Following a number of scandals that seems to have characterised the leadership of Baker Kimeze, the Scribe’s Mouth Off is investigating facts around the seemingly unbecoming nature of the Kimeze administration said to have been marred by human rights abuses and fraud.
What is Bunyala Kingdom?
Found in Kayunga district, a rural community in the Central Eastern part of Uganda, Bunyala ‘Kingdom’ was part of Bugerere county in Buganda Kingdom. In the early 20s however when some counties of Buganda including Kooki and Nakasongola started seeking autonomous status, the Banyala, a tribe in Buganda also decided to take advantage.
Initially they had grouped as Barulu- Banyala promoting Salongo Mwogeza Butamanya, now the King of Burulu kingdom as their leader. However, when the kingdom of Buruli which is found in Nakasongola district was approved and given autonomous status independent from Buganda, the Banyala saw an opportunity to promote the community as a kingdom independent from Buganda and Buruli. A committee was formed to document the history of Bunyala, an activity that was perhaps intended to promote Bunyala as one of the historical chiefdoms in Uganda.
It should be noted that the present day Uganda was initially a group of independent kingdoms and chiefdoms before they were united by the colonialists into a republic.
The quest for Bunyala kingdom created three factions with each claiming to be the true cultural leader of the community. The factions included;
1. Ezra Lubega who claimed to be the Nyamuyonjo (Royal clan titular head). Lubega is the father Hon. Florence Naiga, the former minister of Elderly and disability and former Kayunga district woman member of Parliament.
2. Nuwa Rwebanyo who claimed to be the Koojo (Royal clan titular head) and
3. Nathan Mpagi who claimed to be the Sabanyala (Royal clan not known). Mpagi is the father of Baker Kimeze, the current Sabanyala.
Each faction was claiming to be the true crown ‘prince’ of the kingdom.
Banyala kingdom is among the three Ugandan tribes which claimed autonomous status from Buganda in the early 2000. They include Kooki kingdom in Rakai district under Kamuswaga Apollo Sansa Kabumbuli II, Buluuli kingdom in Nakasongola district under the Isabaluuli Isabalongo Mwogeza Butamanya and Bunyala in Kayunga district under the Isabanyala Baker Kimeze.
Unlike Kooki and Buruli which are gazetted kingdoms in Uganda, Bunyala has until today continued to operate illegally for lack its being gazetted. “Our biggest challenge now is government’s delay to gazette our chiefdom”, the Prime Minister of Bunyala, Mr. Martin Senkatuka told the media in 2021.
Nathan Mpagi becomes Sabanyala
Given a close relationship Nathan Mpagi had with president Yoweri Museveni, the committee Led by Mr. James Rwebikire and Mr. Martin Senkatuka (now the prime minister of Bunyala) decided to promote him as the cultural leader of Bunyala believing the president would not hesitate to reward his longtime friend.
The power struggles however continued to escalate from within the community which allegedly led to Kimeze’s father’s death days before the day President Museveni was going to Kayunga to install him.
Kimeze’s father is believed to be one of the ‘kadogos’ who fought with President Museveni during the NRM liberation war commonly known as the bush war.
His death temporarily halted the coronation preparations leading to the stalemate of the breakaway campaign. The committee however allegedly had to find a suitable candidate that could attract the approval of the president of Uganda.
It is said that at the time of his father’s death, Baker Kimeze, by then a serving army officer was in a military prison allegedly on charges of fraud. The Scribe could not independently verify this fact at the time of publishing this article.
It is also alleged that Mpagi who was a close friend of the president had already petitioned the president to pardon his son and that upon his death, the president had to fulfill his promise and released Kimeze.
How Kimeze became king.
The committee advocating for the secession of Bunyala from Buganda seemingly thought it wise that fronting Mpagi’s son would create the best ‘bait’ to convince the president.
The president was however hesitant to buy the idea and this allegedly prompted Rwebikire and his group to play some politics especially since the 2011 general elections were near.
They are said to have used the first lady’s auntie, Ms. Margaret Balyehuki the then Resident district commissioner of Kayunga as an accomplice in winning government on Bunyala side.
The team used Musoke Sevume as a scapegoat given the fact that he was an official in Buganda doubling as a Democratic party promoter. Senkatuka, the current Bunyala prime minister allegedly told Balyehuki (RIP) that Sevume was using the Kabaka to promote Kiiza Besigye in Kayunga an act that would fail the rulling party in the 2011 general elections.
To Balyehuki this was a taboo. She used to declare that her major duty in Kayunga was to promote the interests of the president. Perhaps this was a credible reason to have her side with the Banyala. The result was the Bugerere riots in 2009 arising from the state refusal of the Kabaka to visit the Buganda county of Bugerere.
Many people are believed to have died during this fracas probably due to the alleged lies that started with Rwebikire and Senkatuka to promote the interests of Bunyala by accusing Buganda of being anti government.
After the riots however, the president seems to have received intelligence briefing and was quoted in the media castigating ‘liers’ who led to this would be avoidable mistake. The presidential ‘public apology’ stalled the installation of Kimeze.
Bunyala kingdom claims that Baker Kimeze celebrated 11 years on the throne. Attempts to verify the legality of Bunyala as a kingdom were futile as our calls to James Rwebikire’s known telephones were not answered.