President Museveni meets the Bataka of Buganda led by ICT Minister Joyce Ssebugwawo
President Yoweri Museveni Kaguta has again met with Buganda Class leaders at State House Entebbe.
The meeting comes despite the contestations from the Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga after the first meeting last year.
In press statement from the State House Press Unit, Museveni met with the clan leaders over the weekend.
The statement says the delegation was led by the Minister of State for ICT, Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo. According to the statement, Museveni encouraged the clan leaders to preach the National Resistance Movement (NRM) wealth creation message to their followers.
“This was a follow-up meeting, following an interaction between the two parties last year. In the first meeting, the clan leaders requested the President to purchase for them land, a request he [Museveni] responded to in the affirmative. In today’s meeting, the leaders expressed their need to construct two buildings on the 2.2-acre piece of land that was gifted to them by the President. They said the buildings will house cultural resource centers such as a museum and a theatre,” the statement reads in part.
It adds that Museveni agreed to set up the buildings for them using the Uganda People’s Defence Forces Engineering Brigade. The president also pledged to support the Bataka Sacco with Shs200 million. The meetings between Museveni and some Bataka have in the past received sharp condemnation from a section of people in Buganda including the Katikkiro.
They argue that by meeting the Bataka without the knowledge of Kabaka who is the Ssabataka is an affront to the kingdom. Mayiga has previously said any such meetings between the President and the Bataka must be structured with known agenda in order to avoid any misunderstandings between the Central government and Mengo.
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