew his contract as well as appoint new ministers.

But, the mere fact that the Kingdom has been without ministers for the last six months or so, is enough to give weight to the rumor that the King is not in his right state of mind to make decisions.  So in the event that such a rumor is true, who then rescues the Kingdom or perform the King’s duties? It’s no brainer that the ruling family has to step in and by extension the clan. Contrary to Byakutaga’s argument of the King this, the King that, the constitution bla bla,it is common knowledge that the King does not in the first place become a King because of articles in the 1995 constitution. The King becomes a legitimate candidate for the throne by virtue of his lineage. That is family.

It is common sense to say that the head of the clan which gives birth to the King, in this case the Okwiri of BKK, has a right to have a say on what happens in the Kingdom because procedurally, he is the King’s father. Mr. Mugenyi Rucunya could be having his flaws as person but the matter of his role in the affairs of the Kingdom as the Okwiri is undisputable. His authority in this regard must not and cannot be undermined. Doing so means seeing the King in the mouth.  I will not comment about his appointment letter that I came across on the internet sometime back. If legit, it was elaborative enough to show that he has some work to do on behalf of the King in case he is incapacitated.

Take it or leave it, the entire Babiito clan cannot falsely and maliciously claim that their son is not in the right position to do his work as a king. That, if found true, could carry a moral equivalent of treason and is punishable by the greatest curse that made the Bacwezi to disappear from the face of the earth.  Logically, we can only say that Sir Andrew Byakutaga cannot love the King more than his family, more than his clan to a point that he is the only person with living truth about the health of the King.

I first heard about the unfortunate illness of Omukama Solomon Iguru Gafabusa on 18^th February 2023 at Biiso Guest House in Biiso Town, Buliisa district when a rich delegation of about 20 Babiito clan members headed by the Okwir Mr. Mugenyi Rucunya came to dialogue with representatives from the Bagungu community on the question Bugungu autonomy.

In good faith, I am a Munyapya 3:1:1 from BBB aka Butembbegwa Bwa Bagungu. My solemn prayer is that the dirt inside BKK settles down and the Kingdom stands together on its two feet again. In the discipline of the Gungu culture, you are not supposed to beat a man who has fallen on the ground unless you are a cannibal.

Bagungu would wish to have a legitimate Omuhikirwa (not an imposter) from BKK, in attendance and seated on a front seat the day the Bugungu Cultural leader elect, Mr. Norman Lukumu, will be installed on his throne. It is coming home soon! Mr. Norman’s success should be a big a lesson to Byakutaga and men of his ilk who fear change. He is a good example that one can still succeed elsewhere after relinquishing certain power. The Baganda say ‘Omutonzi waffe yasalwo!’

The author is Nelson Byaruhanga, an indigenous journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker.

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