'DON'T STAGE A 1966 COUP ON UMUKUKA!' Bugisu Kingdom Spokesperson Blasts MPs Over Power Fight

By Our Reporter

A fresh storm is brewing in Bugisu after the spokesperson of the Bugisu Cultural Institution, Steven Masiga, accused a section of Members of Parliament of plotting to strip Umukuka Jude Mike Mudoma of his cultural authority, warning that the region will not tolerate what he described as a repeat of the infamous 1966 Buganda crisis.

Addressing the media, Masiga alleged that some legislators under the Bugisu Parliamentary Caucus have been moving around government offices in an attempt to prevent the Umukuka from presiding over the official launch of this year’s Imbalu circumcision ceremonies.

“We cannot allow a scene reminiscent of the 1966 Kabaka crisis in which cultural and traditional institutions were abolished in Uganda,” Masiga said.

He urged the people of Bugisu to remain vigilant against what he termed attempts to weaken the institution of the Umukuka through political manoeuvres.

“We totally reject any form of caucusing and clique formations meant to undermine cultural institutions, whether in Bugisu or elsewhere. Our people must remain on the highest cultural alert to avert this,” he said.

According to Masiga, the plan allegedly involved assigning the launch of the Imbalu season to district chairpersons instead of the Umukuka. However, he claimed the LC 5 chairpersons have since acknowledged that the cultural leader is the rightful person to preside over the ceremony.

“I am happy to report that the LCV chairpersons who had erroneously been drafted into that task have realised its impossibility. They now agree that the Umukuka is the rightful person to preside over Imbalu and appoint the team to oversee the launch,” he said.

Masiga further alleged that the campaign against the cultural leader is being spearheaded by some MPs affiliated with the National Unity Platform (NUP), together with “one or two misguided NRM MPs,” while claiming that several other ruling party legislators have distanced themselves from the alleged scheme.

He also said several district chairpersons in the region continue to support the Umukuka’s leadership.

Calling for restraint, Masiga urged politicians to respect existing legal processes instead of attempting to resolve cultural disputes through political pressure.

“Whenever there is conflict in society, the best remedy is the courts. Let us respect those mechanisms instead of allowing a group of parliamentarians to ignore them,” he said.

He warned that voters are closely monitoring the actions of their elected leaders ahead of the next electoral cycle.

“The next elections are about 1,500 days away, and our people are watching with suspicion,” he said.

The remarks come amid ongoing disagreements over the organisation and leadership of this year’s Imbalu cultural ceremonies, although the MPs mentioned in the allegations had not publicly responded by the time of publication.