West Minster Abbey
The brutal invasion of the Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom by the British which borders on genocide and war crimes negates Queen Elizabeth’s II legacy of a well-groomed, compassionate, and wise monarch, according to elders in Uganda’s oldest kingdom famed for resisting colonialism.
Issac Kalembe, a resident of Hoima district told Uganda Radio Network in an interview that although it is uncultured to celebrate the demise of even one’s enemy, the late Queen’s failure to pay for the injustices meted out on Bunyoro by the British was a big mistake. He says that Banyoro are still annoyed by the atrocities inflicted on them by the British government.
Francis Sewante, a resident of Kagadi district who is an advisor to Omukama Solomon Gafabusa Iguru, said during the battle between Omukama Cwa II Kabalega and the British over two million Banyoro lost their lives.
He added that Banyoro women were sold off as slaves, their land was grabbed, livestock was looted and to date, no compensation has been made by the British government. Sewante, however, asks the people to neither condemn nor vindicate the late Queen for the atrocities committed by her government in the kingdom but leave that to God.
Yolamu Nsamba, the former Principal Private Secretary to the Omukama says that although it is hard to erase history, despite reigning for more than 70 years, Queen Elizabeth died without the courtesy to apologize to the people of Bunyoro for the plunder of kingdom resources.
Nsamba who is also the current Vice Chairperson of the Kingdom Royal Commission adds that the queen would have initiated reconciliation with Bunyoro as what they did to the Aborigines in Australia.
He said the records show that the stolen resources including Timber from Budongo and Bugoma central forest reserves were used to build Westminster. “They came to plunder, even the wealth they are seated on was stolen from here, they are just like highway robbers,” said Nsamba.
He says to make matters worse they captured Omukama Chwa II Kabalega because of his spirited resistance against their rule and indoctrination and imprisoned him on Seychelles Island for 23-years.
He says the British government among other things confiscated the Kingdom throne (Nyamyaro) that they went and kept in Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford.
Nsamba says to date the Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom still demands reparations from Britain, noting that Bunyoro Kitara Reparations Agency (BUKITAREPA) a local organization that pushes for reparations from the colonialists is on the right track.
On January 1, 1894, the British declared war on Bunyoro. The war ended in 1899 after the British imperialists defeated Omukama Kabalega who died in 1922 in whose absence they (imperialists) took advantage to plunder Bunyoro resources.
Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday last week at her Scottish estate, where she had spent much of the summer. The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and witnessed enormous social change. The African countries were decolonised and granted independence under her reign.
-URN
