SDG_16

Promote peaceful & inclusive societies 4 sustainable development, provide access 2 justice 4 all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions.

[TumukundeTonny(TT) @TumukundeTT]

THERE IS A BIG PROBLEM IN YOUR STATEMENTS, THEY WILL TEAR THE KINGDOM. LET ME TELL YOU WHY;
Your statement is long, but its central weakness is remarkably simple: it assumes the very authority that the Queen Mother is challenging.

You tell us that over 100 Babiito met at Karuziika, selected 21 people, and that this became the “Royal Succession Committee.” But where, precisely, did those 100 Babiito derive the legal or customary authority to constitute a body whose decision would determine the next Omukama?

Calling it a “Royal Succession Committee” does not answer that question. A committee does not become legitimate merely because it gives itself a name, holds a meeting and votes.

If the Queen Mother’s objection is that this was a “self-appointed group,” the answer cannot simply be: more than 100 people attended. The real question is whether those people had the recognised mandate under Tooro custom to constitute the body that Mwenda now treats as the supreme electoral authority. That is the answer 'Best' is looking for.

There is another serious problem.

You say Oyo’s son was excluded because there was no photograph, there were questions about his mother, different names had been used, and some Babiito had never heard of him.
But since when does not having a photograph at a meeting become a customary test of dynastic legitimacy? As, you claim to be an 'old man of the clan', do you think the absence of the above, delegitimise the young boy (if any) of his royalty? Be fair Andrew!!!

If the existence of a possible heir was genuinely in dispute, the rational course would have been to verify the claim—identity, parentage, birth records, DNA where appropriate, testimony, and the applicable customary requirements. Instead, the committee allegedly moved from uncertainty to exclusion.
That is not the same thing as disproving the claim.

You also make a revealing rhetorical move by repeatedly calling the child “Oyo’s purported son.” That is a conclusion masquerading as neutral description. If paternity is disputed, then say it is disputed. Do not use the language of uncertainty to create the impression that the claim has already been discredited.

You say the Queen Mother was represented on the committee by her brother Patrick Kawamara. But if the Queen Mother herself is an institutionally significant actor in the succession of her deceased son, why should her participation be reduced to being represented by a relative on a committee whose mandate she disputes? Would you expect a sober mother like 'Best' to be in such a contested meeting with her son lying unburied??
Representation is not the same thing as consent. Nor does the fact that a person attends a meeting necessarily mean that they accept the legitimacy of the process taking place at that meeting.

The argument about the will is equally problematic. You say the will contains only a “hypothetical heir” and therefore does not resolve succession. Fine.
But if the will does not resolve succession, why is it being deployed as part of the argument against the Queen Mother’s position?

A will may answer questions concerning property and personal wishes. Succession to a traditional throne is a different question governed by the applicable constitutional, statutory and customary framework.

So the real issue is not whether Oyo’s will magically names a successor. The real issue is whether the succession process being undertaken is lawful, customary, legitimate and inclusive of the institutions entitled to participate in it.

And this is where your statement becomes politically interesting. You spend enormous energy explaining why Oyo’s possible son should not automatically inherit. But who is arguing that a son automatically inherits? That is a straw man!!!

The more difficult question is whether the existence of a son and the circumstances of his birth must first be conclusively established before the kingdom closes the succession question. Those are completely different propositions.

Your statement also says the kingdom was “time barred” and therefore moved to the next candidate after George Kamurasi allegedly asked for time to consult his wife and business partners. Time-barred by what rule? What customary provision imposes that deadline? Who set it? Why was the deadline necessary? And why should the urgency of filling the throne override unresolved questions concerning a possible direct descendant of the deceased Omukama? These are not minor procedural questions. They go to the legitimacy of the entire process.

But there is an even deeper issue that your statement does not confront. Why is there such extraordinary urgency to determine the next King?

If the real objective is simply to identify the most legitimate successor, there should be no fear of a transparent process that establishes the facts first. The controversy therefore appears to be about more than the identity of the next Omukama. It is about who will have influence over the next Omukama.

The Queen Mother is not merely another relative of the late King. She occupies a distinct cultural position and has been closely associated with the young King and the institution of the Tooro monarchy.

Therefore, a succession struggle in which the Queen Mother’s influence is diminished, her preferred position is challenged, and a new succession structure is rapidly constructed around her is inevitably going to raise questions about the political future of the institution itself.

This is why the debate should not be reduced to:

“Did Oyo introduce his son?”

“Was there a photograph?”

“What did the will say?”

“Did 100 Babiito meet?”

Those are pieces of the puzzle—not the puzzle itself.

The fundamental questions are:

Who has the authority to determine succession?

What customary rules confer that authority?

Was the Queen Mother’s institutional role properly recognised?

Why was the possible heir excluded rather than subjected to a transparent verification process?

What exactly made the succession process “time barred”?

And, ultimately:

Who benefits from determining the next Omukama through this particular process, at this particular moment, and with the Queen Mother’s influence reduced?

Until those questions are answered, your statement does not settle the succession dispute.

It merely gives us one side’s explanation of why it believes it should control the process.

And that is precisely the issue in dispute.

[Martha Marty @marthamarty_]

Andrew Mwenda, you may or may not mean well, intentionally or unintentionally, but for a learned fellow like yourself, perhaps now is one of those times/moments you lay low. There are many people even closer to the royal family that have refrained from being the voice of Kingdom affairs not because they know nothing, but because they know how much whatever little or much they share will impact the ongoing conflict.

Your initial communication caused quite the uproar, only for it to change over a matter of days, and now here we are still seeing more changes.

Not everything deserves to be addressed… at least not until it is conclusively decided so. It is a moment of grief, tempers are bound to soar high, and a lot is bound to be said and done that will later be regretted.

Silence never once meant accepting defeat… sometimes it remains necessary to maintain a level of peace and calm.

The more persons considered influential, close and knowledgeable as regards the Kingdom affairs and decisions keep coming to relay information, later dispute or correct it, the more the public that’s closely watching everything play out is left in awe, confused and questioning not just the ability of the persons entrusted with Kingdom affairs, but also their motive.

It’s been barely a week since King Oyo’s body was brought back home and there’s already been multiple “announcements” on who will take on the throne.

Beyond that, let the King be accorded some respect as his body lays cold at the palace. Some of these fights, arguments can ensue when he’s been laid to rest.

My 2 scents… as unsolicited as may be.

[cynthiechoco @cynthiechoco]

Remember the UGX 60 billion meant to pay Uganda’s foreign debt money that disappeared and was diverted to Roadway Company Limited in Tokyo and MJS International in London.
President Museveni has now reinstated the nine Finance officials charged in the case, led by former Accountant General Lawrence Ssemakula.
If these officials are innocent, who took the money?
Reinstating them without answering that question is not a fight against corruption. We deserve to know who took it, and what it was used for.

They can’t all be innocent, the money did not vanish on its own.
The officials named in this case
1. Lawrence Ssemakula -Accountant General, the officer in charge of public funds
2. Jennifer Muhuruzi -Commissioner, Treasury Services
3. Pedison Twesigomwe -Assistant Commissioner, Accounts
4. Tonny Yawe -Senior IT Officer
5. Paul Nkalubo Lumala -IT Systems Officer
6. Deborah Kusiima -Senior Accountant
7. Judith Ashiba -Accountant
8. Bettina Nayebare -Research Assistant Accountant
9. Mark Kasiiku -IT Officer

WHO TOOK OUR MONEY!!!

[SDG_16 @SD6_16]

@Mutant1438502 @AllanSseky 😁😁😁😁😁

[Solomon Serwanjja @SolomonSerwanjj]

I come to you in need, dear friends. As Chairman of Bamutakudde Village, I carry a heavy burden on my heart for my people.

I want to us to join hands and provide sponsorship to 100 children this term at only UGX. 60,000 per child to facilitate their education and stay in school.

Every child in Bamutakudde deserves to sit in a classroom, eat a hot meal, hold a pen and a book, open a textbook and DREAM BIG. Every 60K you give changes a life.

This is not just charity, it is an investment in the future of these children.

You can donate using this link https://t.co/uAwjy8f8Ws. We are working with
@grooplybyiotec @ioTec_Limited on this crowd sourcing campaign .

[SDG_16 @SD6_16]

@UGLawyer Uhm! Uhm! Uhm! Uhm! Uhm! From grass to grace ; & back to grass. 🤦🏿‍♀️

[SDG_16 @SD6_16]

@San3Sandrah @Alahai256 @MugishaJuma3 @SolomonSerwanjj Yes, if only she can relocate to Bamutakudde village.😇

[Anthony Natif @TonyNatif]

The @TheEconomist seems to have chosen to go bare knuckles with the Ugandan state. How many more hit pieces do they have left in their arsenal?

[SDG_16 @SD6_16]

@TonyNatif Yiyiyiiiiii😁😁😁😁. Natif & violence🙌. I agree though....

[SDG_16 @SD6_16]

@DrBellahh @DaudiKabanda Charity begins at home....

[Dalton Kaweesa @DaltonKaweesa]

If I were @AndrewMwenda, armed with such information, cognisant of the circumstances at play and my heritage , but more importantly thirsty to drive a particular agenda, I wouldn’t share it myself.

I’d give it to someone else to put out there. In fact, I’d probably give it to that guy who is usually with Mr. @Kasuku256. I don’t know his name.

[SDG_16 @SD6_16]

@alexmugasha1 Let him start with Hoima before he goes to Fortportal....there must be a mortuary at Hoima hospital

[SDG_16 @SD6_16]

@jalirabagi Isnt there a mortuary in Hoima to give us a sample before he sets off for Fortportal?

[Jim Spire Ssentongo @SpireJim]

When entities want to create an impression in the public psyche that they’re in charge, that they’re the power that matters, one of the things they’ll strategically do is to appear to be the agenda setters.
- They’ll ensure that they’re the first to announce important things;
- that they matter in determining who becomes king, especially as they announce a name other than what the public expected and indicated by the President;
- that they’re the ones who make key endorsements, eg Speakers, again as they announce a candidate other than the expected and indicated by the President…;
- that they are the ones who endorse ministers and heads of other vital organs;
- that they can influence sacking big people;
- that they can operate above the law, courts and institutions without any consequences;
- that freedom, opportunities and loss of the two depends on how you relate with them.

With all this, the public is being manipulated and prepared to re-organise and align its hopes, expectations, plans, and behaviour accordingly.

[Andrew Kyamagero @kyamageroandrew]

When one is determined to drive an agenda, facts quickly become an inconvenient luxury.

There will be a time for questions. A time for explanations. A time to interrogate every claim and separate fact from conjecture.

But first, let us grieve.

Andy, tulako wansi.

Let us accord the moment the dignity it deserves, and allow our cultural leaders to communicate what we must know, when tradition, responsibility and circumstance permit.

Not every silence is evidence of concealment. Sometimes silence is simply the language of mourning.

[Silver Kayondo @SilverKayondo]

Announcement of a new king in #Tooro is done after burial by the Omusuuga to to our Supreme Council (Orukurato), which is the highest organ of the kingdom.

We shall stick to that protocol because it also has its cultural rites & procedures.

[SDG_16 @SD6_16]

@arihojulio Does he exclusively resurrect kings or he can do the sample any other body? Hoima must be having a hospital; charity begins at home.

[SDG_16 @SD6_16]

@AndrewMwenda Mr. Mwenda, what exactly are you trying to prove usurping powers of the Tooro kingdom's official communication channels? Why are you always in an unnecessary rush?

[Samwise Gamgee @Sambannz]

Motorists used pay Ugx 137,000 for a similar number plate that is now charged at Ugx 714,300.

After payment, you now have to pay a bribe of between Ugx 500,000 to Ugx 3,000,000 to get your number plate

Also, @itmsug has dropped from issuing 300 plates to just 100 plates a day

[SDG_16 @SD6_16]

@investigator_ug So the brothers chose to marry the two sisters? The mathematics in Tooro Kingdom!