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Uganda |
CULTURE
Is there a place for royalty and traditional rulers in a modern state?
The author discusses the issue in Uganda
On 22 September 1967, just one year after Patrick Olimi Kaboyo II was installed as King (Omukama) of the Kingdom of Tooro in western Uganda, Uganda’s Prime Minister Milton Obote abolished the monarchies and all traditional rulers in Uganda.
This came as the aftermath of the 1966 crisis, when on 24 May 1966, the army attacked the palace of King (Kabaka) Sir Frederick Muteesa II of the Kingdom of Buganda, on Obote’s orders. This followed a sharp disagreement on the relationship between the kingdom and the central government. Kabaka Muteesa was driven from his palace and kingdom, and into exile in Britain where he died in 1969.
Upon the abolition of the kingdoms, the assets of the Kingdoms of Buganda, Tooro, Bunyoro-Kitara and Ankole were either confiscated or destroyed. The palace and parliament buildings (Bulange) of Buganda were occupied by the national army. The Omukama’s palace in Fort Portal, Tooro Kingdom, was also taken over by the army, whilst the parliament building (Or-ukurato Hall) at Muewa and the administrative block were taken over by the central government.
The Kingdoms of Buganda and Tooro were reinstated in 1993. Uganda’s 1995 Constitution provides for the re-institution of traditional and cultural leaders in areas of Uganda in accordance with the culture, customs, traditions, wishes and aspirations of the people to whom they apply.
However, a number of questions remain, particular concerning the major kingdoms, as many of their traditional features, authority and territory have not been restored to them. For example, the Kingdom of Buganda has been stripped of the district of Kampala, Uganda’s capital city, which was previously an integral part of the kingdom. Tooro has lost the districts of Kasese and Bundibugyo, which, together with Kabarole district, previously constituted the kingdom. Now the much smaller kingdom is made up of just Kabarole district.
Difficulties facing the restored kingdoms
Although these traditional institutions can do a lot to raise the profile of communities and highlight local issues, many monarchists believe that the idea of reinstating political powerless and economically unsustainable kings and kingdoms, is not necessarily a good move.
Uganda’s current legal structure concerning local authorities, is not ideal for kingdoms in the traditional sense. Clause (3), sub-clause (f) of Article 246 of the Constitution states that: «A traditional leader or cultural leader shall not have or exercise any administrative, legislative or executive powers of Government or local government.» Although the kingdoms have legislative bodies, it is the local governments in the kingdoms that have the power to levy taxes and legislate for local needs. For example, while the Buganda Kingdom has one legislature (Lukiiko), there are nine district legislatures in the kingdom that make laws and levy taxes.
Traditional or cultural leaders are barred from collecting taxes, which in the past ensured the economic survival of the kingdoms. Furthermore, Clause (3), sub-clause (d) of Article 246 of the Constitution provides that: «No person shall be compelled to pay allegiance or contribute to the cost of maintaining a traditional leader or a cultural leader». However, the same Article allows the traditional or cultural body to hold assets or properties in trust for itself and the people concerned, as well as to hold any asset or property acquired in a personal capacity. Some of the property of the kingdoms has been restored, but not all, and this is a source of friction between the kingdoms and the local and central governments. Thus, in Bunyoro Kingdom, the kingdom’s assets are at the centre of a row, but according to Simon Mulongo, Resident District Commissioner of Hoima district (one of the three districts that now constitute the Bunyoro kingdom), «the handover of the kingdom’s assets is in an advanced stage and the process is irreversible in favour of the kingdom».
The kingdoms can survive
Knowing that the «power to levy, charge, collect and appropriate fees and taxes» is now vested with local government, some officials in the central government believed that the kingdoms would «die a natural death». In the new millennium, however, new political thinking is now at work showing that the kingdoms can survive and indeed, can be a meaningful entity within the concept of a modern state.
Let’s take a closer look at what’s been happening within the Buganda kingdom. There is a strong feeling of voluntary commitment present here. The spirit of «bulungi bwansi» has been revitalised whereby people voluntarily maintain roads and clean up the palaces. Another example: On 27 August 1999, Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II married Sylvia Nagginda Luswate in a colourful ceremony. Many people from Buganda and Uganda in general, plus a number of organisations contributed nearly US $800,000 towards the wedding, stressing the point that for Ugandans, such an event is good for the country in general.
Power struggle
Some kingdoms, however, are enveloped by a spreading despondency over problems stemming from internal mistrust, social and economic issues and basic insecurity arising from an ever-increasing reliance on the goodwill of the central government and a few individuals in the kingdoms. For example, there is a power-struggle in the Kingdom of Tooro between members of the royal family and the prime minister (Omuhikirwa) John Katuramu and other kingdom officials, each accusing the other of using the kingdom’s assets and goodwill to amass personal wealth and for self-aggrandizement. It should be remembered that the present king, Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, is only eight years old. In denouncing Katuramu, members of the royal family argue that it is against the kingdom’s norms for him to be both the prime minister and representing the young king officially. They say that he shouldn’t sit at national functions together with other kings, as if he is the King of Tooro. Being a businessman, Katuramu is also accused of involving his business affairs in the kingdom’s economic affairs.
The reinstatement of the kings has not been without its problems. In fact, it’s only in Tooro Kingdom that the late King Omukama Patrick Olimi Kaboyo I was able to retake possession of his throne without any controversy. In Buganda, Prince Henry Kimera claimed the throne and challenged the authenticity of Ronald Mutebi as the rightful king of Buganda. The installation of the kings of Bunyoro Kitara and Busoga kingdoms was more problematic, as the matter of who was the right person to be king had to be settled in the courts of law in both instances.
Now, the kingdoms of Buganda, Tooro, Bunyoro and Busoga, plus the traditional chiefs Ubino Rwoth Jobi II of the Alur, and Emorimor Augustine Lemukol Osuban of Teso, have been reinstated. However, the kingdom of Ankole has not yet been restored, neither has Crown Prince John Barigye of Ankole been crowned king. This is because there is a division within the kingdom itself — the minority Bahima (aristocrats) against the majority Bairu who were mistreated in former days and don’t want the kingdom reinstated.
And what about President Yoweri Museveni? He hails from Ankole and his position is that the people of Ankole must decide for themselves if they want a king. He says the government’s role is to implement the people’s decision expressed through their local representatives. As for the kings themselves, the Constitution states that «a person shall not, while remaining a traditional leader or cultural leader, join or participate in partisan politics».
On balance, however, Uganda’s traditional and cultural institutions are unifying factors for the country in general —obviously something important in the lives of Ugandans.
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