As the Katikkiro of Buganda Kingdom Charles Peter Mayiga marks seven years since he was given powers of that position ‘Ddamula’, he has released a statement where he highlights the achievements of his tenure, changes, and future plans.
Mayiga has said that he, the Buganda Cabinet, and the Kingdom at large are still very much pushing and pursuing the sharing of power through a Federal system of government, as one of the Kingdom’s ‘Five Aspiration Objectives which, when taken together, sum up the overall vision of the Kingdom.
The other four objectives the Katikkiro listed include:
- Protection and Preservation of the Cultural Heritage of Buganda including the Sanctity of the Occupant of her Throne
- Protection of all Kingdom Lands including the Sanctity of Her Borders
- Production and Service Delivery (this includes health; education; job creation and general development themes)
- Promotion of Unity.
“We now purposefully aspire for a Federal system of government. That has been our aim all along, but with a full time serving cabinet, we have begun to walk the talk. As we embark on this fundamental new paradigm shift we draw inspiration from the Kingdom restoration process.” Mayiga said in a statement.
He added, “We, therefore, set ourselves the task of running a government akin to what we aspire to have under a federal system, and whoever thinks this is mere tokenism will be disabused of that inclination by history.”
Buganda’s aspiration for a Federal system of government has not started today; neither did it start when Kingdoms were restored by President Museveni in 1993. It goes all the way back to the 1950s when Uganda’s independence from the British colonialists looked imminent, and Buganda wanted to stay a sovereign state in Uganda, something the British did not heed to.