Cabinet moves to silence Kabaka

Cabinet has approved a new proposed law to prohibit Kabaka Ronald Mutebi and other traditional leaders from engaging in politics. The decision was taken at a special sitting of the Cabinet chaired by President Museveni at his residence in Entebbe on Thursday.

According to a source, who attended the meeting, Cabinet unanimously approved a memorandum to table a Bill before Parliament seeking to enforce Article 246 of the Constitution that bars cultural leaders from politics.

“The Bill is ready and we unanimously concluded that never should any traditional leader participate in politics by either joining a party or taking sides,” said the source, who spoke to this newspaper on condition of anonymity because Cabinet proceedings are held in camera.

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“This Bill is meant to catch one person, the Kabaka, who is the victim of this law because all other cultural leaders have not been getting involved in politics,” said the source.
Information Minister Kabakumba Masiko admitted in an interview that the Cabinet had discussed the issue but declined to offer specifics.

“Yes we discussed it. We discussed the paper and approved it so the Minister responsible is supposed to give drafting instructions to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice,” she said.

Article 246(e) states that a person shall not, while remaining a tradition leader or cultural leader, join or participate in partisan politics.

According to the source, the new Bill will detail penalties for those leaders who get political, the first of which is a “constitutional adjudication of his/her throne.”

“Any traditional leader who contravenes this law will be forced to renounce his/her throne,” said the source. “And the kingdom subjects will be requested to find a new leader.”

Penalties

The memorandum also said traditional leaders who engage in politics will lose all benefits accrued to their throne, including “those that government is obliged to give”.
The leader would be stripped of diplomatic immunity, bodyguards, a car, house and business class air-travel, with the possibility of the state “restricting freedoms like movement,” added the source.

Mr Museveni summoned his ministers for the crunch meeting last week where the subject of Buganda Kingdom’s shutdown radio CBS was also discussed. The President is said to have told his ministers that the radio station, which marked one year off the air last month, should be switched back on air.

However, following heated discussion, a host of ministers argued that the station should be re-opened with conditions and Mr Museveni is understood to have ordered a review of the closure.

It is the first cabinet meeting the President has chaired since July, revealed the source, in what is telling of just how important the sitting was.

President Museveni has had icy relations with Buganda Kingdom over the years but relations hit an all time low in September 2009 when sporadic riots broke out in central Uganda following a decision to bar Kabaka Mutebi from visiting Kayunga District. At the height of the unrest, which claimed at least 29 lives, Mr Museveni addressed a special sitting of Parliament and announced that the government would soon table a Bill to keep the Kabaka and other traditional leaders out of politics.

Kingdom reacts

Buganda officials, including Kabaka Mutebi have been increasingly vocal on political matters such as their demand for a ‘federo’ system of government.

Kingdom publicist Charles Peter Mayiga said: “The Kabaka is the custodian of our aspirations. He has championed those aspirations to date and will continue doing so. But let’s wait and see what the Bill says.”

Author: Emmanuel Gyezaho
Source: Daily Monitor, Posted Monday, October 18 2010 at 00:00