Fistula

Kafumuulampawu: The Wealthy African loves his people

Happy 69^th birthday to our beloved Kabaka Edward Fredrick Kimera Muwenda Mutebi II. Mpologoma (lion), Bbaffe (our husband), Omuti ogubala ensimbi ne bikomo (the tree that bears fruits of cowrie shells and bronze), Lukoma nantawetwa (the palm that cannot be bent), Kisikirize kya Katonda ku nsi (shadow of God on Earth), Ssebufu bwa’ngo (trail of a leopard), Nyanja temanirwa (a lake that is not disrespected), Serwatika lwa ttaka nantatungwa (a warp in the ground that cannot be bridged), Mutadibwamu (when he speaks, no one is supposed to talk back), Ffumelizannyira mu bwengula (defender of his Kingdom). May your reign be long and blessed.

Our Kabaka, in his wisdom, grace and love for us, has many causes he addresses through the Kabaka Foundation. His annual birthday run celebration’s theme this year was ‘Men are stars in the fight against HIV/AIDS to save the girl child’.  This year’s run was held on 7^th of Kafumuulampawu and flagged off by Nnaalinya Lubuga (princess royal), Dr. Agnes Nabaloga at Bulange, Mengo, Kampala. Another pertinent cause addressed by the Kingdom, under the benevolence of our Kabaka, is the prevention and fight against obstetric fistula.

I had heard about but had never met a lady suffering from obstetric fistula until post Covid-19. The stories did not prepare me; fistula announces itself. The smell is potent, unforgiving and territorial. In that, it is a test as to how much the one ailing is loved. Because most likely, the patient will live on the periphery of society. Tolerated, but from afar.

Curiosity had me waking the streets of Kampala instead of taking a car. Post Covid-19 had me adding economy, efficiency and humility; to borrow from Hardware. It was then that I met fistula. The young ladies, never the same person, always wore black hijabs, with a head wrap. These were no Muslims. They did not carry the dress with the respect and elegance of a devout Muslim woman. The afflicted were hiding in hijabs. They never spoke. The one in the hijab always walked with a companion, in an ordinary dress. Their third companion was fistula. My nose soon got accustomed to telling who had been in Kampala all day; and one who was lucky to be on a trip for a few hours. These women were not natives. They did not walk with the grace of a Muganda woman. They had snuck unto the city to get assistance. As they all did not speak, it was hard to tell where they were coming from. But Buganda looks after everyone.

From the 8^th to 12^th of Kafumuulampawu, traders in Kampala, Jinja and Masaka cities closed shop in protest against the implementation and subsequent tax penalties imposed through the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS) computerized system. We will know the findings from the deliberations induced by the strike, on the 7^th of Muzigo. I walked on Luwum Street on day 2 of the strike, Tuesday the 9^th of Kafumuulampawu. This protest was no small matter. All shops were closed. Then, I wondered, how much had the traders asked for in the negotiations? Was it just receipting and penalties; or had they seen the bigger picture and asked for more? Like reducing the number of women with fistula on their streets through better and affordable health care services paid for by their taxes?

How many tax collectors and those in charge of budget allocation had ever met a woman with fistula? Was the increase in fistula an effect of home births through the Covid-19 lockdowns? This is 2024; who was/is dropping the ball in terms of healthcare and the stigma of fistula?

In sports, health and entertainment, the Buganda Clans’ tournaments were flagged off this month. The Bika Bya Baganda netball matches began on the 20^th of Kafumuulampawu at St. Lawrence University sports ground in Mengo. The Mmamba Namakaka (lung fish) Clan won the match against the Mpeewo (oribi antelope) Clan 38-7.

The Bika Bya Baganda football tournament kicked off at Muteesa II Wankukukuku stadium on Saturday 27^th of Kafumuulampawu and Obutiko (mushroom) Clan triumphed over Mmamba Gabunga (lungfish) Clan with a score of 3 goals to 2.

For healthcare and taxes, let us wait and see what the statistics, that the Commemoration of International Day to eliminate Obstetric fistula, celebrated on the 30^th of Muzigo, are.

The Mandible

Mugulansigo: The Wealthy African knows who to listen to

The Mandible talked. His favorite topic was providing loans to very small business owners for expansion. Especially the women. He was the first to post on his social media platforms, supportive messages to women on International Women’s Day. Then he talked and posted some more. The smaller the business, the more enthusiastic he was. His favorite group was the women who were looking for 300United States Dollars (USD) or less for their business’ expansion. When he was done publicly impressing the small business loan seekers; he would call a successful, accomplished, female professional, long past his 300USD ceiling and abuse her while his friends listened in on his call via speakerphone.

The Mandible had talked through Gatonnya, Mukutulansanja, International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Ash Wednesday, The Lenten season, Ramadhan and would not stop until he had acquired the Wealth that was his right to claim through speech. He talked a lot; sweated a little.

The Choir Master’s wife Stapuli (deadbolt in Luganda) formerly described as the Padlock, having grown up in a place where everyone had dark brown eyes, thought that the Mandible’s brown hazel eyes looked suspicious. The Choir master, on the other hand, found The Mandible suspicious because he did not have a defined source of income. The Mandible looked for buyers for his house every four months. Yet the village folk, who had grown up with his landlord, all knew that The Mandible was renting.

His real name was Bright: but Hardware and the Choir master had secretly baptized him ‘The Mandible’, because he was “all talk”. He knew nothing about women’s issues; like child and maternal mortality, the stigma of fistula, challenges in asset ownership, education, employment, salary disparities with the men, and women paid more in taxes because of their extra hygiene products like using more soap, more toilet paper, sanitary pads, before they started on the luxury cosmetic products. But he knew that VAT on consumption was 18% in Uganda.

On Good Friday afternoon, The Mandible called Hardware to secure his vote in the upcoming Church leadership positions’ election. Hardware asked The Mandible how the UJCC prayers had progressed. The mandible answered that he was very busy, Friday had been a very busy day for him. (The UJCC is the Uganda Joint Christian Council that represents Christians of all denominations in Uganda. They had walked the Way of the Cross in Kampala, and then congregated at Old Kampala Secondary School to Pray, earlier on Good Friday). The Mandible gossiped, especially about money. He knew how much money the Christians with luxury cars at the church had paid for them.

When Hardware and the Choir master met in the evening on Good Friday, they first laughed at The Mandible’s Socialist Republic of Poverty. They both knew that he would never let his mother hold 300USD. For he found that amount too extravagant for her to have. Then they started the discussion about The Mandible’s service in Church.

Stapuli informed them that The Mandible aspired for much bigger political positions and was using the Church as a stepping stone. He wanted to be a Resident District Commissioner. They laughed, and wondered how someone with such a glaring spirit of poverty, a poor work ethic, a man who was disrespectful to his landlord, a misogynist, one who gossiped and paid little attention to Church matters, could aspire for the position of RDC. ‘I bet he will soon want to become a Minister’; the Choir master remarked. Stapuli replied; ‘His eyes speak of his ambitions’. And Hardware asked, ‘Is there no one else’?

The Mandible was a short, stout man, from farming stock. He was in his forties and had a wife and four daughters. Whereas his physique belied his farming ancestry, he sometimes claimed to originate from the pastoralist tribes who are tall and lean while in peak health. The Mandible switched tribes based on his audience and when it suited his pockets and his advancement. Hardware, the Choir master and even Stapuli were not sure about The Mandible’s origins.

Professor Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka; the first African to receive the Nobel prize in Literature, in his memoir titled ‘You must set forth at dawn’, first published in 2006, introduced us to his home, Abeokuta City in Southwest Nigeria. In his memoir, he enforced the discipline of knowing where one comes from and who they are in spite of the religions introduced into Africa. His memoir; deserving a Nobel all on its own, is not for the weak willed, for they will not get past the first chapters. In the later chapters, he mentions some politicians who talked a lot. And talk they did indeed.

Stapuli had also mentioned The Mandible’s preference for tinned chicken, flown into Ugandan supermarkets from overseas. She despised him for bragging, that his mother’s free range chickens were inferior to the preserved, imported chicken that he would soon be able to afford when he was sworn into office. Unlike the Mandible, who is probably thinking about tinned chicken, I wish you a fulfilling Ramadhan and a Happy and Blessed Easter.

The Socialist Republic of Poverty (SROP)

The Socialist Republic of Poverty (SROP)

Mukutulansanja: The Wealthy African knows his priorities

Hardware was in Mityana city in Mityana district to supervise his nephew, the manager of his 3 hardware shops in the city. After this, he would drive to his farm to check on his coffee, medicinal herbs and trees, supervise preparations of the land for planting, and see how his 7 puppies (of the maguja breed) were being trained. The two were having lunch at a high end restaurant in the city and this is how their conversation went:

Nephew: Should I buy flowers and chocolates for my wife on Valentine’s day?

Starters

Hardware: Please do. Buy some more for her on Saint Janani Luwum day as well. We grow flowers, coffee and cocoa as cash crops for export. You should normalize buying them; for love and also to support farmers. In fact, buy them as often as possible because they are cheap here. If you cannot afford foreign chocolate, make your own. It is those that do not grow them that must pay for them as luxuries.

Nephew: What about taking her on coffee dates?

Hardware: Mityana district is a coffee growing district. Why would your wife be impressed with an outing for a cup of coffee when her grandfather harvests tons of coffee on his farm every year? A gift of a cup of coffee is for the climates where coffee cannot be grown, and the poor can only afford to eat food from a box.

Nephew: And those who eat food from a box, can we help them?

Hardware: Yes, we can. By farming more food to sell to them.

Mains

Nephew: Is food the key to success?

Hardware: Fresh healthy food and knowledge about it is a key to the good life. Without food for the body and spirit, we must die early. You must not sell your birthright for a bowl of soup when you get hungry.

Nephew: But my wife supervises the kitchen consultancy.

Hardware: She supervises the cooking. It is your duty as a man to ensure that your wife and children eat a balanced diet. You must also control your appetite for food.

Nephew: How do I control my appetite for food?

Hardware: You must fill up your time with other important things. On top of honest work; please appreciate and respect everything positively African. The Sun, the Great African Kings, African beauty, weather, scenery, our variety in tribes and culture, music, books, art and architecture, fashion, manners and our history. Take Saint Paul’s letters seriously and most importantly, do not despise small beginnings and love that which is yours.

Nephew: And what should I not do?

Hardware: Do not cultivate a taste for foreign luxuries: you will graduate into The Socialist Republic of Poverty (SROP)- that breeds corruption.

Nephew: Luxuries like what?

Hardware: Luxuries like foods, clothes, cars, carpets, chandeliers, foreign bank accounts and apartments and a host of other tangible things.

Nephew: Do you not like foreign goods uncle?

Hardware: I do. I do not like their marked up prices against the Shilling and how many man hours we have to put in to afford them. And the people selling them usually eat food from a box.

Nephew; Are we being cheated?

Hardware: No. The foreign sellers did their marketing, sales and advertising better than we did ours. We were socialized into lusting after their products.

Nephew: So what should I do?

Hardware: Please support your fellow African loyally if they have a good product.

Nephew; And if they do not?

Hardware: Please refer them to a qualified professional who can assist them, if the opportunity arises.

More freshly squeezed orange, passion fruit and lemon juice is served in the heat.

Nephew: Uncle, what do you think about our economy?

Hardware: I am irritated by the obsession with building more new national hospitals when the existing ones need the money. I also sympathize with the young medical doctors’ challenges in employment. I do not want to pay more taxes for health. Our priority should be sensitizing the public about good hygiene practices, healthy eating, exercise, African Wealth and the need for good roads.

Nephew: Can that be achieved in this lifetime?

Hardware: Do not despise small beginnings. If we are disciplined, we can move money from constructing new hospitals to roads that will benefit even the healthy. The majority should be healthy Africans promoting tourism; not the sickly smell of poor life choices.

Dessert

Nephew: So farming is important? But the weather is not predictable.

Hardware: Farming has always been important, and the weather has never been predictable. But perhaps hanging a calendar marked for farming in your office would help you plan.

Nephew: Yes, I would like that very much uncle.

Hardware: When are you two coming to Kampala?

Nephew: On Thursday February 22^nd in the afternoon.

Hardware: Do not miss the flagging off of this year’s Buganda Royal Regatta on Saturday February 26^th at the Kabaka’s lake, by Katikiro Charles Peter Mayiga. Endeavor to attend matches, to celebrate the sport.

Nephew: That will be fun. Nansubuga (his wife was of the mmamba/lung fish clan) likes the water.

Hardware: Prepare and experience this year’s Kabaka’s birthday run in Kafuumulampawu, in Kampala. Bring your friends and their wives, I will send you a list of good hotels to choose from for your stay.

They said their goodbyes and Hardware drove his 2018 Station Wagon Mercedes Benz in the direction of his farm. He wished that his nephew had been ambitious enough to go to Makerere University. He had found the conversation exhausting; but it was mostly these mediocre, poorly trained, degree holders who subscribed to The Socialist Republic of Poverty. He would pump his nephew with information. After all, he was an African; and his sister’s only child. 

Hardware

Gatonnya: The Wealthy African attends meetings

The 2024 Ekisakatte kya Nabagereka was closed on the 20^th of Gatonnya 2024 by the Buganda Katikiiro Charles Peter Mayiga. The Choir master’s neighbor dutifully sent his 5 children to attend Ekisakaate every year. The classes were a constant topic of conversation at his dinner table every holiday.

Like the Choir master, his neighbor lived on 3 acres of land, two of which were used for mixed farming for his home consumption. He knew how to extract his money’s worth from his workers at home, his farm and his hardware shops. His nickname was Hardware.

Hardware’s 3 acres were the epitome of self-sufficiency, beauty and functionality. He lived off the premise that if the road to his residence was closed, he could live comfortably at home. He harvested rain water and treated it with Chlorine but was also on the National water grid. He had solar energy for when the electricity got cut off. His gardens had a variety of medicinal plants, food, and flowers. He also grew natural toilet paper plants. He supervised abundance of the above as a routine. For security, he had two dogs called Gate and Door. The local breed of hunting dog we call Maguja.

Hardware never missed a meeting. Whether it was a Church meeting, the local village council, a neighbor’s fundraiser, or a society or business annual general meeting. For meetings, he always went well dressed, driving his Mercedes, prepared to better the circumstances of his community, protect his profits, retain his influence and guard his heritage as a Muganda man.

For work, Hardware took public transport. It was comfortable and cheap with three passengers per row. The traffic police had 15 years earlier removed the practice of overloading; where passengers were packed 4-5 a row and 2 always had only one buttock touching the seat, with a stray elbow in the ribs, and the looming dangers of over speeding hanging nearby. What irked Hardware about public transport is that the taxi van clocks and radios and all been removed from the transport. He felt that it was the taxi driver’s duty to have a clock and radio in his car; for his passengers, for a collective drive for accountability for the bad roads and traffic jams, if and when they arose. He wanted to put those in charge of roads to task for his time lost in traffic, in a meeting. He knew his rights as a tax payer. He felt that the Value Added Tax collected from fuel and spare parts; and Import Duties should be mirrored in the good roads.

Hardware now had a pressing need; their Corner of Kampala was to have their road re-tarmacked. The Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth, The Non-Aligned Movement Summit, The Third South Summit (G77 and China) had all been held earlier this Gatonnya at Speke Resort Munyonyo Conference Centre Kampala, ending on the 23^rd of Gatonnya. Many roads had gotten repaired, and it was now their turn. He hoped that the Choir master had similar views to his in regard to the proposed road repairs. He did not care much for the Choir master, who spent his time competing with their Reverend on matters of Mission, instead of helping the Padlock till their 3 acres. He did not like the sight of Padlock and her pins welding a hoe. But Mission made the Choir master influential. And the Choir master’s vote would secure more in the village meetings, so he was kind to him.

For the pending road works sensitization meeting, Hardware prepared by visiting the Choir master. He took 2 cocks as a gift. Ekufulu (Padlock) would be pleased. Ekufulu liked chicken. She received him like the good Christian she was. Then the meeting to get best road that they possibly could, without losing their beds to debts, began.

Olukiiko

Ntenvu: The Wealthy African knows which meetings to take.

‘Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said,” Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.’ Matthew Chapter2 verse7- 8.

‘And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.’ Matthew Chapter 2 verse 12.

And so it came to pass, that the Magi did not have the second Lukiiko (meeting) with Herod.

Discussions at the COP28 Lukiiko were about fossil fuels being a challenge in the Climate Change Campaign. Here, in Buganda this Ntenvu, our Katikiiro Charles Peter Mayiga championed the cause for getting rid of malaria as the fastest killer in Uganda. Our desire to rid ourselves of malaria is more pressing than that of fossil fuels. Malaria mortality rates are high and indiscriminate.

The Wealthy African does not take meetings to build in swamps and condemn his people to malaria. He knows that the female Anopheles mosquito is the Herod of the swamps. The swamps are her domain and she is a killer. Even Artemisia Afra does not grow in swamps. The swamps have their inhabitants and the female Anopheles mosquito is their Herod.

We have campaigned to protect our swamps (wetlands) because of Climate Change. And neglected to protect our people from the malaria lurking in the swamps. Our swamp encroachers do so as a form of development; whether it is to build homes, hotels, petrol stations, factories, supermarkets, churches, schools, universities or a host of other ventures that would be termed as developmental. And the swamp dwellers are rewarded with malaria. Swamps and malaria were close associates; until the word development separated the two.

And now, we have a national budget with a section related to fighting malaria; without the associated relocation of those who are reclaiming and living in swamps. What is the environmental levy paid by a swamp slum lord? What is the tax payer to do? In indirect taxes like Value Added Tax, the same taxpayer buys and reclaims a plot in Herod’s territory. They get malaria, then ask the government for medical assistance. If it comes late, the tax payer has rested in peace and another tax payer will willingly take his abode. The only constant in these sale and transfer Lukiikos, is the female Anopheles mosquito.

‘When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up, he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to Kill him.” So he took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod.’ Matthew Chapter 2 Verse 13 -14.

Nazareth was the swamp and Herod was the mosquito. That Herod died. The female Anopheles mosquito is still here. So, the Wealthy African does not sit in Lukiikos to build in swamps.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Blessed, Wealthy African 2024!

Ensenene

Musenene: The Wealthy African is disciplined.

This Musenene, we congratulate the Kyabazinga of Busoga His Royal Highness Isebantu William Wilberforce Kadhumbula Gabula Nadiope IV for giving the Basoga Inebantu Jovia Mutesi. May their reign be long and blessed. The Inebantu’s charge includes promotion of education, good family values, sustaining a clean and neat household, and clean environment.

We also celebrate the late arrival of ensenene at the end of Musenene; as we had started dreading the possibility of their abscondment from our frying pans. A clean environment, especially around sandy marshes is a good habitat for breeding grasshoppers. Fresh grasshoppers sustain a great number of people in the trade in the Central regions of Uganda, in Musenene and early Ntenvu.

The late arrival of ensenene had been a great inconvenience to the choir master’s brother. His plans to put his wife on a pleasant, weight loss diet of nsenene for up to two months, had fallen apart. She had gained weight during the COVID-19 lockdowns but had continued eating fried foods after, as a hobby, and gained over 15 kilograms.

The choir master’s brother was a successful, polite and God fearing businessman. He lived by St. Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus. Earlier, he had followed his uncles’ instructions in picking a suitable wife. As an enthusiastic boyfriend, he had studied his wife’s relatives. They were trim, disciplined, hardworking, God fearing, and knew how to party and return home before the challenges of the night set in.

Unlike the Padlock, his wife had been good to him in business. He was very generous to her in return. She was a good hostess, and a very good cook. He invited potential business associates to his home for lunch, for a test. If they downplayed his wife’s cooking; or did not give her a second glance, he knew they were hypocrites and would cheat him in business. For if a man can cheat a woman of a compliment for her good hand in the kitchen constituency, what would he do with money, business assets, an inheritance? But madam had been fat for two years now. Men could not sit the test. For it was inaccurate. Business had suffered. And they had no children to absorb the 15 kilograms.

After a verification process and introspection, he had come to realize that she did not love him. She was the one who had got a good deal. His love for St. Paul’s letters, his discipline, politeness and good manners meant that he would never leave her. And that, she knew very well. He had felt trapped by the realization; that she was the elder and the overseer. He couldn’t confide in his dear friend the Reverend, for the Reverend loved her chicken luwombo. His brother was always unavailable, on Padlock business. He was the diligent, honest taxpayer whose sweat had been squandered and he had lost his tax morale.

Ntenvu was near. When Christians ate the most. He crushed laxatives and put them in all her cooking oils. For he was a practical man; even with the prospect of prison parked on his conscience. He requested her to have all his food steamed in banana leaves. Then he watched his wife enjoy her fried lunch and supper; and waited for the running to begin…

Emiti

Mukutula bitungotungo: The Wealthy African knows which trees to plant

Engalabi nevuga, enkumbi telimba, omugagga nasiga. We are in Mukutula bitungotungo, with the El Niño rains, where most seeds germinate in a month. What has been planted?

While it rains; in the middle of prime time news at 9. 00p.m, there is a corporate social responsibility advertisement. A female senior executive, working for a multinational business, tells us how the multinational has planted emiti 20,000. She is followed by another lady, working for a Not for Profit Organization. Her organization planted emiti 5000. And the miti advert continues.

The wealthy African asks; were the planted emiti indigenous species? Where were they planted? He wants to know the district in Uganda, the town and the exact place that this generous gift is.  Ssekabaka Edward Fredrick Walugembe Muteesa II gave out Jatropha trees from India to his subjects. They were so happy on receiving the gift, and said, ‘Kabaka anjagala, ampadde n’omuti’. The King loves me so much that he has even given me a tree. And the Jatropha was christened Kabaka anjagala. Emiti gya Kabaka anjagala are found on Buganda’s Royal mile.

The wealthy African continues to ask: were the emiti fruit trees? If so, were they original species or are they modern hybrids? When were they planted? Who is their caretaker and how much does it cost to keep them alive? Are they pest resistant or do they need to be sprayed with imported pesticides? How long will these trees take to mature? Are there any tax waivers for costs of maintenance like transport fuel? Do they need only rain water or are they using other sources? Are the laborers and employees in this emiti drive exempt from Pay as You Earn? What is the fate of these trees after 5 to 10 to 25 years?

‘Omugagga naasiga’ means, ‘The wealthy man sows’ in Luganda. The Wealthy African is interested in high value trees. These can take 10 years or more to mature. He leaves the quick money trees to those not equipped for long term investment. He wants to hear, see and plant trees with names like Muvule, Iroko, Odum – African Teak,  Mukalati Mutokye, Omutoke – Aniegre,  Musizi – Umbrella tree, Maesopsis Eminii,  Musambya – Nile Tulip,  Entasesa – Prunus Africana, Pygeum,  Mugavu – Albizia Coriaria,  Mukusu, Munyama – Budongo Mahogany,  Entandrophragma Angolense,   Mutuba – Black cloth fig, Ficus Natalensis,  Mufunjo, Mpingo, Mugembe – African Black wood, Congo wood (Ebony),  Nkulumire, Mbula, Mutakura, Mutugunda – Croton Megalocarpus,  Vitellaria paradoxa – Shea butter tree,  Entandrophragma excelsum,  Baobab,  Moringa,  Palm nut, Coconut, Empafu– African olive,  Kitaferi– Soursop,  Muyembe– Mango, Ovakedo – Avocado,  Mapeera – Guava,  Ffene – Jackfruit,  Omuchungwa – Orange,  Sechungwa – Grapefruit,  Mangada – Tangerine,  Eniimu – Lemon,  Obulimawa – Limes,  Jambula – Java plum, Indian blackberry,  Kabaka anjagala – Jatropha curcas, to name a few trees.

It is good to see tree planting adverts during prime time news. But as Africans, we need statistics, locations, times, and tree species for, Emiti gya bbeyi (trees are valuable).

Emiti are delicate. Heartbreak lies in planting trees. When after 8 years plus of waiting for a tree to bring fruit or turn into a colossal piece of timber; it does not, because of the wrong type of seed or wrong soils. There will be tears. In the same vein, it is prudent not to receive tree seedling from foreign hands, which do not know the local soils. We all endeavor to meet the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals but with research, diligence and as few tears as possible. It is raining; The wealthy African knows which trees to plant. Which trees are you planting?

Enswaswa

Muwakanya: The wealthy African knows what he owns.

Mujaguzo sounded, to announce the arrival of the Kabaka of Buganda His Majesty Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II to open the Parliament sitting of 2023 at Bulange, Mengo, Kampala, Uganda, East Africa. This was on 21st of Muwakanya 2023. In his speech, he emphasized the need for a quick resolution of land suits in Courts of Law by those responsible.

Mujaguzo (the Royal drums) sounded as His Majesty the Kabaka graced the spectators at Muteesa II Wankulukuku stadium with his presence, for the 27^th of Muwananya 2023 finals of Ebika by’Abaganda football league. Eng’onge (the otter clan) won the finals with 2 goals to Embogo’s (the Buffalo clan’s) nil. There was jubilation at his arrival when Mujaguzo sounded.

Kuba Engalabi nga akuba Enswaswa! (Beat the Ngalabi drum like you are beating a monitor lizard!)The hardy hide of a mature Enswaswa( a monitor lizard) is used to adorn the drum called Engalabi; a long thin hollowed piece of wood made from the Mubajjangalabi tree. This long drum is one in a set of the royal drums that form Mujaguzo. Enswaswa is not to be confused with Embalasasa (a smaller lizard with speckled skin). Both are very poisonous.

In the celebration of our cultural heritage; the stakeholders in the protection of Enswaswa, Mubajjangalabi, Mujaguzo, and other drums; are the players, the listeners, the watchers, abazzululu ba’abazzukuku ( our grandchildren’s grandchildren) and those who would like to experience and celebrate the might of Mujaguzo. For we should not forget, that God blessed the afternoon of our Kabaka’s 30 year Coronation Anniversary at Bulange, Mengo, with three days of rain. Engalabi nevuga (the ngalabi drum sounded), Omujaguzo ne guvuga (Mujaguzo sounded)!

Kuba engalabi kuba engalabi, kuba engalabi, nga okuba nswaswa (beat the ngalabi, beat the ngalabi, beat the ngalabi; when you are beating the monitor lizard).The production and distribution of cultural and religious items is tax exempt. It is our duty to redeem our heritage, for this legacy would take a while for some to understand. We should also shun donations like old guitars with no strings, key boards with missing keys and all forms of dumping, packaged under aid. For we have enough, to make good music. The rest is just extras, with music just as good, and I agree, some even superior.

With taxes being exempt on cultural and religious items, in protecting our heritage, we should guard against the weak willed, who might be tempted to slaughter even the young nswaswa, for the thrill of obtaining belts, shoes, wallets, hand bags and other items: which are not exempt from taxes.

And so the drums sounded; In Churches, in Mosques, in Temples, schools, Universities, at concerts, competitions, celebrations, and homes across the land. The beats were arresting, melodious, satisfying; that even the Choir master danced. Engalabi nevuga, engalabi nevuga, engalabi nevuga, nga evuga nswaswa!

Nagalabi

Kasambula: The wealthy African drinks fresh, clean water; always.

His Majesty Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II sat on Namulondo (the throne) in Kasambula 1993. We were There.

Kasambula was very hot and, without a rain cloud in sight. The caretaker at Nagalabi coronation site in Wakiso District in Buddu Saza, was a kind man. He told us students, visiting from King’s College Budo next door, stories about the previous coronations. Of battles held near the school’s entrance gate, of a leopard sighted on the hill just before coronation. Of the skies opening in the dry Kasambula to bless the Kabaka the moment he sat on the Namulondo. Of the dry sacred spring that brought forth water after the coronation rain.

On that great day on the 31^st of Kasambula 1993; we teenagers, who had been warned to walk in groups at night on the school campus to avoid a leopard, waited for the rain. It was so hot and dry that we sweated and dried in rhythm. The most prominent of the visiting Royals were our visitors from Ghana and Swaziland. Their royal regalia was seen from far off in that throngs that graced Nagalabi. The Royals from the various tribes of Uganda were also present as were various dignitaries, ambassadors and Men of the Cloth. We moved around with sparse body movement as if not to disturb the culture and rituals before us. It was lots of fun but we mostly were in awe; and waiting for the rain.

To us impatient teenagers, it seemed like ages but about forty minutes after the Kabaka had graced the Namulondo with his presence, and the wait for rain had been abandoned and speeches continued, the heavens suddenly opened and it rained. We in the school tent watched the non-believing journalists scamper to save their broadcasting equipment, while the believers stoically waited for the rains to cease. The rain drops fell onto the parched earth forming patterns like leopard spots. In the dormitory, we had been playing with the rhyme “Omusana gwaka, enkuba etonnya, engo ezaala’, meaning the sun is shining, the rain is falling, a leopard is giving birth. And so, we saw it. Sun showers are not a rarity in the tropics in East Africa, it was the timing that held the blessing. The sacred spring ran with water in a manner that defied gravity. We saw that too, at Nagalabi coronation site.

In dry seasons like Kasambula, water is a precious resource. It is our responsibility to keep our sources of water clean for our descendants like our ancestors did for us. Least we sell our heritage to foreigners and are taxed for a cup of water under the melodious sound of development. 30 years ago, prisons were found near swamp land and had names like Murchison Bay and Sango Bay. Schools, Makerere University, Churches, mosques, temples and hospitals were perched on top of hills. Lately, swamps are reclaimed by investors for development. Crushing our most precious resource: the swamp that filters water into our largest water body, Lake Nalubaale (Victoria). And so, who should we tax, the investor to sell us more goods, or the swamp to give us clean water?

As we celebrate the thirtieth year of our beloved Kabaka sitting on the Namulondo, let us not forget that the gift we as teenagers waited for, was the rain and the water from the sacred spring. May your reign be long Sabasajja Kabaka.

Abakozi

Muzigo: The wealthy African eats fresh food; every day.

This Muzigo, our relatives of the Nkima (monkey) clan kicked off this year’s Bika Cup at Muteesa II Wankulukuku Stadium, winning the match against the Ngabi (antelope) clan with a score of 3 goals to nil.

On the morning of 2nd Muzigo, the day after the International Labour Day celebrations, we lost our Minister of State for Gender, Labour and Social Development to gun violence at the hands of his bodyguard. The bodyguard shot himself dead after dispatching his boss, firing rounds of ammunition in the air and decrying salary arrears. May their souls rest in peace.

Kola nga omuddu, olye nga omwaami (work like a slave, so that you can eat like a chief), Luganda proverb. Abakozi can be used to refer to contractors, employees, workers and labourers in Buganda. Omukozi is singular. Abakozi in the normal employment system, who receive a regular pay slip and corresponding monthly salary on their salary accounts, what foodstuffs do you use your salary to consume?

After satisfying your tax obligations; are you eating fresh, nutritious, locally produced food? Or have you succumbed to the catchy adverts, the pretty boxes; and moved your diet to expensive, highly taxed, boxed, meals from abroad?

I must agree that these meals from ‘abroad’ are tasty, for they get the ratios of sweet, salty, spicy, sour tangy and umami just right. And their consumption increases out tax base with the current import duties and Value Added Tax. There might be a future environmental levy tax on non-biodegradable packaging; for tax planning. But if this revenue is used to treat those whose bodies (after many years of consumption) have rejected the preserved food’s chemistry; it takes from other areas of infrastructure that would have been developed or upgraded and the funds are allocated to healthcare.

Originally, unlike sundried foods, chemically preserved foodstuffs that sat on shelves for up to a year before expiry, had a specific part of the population that they were made for. Those that were less fortunate and had to substitute fresh produce with the ‘not so fresh’. These included the ones that had one harvest season a year, those in war zones and refugees, and those that faced Acts of God like drought, flooding and pestilence. Muzigo is a very wet month and we have had lots of flooding in East Africa this rainy season. My deepest condolences to those that lost loved ones and property to the floods and mud slides. It was devastating.

When far away from the unfortunate consequences of force majeure and war, who replaces fresh produce, with preserved food, as a sign of affluence? Who does not support the ordinary farmer who pays the implied Value Added Tax on transport and instead spends their hard earned salary after Pay as You Earn tax, on boxed meals from ‘abroad’? And if it is so, how does it happen?  

Abakozi blessed to receive your monthly salary on time, monthly, who are you at your dining table; a slave or a chief?

Muzaale

Kafuumuulampawu:  A simpleton grins as he says he visited Africa. The African wonders where exactly, on our vast continent, ‘the one with the open mouth’ visited.

This Mugulansigo, the Bika football cup finals were held at Buganda’s Mutesa II Wankukukuku Stadium. My Ndiga (sheep) clan beat our relatives and in-laws of the Lugave (pangolin) clan in a hard fought game, 1 goal to their Nil. (Please do not hide the mutton/ lamb, we of the Ndiga clan just won’t eat it). The fanfare of the delayed Masaza football cup started at 6. 00a.m on the 4^th of Mugulansigo.  The match, also held at Wankulukuku Stadium, that had sections of Kampala sealed off to divert traffic, was won by Busiro Ssaza with a score of 2 goals against Buddu Ssaza’s 1 goal.

Long reign His Majesty Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II of Buganda. His 68^th birthday was celebrated with the annual Kabaka’s Birthday Run at the Lubiri in Mengo, Kampala, to promote awareness about HIV/Aids. The objective is to rid us of HIV/AIDS by the year 2030.

Kafumuulampawu had religious leaders declaring their stance against LGBTQ+ during the Lenten Season and Ramadhan. Galatians Chapter 5 verse 19 -23 was very popular in the Anglican Church services. It Says,” The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impunity and debauchery; idolatry, witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against these things there is no law”.

And so, the technocrats are still wringing their hands about human rights abuse laws, the politicians are reviewing their angles (and the law) but common man, common man had it in hand immediately. He went back to the days of Genesis and a cry was heard far and wide; Muzaale.

We love education but the tribe celebrates the birth of a child more than it does a University degree. Especially when thousands of white collar degree holders in Uganda were not assimilated into white collar employment jobs. But farming is faithful and one does not need a degree to pick ripe coffee on his grandfather’s farm. There will be population growth in response to the LGBTQ+ presence in Uganda.

An increase in population without an increase in government services leads to a strain on the current resources and ultimately an increase in taxes. A parent with many children, on failing to meet school fees requirements will revert to the old practice of the girl child not receiving an education. This trend will spread to areas of employment, trade and service delivery. And then what will happen to the girl child?

Africa is predominantly polygamous. We were only recently educated about the benefits of having fewer children to have a better quality of life. Some LGBTQ+ members in Uganda, indoctrinated teenagers in schools into their ranks without parental permission. This offended the common man into promoting his human rights, in operation Muzaale (You give birth – Plural). But who will pay the taxes needed to sustain Muzaale?

Eno emmere ewooma

Mukutulansanja: When a wealthy African wants to eat some liver, a bull is slaughtered.

We celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGIS) on the 10^th, Saint Valentine’s Day on the 14^th and Archbishop Janani Luwum Day on the 16^th of the hot month of love and matooke; Mukutulansanja.

Food as a love language is always at the forefront of our celebrations. With two harvest seasons each year in the tropics, we do not necessarily tax the earth for maximum yields at each harvest for most crops. For if one harvest was not to our satisfaction, the next harvest will do. We therefore have no problem consulting with those who tax their farms for maximum harvest once a year as their techniques and mechanization would seem advanced compared to ours.

However; what is the exact purpose of embracing all hybrids and genetically modified produce when we in the tropics have two harvest seasons as opposed to one season in temperate regions? Do we need maximum yield for all plants and domestic animals? Should we introduce hard to maintain foreign crops at the detriment of indigenous species of plants? Is the cost of pesticides, herbicides, vaccinations and antibiotics to sustain new high yield variants measured against hardy tried and tested lower yield species of old? How much should we eat at lunch time?

A recent trip to the Bunga market (in Gaba, Kampala, Uganda, East Africa) had me specifying the type of fresh ginger (yes, that power root spice) that I wanted to purchase. Did I want Entangawuzi enganda (nganda ginger) or entangawizi (ginger)? The ‘ordinary’ ginger is large and looks juicy but is disappointingly mild in scent, taste and potency. It rots quickly on the shelf. Entangawuzi enganda on the other hand is small, gnarly, packs a punch in scent, taste, potency, and gradually dries up on the shelf. In the 3Kilos of entangawuzi enganda that I purchased, I found five pieces of ordinary ginger that the market lady had hidden in the middle of the batch. So, what exactly does maximum yield mean to us?

The benefits of promoting girls and women in science and technology through IDWGIS will benefit our agricultural sector and trickle down to women cultivators and those in the African kitchens. As we celebrate Valentine’s day, with restaurants packed to capacity, and the love language of food taking centre stage at yet another celebration, we must ask ourselves, ‘what exactly are we feeding our loves ones?’

Food is generally prepared in love. But from ancient times; when Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup, to present day when ambitions, schemes, manipulations or resentments accompany some of the simplest of meals, we have to be vigilant about the quality of the food we cultivate and consume, and how nourishing it is.

It is satisfying to say ‘eno emmere ewooma’ (this food is tasty), knowing that it is nutritious, free from harmful additives and can be grown from the previous harvest’s seeds or breed from local livestock over and over again. Happy Valentine’s Day.

Mengo

Gatonnya: To steal from an African; one must use all their mental facilities, and then some more, as opposed to acting like they can tether us to a pole like a goat (embuzi) in zero grazing.

We ushered in the New Year with fanfare, prayers and hopes for a better year than before. At Mengo, in Buganda, Uganda, East Africa, where Enkuuka yo mwaka was held, the Kabaka of Buganda His Majesty Ronald Muwenda Mutebi Magulu Nyondo (with legs like a hammer) encouraged us to follow these resolutions:-

To pray for Uganda as a whole and ourselves to get peace, to follow the laws of Uganda and its’ Courts’ decisions, To have proper discussions about the constitutional process of our 27 year old Constitution for example the sharing of power between the Uganda Government and the Federal system of governance, For Baganda to be brave about Kingdom matters and the pursuit of Kingdom work, To work harder and get wealthier for example through growing more coffee and cassava, To embrace the Uganda Government’s poverty eradication projects and request for accountability for funds disseminated through these projects.

As an Ambassador for UNAIDS, the Kabaka encouraged us to participate in the reduction of the spread of Mukenenya (AIDS). He told us to practice good hygiene as Doctors had found that 75% of diseases in our communities are caused by poor hygiene, We were tasked to ensure that children stay in school after the challenges of the last 2 years (i.e. COVID-19), He advised us to properly look after our parents in life as opposed to just buying them gifts on big days or grand coffins for their funerals.

As a 2022 award winner from the International Division of Americas Blood Centers, the Kabaka would like us to continue donating blood through the Kabaka Foundation Initiatives, We are also encouraged to continue to proudly speak and teach Luganda.

The above is a humbly translated summary of the Kabaka’s resolutions delivered to us in Luganda by the Katikkiro (Prime Minister) of Buganda Charles Peter Mayiga; who asked us to dedicate ourselves and assist each other to meet the resolutions in order to better ourselves in 2023, and to promote Luganda.

Ekisakaate Kya Nagginda was attended by 503 children of whom 400 were girls. At the opening the Katikkiro of Buganda asked parents not to terrorise children under the guise of disciplining them but rather to educate them through taking time to have proper talks with them. Ku Kisakaate, the Nabagereka of Buganda Sylvia Nagginda warned the children in attendance to avoid ‘friends’ that use drugs and to share this information with children that were not in attendance. This effort was facilitated by the Uganda National Drug Authority.

Gatonnya is a very hot month. Hot enough to melt the glue off cheap plastic shoes. An African artisan’s hand sewn, beaded (or not) sandals are best when dealing with the heat. Harvest in the spectrum of gumboots to bare feet, is a toil of love, survival and wealth in our two hot harvest seasons. Therefore, in this kasana (sunshine), we should not be afraid to ask for accountability for the use of tax payers’ money loans, grants or donations. Karibu 2023.

Ntenvu: The Three Wise Men

The seasonal, regional, small white worms called Ntenvu, which are now rare, give December its name.

Gold, frankincense and myrrh were the gifts the three wise men presented to the new born King. The one with dark skin, supposed to be of African origin was Balthazar, and his two companions were Caspar and Melchior. Christians believe that the remains of the three wise men are housed in the golden shrine of the Three Magi created around 1181-1230 by the goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun. The shrine is located in the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. Their remains are one of the Middle Ages’ most priceless artifacts of cultural significance.

Frankincense is a fragrant gum resin from the Boswellia tree most prevalent in Eastern and Northern Somalia and is also found in other dry mountainous regions of Africa, India and the Middle East. Myrrh is also a fragrant gum resin from a small bushy tree called Commiphora myrrh native to Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Oman, Yemen and parts of Saudi Arabia.

Frankincense was at one time in history valued more than gold or silver. To date, we have believers in Christianity that have never smelt the perfume of frankincense and myrrh as the sacred incense in the liturgical place. As we advocate for a greener Earth, and plant more trees, might we Christians take the initiative to plant more Boswellia and Commiphora trees to celebrate the birth of Christ? Or is the gift of frankincense and myrrh too Old Testament?

When we render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s, where do we stand in the taxation of Frankincense and Myrrh? To tax the resin as it is used in the commercial perfume industry or to have it exempt as it is used in religious worship and as a medicinal remedy?

Frankincense and myrrh are as rare in most worship in these times as the Ntenvu worm is in December, while gold is the standard. As we celebrate the birth of Christ, we must remember, that all three gifts were deemed important by those that we continue to acknowledge were the wise men, with songs like ‘We Three Kings of Orient are’.

I live in Buganda and have never seen a Ntenvu worm. And I am no spring chicken; I am a gizzard (enkoko nkulu or mature chicken). It looks like the worm made a hasty retreat from an onslaught of pesticides, herbicides, modified foods and an aggressive clearing of land for ‘development’. As we sing ‘Gloria in excelsis Deo’, we have our work cut out for us, among others, the return of the ntenvu worm.

Ekisakaate kya Nabagereka, previously covered in Musenene, will be held at Muzza High School, Kabembe, Mukono in Kyaggwe, Buganda in, Uganda, East Africa, starting on 5^th of Gatoonya and ending on the 21^stof Gatoonya 2023.

The annual Enkuuka  Y’Omwaka fete will be held at the Kabaka’s Lubiri at Mengo in Kampala, Uganda, East Africa on the 31^st of December to usher in the New Year. Come one, come all…

May we all have a glorious Christmas and a blessed, healthy and prosperous 2023.

Museenene: Ekisakaate

This Museenene we ate our grasshoppers and celebrated the 60^th birthday of Her Royal Highness the Nabagereka of Buganda Sylvia Nagginda Luswata. May our Nabagereka, born in the year Uganda got her independence, have many happy and blessed returns to the 9^th of Museenene.

Ekisakaate kya Nabagereka is an initiative by Her Royal Highness started in 2007 that grooms the young generation through the preservation of Buganda cultural norms, instilling values of discipline, self esteem, self control, environment conservation, wealth creation, leadership, the art of public speaking, vital practical skills, handiwork, physical fitness and traditional board games like Omweso.

Ekisakaate is a biannual event. The first programme is in Gatonnya and targets primary and secondary school children whose schools adhere to the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) education schedule. The second programme is in Kasambula and targets international students and those in the Diaspora. This two week holiday programme (at a fee) does not have gender based divisions; and weaving of baskets, bags, hats, cooking, baking, making bark cloth, hunting gadgets, musical instruments etc is available to all children in Uganda and the Diaspora.

Ekisakaate was launched in the United Kingdom in Mutunda 2015 with the main aim of nurturing young children into ‘holistic’ persons with an appreciation for both traditional and modern values. The Nabagereka urged us to use our varying cultures as a means of uniting us as Ugandans, Africans and as Ugandan-British.

Ekisakaate was extended to University students in Muzigo 2019. The workshop was launched by the Nabagereka at Kampala University main Campus in Gaba, Kampala and aims to prepare the youth to appreciate their cultural values and be good citizens.

The Nabagereka launched the Ekisakaate Project in the United States of America in Norwood, Massachusetts in Muwakana 2022.

Ekisakaate means enclosure where young boys were trained to be leaders. Ekisakaate was a large homestead surrounded by a tall, sturdy reed fence tied tightly with dried banana fibers. In Buganda society, Ekisakaate fenced homesteads of Royals, chiefs and other high ranking officials. It was then, also an initiative to educate boys about cultural norms, instill discipline, and also offered opportunities for knowledge transfer through apprenticeship with skilled professionals that included craftsmanship like pottery, black smith training and hunting.

As is Buganda culture, Ekisakaate is for all those that would like to attend. And attend again.

We participate alongside the United Nations in marking the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence from the 25^th of Museenene the 10^th of Ntenvu 2022; under the global theme set by the UN Secretary-General’s unite campaign: “UNiTE! Activism To End Violence Against Women and Girls!”

The 2022 Masaza cup final was held on the 9^th of Mukulukusa bitungotungo and the winner was Buddu with 1 goal against Bulemezi’s nil. Welcome to the 2022 World cup in Doha, Qatar this Museenene.

Mukutula bitungotungo: A Sunny Centennial Celebration

We celebrated 100 years of Makerere University on Thursday 6^th and 60 years of Uganda’s Independence on Sunday 9^th this Mukutula bitungotungo. The sun shone brightly on both days of October in a month that starts with rain.We celebrate the former Katikiro of Buganda Martin Luther Nsibirwa who in 1945 signed off over 300acres of land on Makerere Hill to construct the campus on which East Africa’s first university stands today. He also donated his personal land in Mulago for the construction of a dormitory for the School of Nursing. I am glad to be an alumnus of the Makerere University Law class of 1997 and a former resident of Africa Hall for my 4 years at the great hill.I am honored to pay tribute to the first President of the Republic of Uganda, Ssekabaka Edward Fredrick Walugembe Muteesa II at the celebration of Uganda’s 60 years of independence. Ssekabaka Muteesa II recalled the retired Katikiro Nsibirwa to his former position to oversee the acquisition of land at Makerere, to ensure that the university was built. For his results, the Katikiro would be assassinated at the main entrance of Namirembe Cathedral on Mutunda 15^th 1945. Northcote Hall on the Makerere University main campus was renamed Nsibirwa Hall in 1997 in honor of the late Katikiro. What most do not know about Ssekabaka Muteesa II; is that whereas his was a ceremonial position, he won the Uganda presidential seat through a fairly contested political election while holding his hereditary Kingship as the Kabaka of Buganda Kingdom.October’s end is mostly dry, with the harvesting of simsim or sesame locally known as ntungo in Buganda in Uganda. Okukutula means to break a string or rope. Mukutula bitungotungo means to harvest simsim which practice is mainly in the month of October.Sunshine is commensurate with sunscreen adverts to those of us who did not find sunscreen an essential until the last 5 years. While those at Makerere University and other institutions look for alternatives to imported sunscreen that sometimes comes from as far as Australia; we ponder our options at this time of independence and for future planning. Can we use clay, mud, the cooking oils Nilotica Shea butter, sunflower seed oil and coconut oil like our ancestors did before the arrival of SPF50? Would a banana leaf or palm frond hat suffice for those in the sun? What is the most sustainable way to prevent sunburn going forward? Especially when it is linked to the dreadful disease; skin cancer? Is sunscreen classified as a medical drug exempt from taxes in East Africa, or is it a cosmetic befitting of the hefty taxes that most cosmetics attract? One might suggest that let those who burn quicker plant more trees. But where would that leave those with albinism?In measuring our independence level this Mukutula bitungotungo; which is free, more trees or more sunscreen? Should only those that can afford sunscreen walk in the sunshine? As independents, with melanin to protect us from the worst of the sun’s rays, tree planting is a choice. But if others must; then we must choose to do so too. 

Mutunda: The Royal Mile

Ssekabaka Edward Walugembe Muteesa II, who was the Kabaka of Buganda from1939 to 1969, was in exile in Scotland in 1953 and liked what he saw. He returned to Buganda in Uganda in 1955 with drawings of the building that he had admired and directed that the new Bulange be constructed according to those drawings.  The building construction was fully funded by the Buganda government at 5million pound sterling then, and was completed in 1958. Buganda’s Royal Mile leads straight from Twekobe (the Mengo palace) to Bulange, Buganda’s Parliament and administrative building, and is called Kabaka Anjagala road in tribute to the Kabaka Anjagala (candle nut) trees that line this mile. Kabaka Anjagala means The Kabaka (King) loves me. The 52 trees lining this royal mile represent the 52 clans of Buganda Kingdom.

This Mutunda (September) our heartfelt condolences go out to the cortege that walked the famed Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland, pay their last respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. We condole with the United Kingdom, The Common Wealth, The Realms, The Anglican and the Presbyterian Church, and the world for the loss of a dignified monarch. With a hymn recital of the 23^rd Psalm of David, may the Late Queen Elizabeth II rest in peace.

Mutunda is a wet month and the edible Ntunda ants that swarm at this time, give this month its name. While the unemployed were collecting ants, the European Union (EU) parliament voted by a majority of 334 to pass a resolution that seeks to compel Uganda, Tanzania and Total Energies SE to delay development of the proposed East African crude oil pipeline (EACOP) for at least one year. 199 Members of Parliament voted against the resolution while 60 abstained. The 1,445 Kilometers pipeline is to start in Hoima district in Western Uganda and end at Port Tanga in North Eastern Tanzania. Just like the EU parliament, the East African parliament, the Buganda parliament at Bulange, and all other parliaments have the right to discuss and vote on matters arising on their legislature floors.

The oil deposits discussed in the EU Parliament in Mutunda 2022 were first documented in 1925 and the first oil wells were drilled in Buliisa, in Western Uganda in 1936. From then, to date, agriculture has been Uganda’s backbone and coffee prices have been favorable to large exporters like Uganda. The EU parliament has taxed us to be seen to uphold human rights and to have more stringent practices to protect our environment. Both are essential for humanity.

Whether our oil remains in situ for another 97 years or is depleted in 10years or less; agriculture, tourism, hospitality, and an easy transition for those who wish to legally stay longer, should remain at the forefront of our development model.  I posted an article titled ‘Taxation of Petroleum operations; This oil is hot’ on this blog on 23^rd June 2010 about Uganda’s position then, on stamp duty tax. Here is the link https://renderuntoceaser.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/taxation-of-petroleum-operations-this-oil-is-hot/

It is important that we get a good deal on our non renewable oil reserves. Where are our negotiators, our fixers, our numbers people?

The Kabaka Anjagala tree seeds in large volumes can be refined to produce oil with properties similar to petroleum. As the unprepared scramble to wrap their heads around the EU’s decision, I wonder; in line with the Climate Change Control Challenge (CCCC), should we start planting more Kabaka Anjagala trees on a larger scale?

Muwakanya: Mpologoma, and the CCCC

A rainy season bridge crossing is made with prayers as the roaring River Mpologoma’s menacing, quick, black waters and surrounding mists show the might of nature and expected strong undercurrents. This river announces itself before it is seen. The large river Nile and its origin, Lake Nalubaale (Victoria) in the alternative have calmer grey waters and invite one for a swim. These three, like all the other rivers and lakes in Africa, send the unwary to a watery end.

Kasambula’s heat opened this year’s Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, with the motto ‘The Spirit of Friendship’, and the uncertain Muwakanya (August) closed them. East Africa won a total of 29 medals. Kenya won 6 gold, 5 silver and 10 bronze medals. Uganda won 3 gold, and 2 bronze medals. Tanzania won 1 silver and 2 bronze medals. In Buganda, the finals of the Bika (clans) football tournament will be held between the Ndiga (sheep) and Lugave (pangolin) clans. The Masaza (counties) cup is still in play. COVID-19 is still underfoot and we all need to keep fit.

Muwakanya has been filled with light rain, thunderstorms, and days like Kasambula never left. Okuwakana means to argue or dispute. The argumentative skies with grey days, sounds of distant thunder as well as hot sunny days leave us guessing as to the arrival of the rainy season. Folklore is that there was great fighting between the two seasons in the sky. The season that won dictated a time of plenty or one of less, hence the name Muwakanya for the month of August. The new planting season is determined by how soon the real rains come; in Muwakanya or Mutunda.

Europe has had their worst drought in 500 years. Here, in Uganda, we grapple with the degradation of loud and ferocious rivers like Moplogoma (Lion), and Kiyiira (Nile). Lake Nalubaale, the lake of deities, Lake Kyoga that protects those in the southern region from locusts from the North, and others in the Great lakes region have not been spared.

Drought is hot, neat, and silent, and leaves a crisp leaf. Floods are cold, wet, loud and obnoxious and leave a whole lot of mess. Their effect is the same, hunger and death. As we grapple with new forms of Withholding tax; an uncertain East African coalition for the independent jurisdictions, a snail pace in implementation of tax incentives for those that practice environmentally friendly models of doing business, we wonder, who will lead the cassava initiative to fight hunger in these non-committal times?

We had drought in Karamoja in the North East for most of this year and floods in Gulu in the North in Uganda, this August. My sympathies go out to those in Eastern Africa grappling with drought, and to all those that were displaced by floods. The plains of Lake Albert that flooded last year in Mutunda receded early this year in Gatonnya enabling some of the displaced Ugandans to return home.

Would East Africa benefit from one regional tax incentive award to those that implement environmentally friendly practices? Or, have we been chewed up so bad with consumerism as the benchmark for growth, that those that destroy the environment during production and consumption pay the same Pay as You Earn (PAYE) and Value Added Tax (VAT) as those who conserve it? Have the mandibles of life been too hard on us East Africans, that we do not have the Climate Change Control Challenge (CCCC) in hand?

Kasambula: July’s Athletics and Akajiijiiri

Congratulations to the winners and a hearty well done to all the participants of the World Athletics Championships held in Oregon, USA this Kasambula 2022. The East African participants were Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and The Democratic Republic of Congo. South Sudan did not participate. Kenya finished fourth overall with 10 medals; 2 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze medals. Uganda finished 16^th overall with 3 medals; 1 gold and 2 bronze medals.

The opening match of Buganda’s Masaza (counties) cup was held on the 23^rd of Seebaaseka in Buddu at the Masaka recreation centre football pitch. We are once again in the lake Nalubaale (Victoria) basin in Buganda; Uganda, East Africa. Buddu, the current cup holders had a (0-0) draw with Mawogola and were each awarded 1 point. All adult males resident in any of the 18 Buganda counties are eligible to play for their county irrespective of tribe or race. The next set of matches was held on Kasambula 2^nd. These matches are more vigorous than the clan football matches as the lineup of players is more diverse and the selection process more rigorous.

1^st Kasambula marks the start of the East African countries’ financial year. We celebrated the Kabaka of Buganda’s Kafuumuulampawu annual birthday run this Kasambula and this year’s theme is to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. The run which is open to everyone was flagged off at Bulange by His Magesty Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II and the Nnabagereka of Buganda Sylvia Nagginda was in attendance. Participants in Busoga and Gulu region and various runners in other parts of Uganda who could not make it to Bulange in Mengo, Kampala participated in their areas of residence. All the 80,000 workout kits for the run were sold and some participants wore their own versions of red and other work out wear. The gomesi was present among the runners. It was a lively workout that ended with the Kabaka of Buganda receiving a prestigious medal from UNAIDS for his devotion to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Would anyone like some fried cassava and fried tilapia fish?

Kasambula (July) derives its name from the season of clearing the gardens and fields in preparation for the new planting season; which will be determined by the argumentative Muwakanya. Kasambula means to clear the land. As hot and dry as July is, cassava (Muwogo) holds its own as a widely cultivated crop across Africa. After its 6 months from planting to maturity, cassava can be left in the ground for harvest whenever it is needed. Preservation is mostly by sun drying after harvest, of roots and leaves, ensuring food during the whole of the year. So what do we do about the white fly and its spread of the deadly virus Cassava mosaic?

Those living near fresh water lakes have a regular supply of fresh tilapia (engege), Nile perch (empuuta), silver cyprinid fish or Lake Victoria sardine (mukene), mud fish (ensonzi), cat fish (semutundu) and marbled lung fish (emamba) which is also the totem of a large clan in Buganda. Those far from the lakes and rivers have to do with frozen, sun dried and smoked fish. With the rise in gas prices, how do we safely transport fish to far off regions? East Africa is not the place where fresh fish is filleted and exported to earn a dollar while the locals are left to boil bones for sustenance. We eat what we fish then sell the rest.

With the now present scepter of global warming seen through the changing patterns of rainfall, we must make haste to fight the cassava mosaic virus, and protect our lakes and rivers from pollution. Which tax breaks will secure our future? Least a grown man cries akajiijiiri from hunger. Akajiijiiri is the piercing, sharp and sure squeal of a person (and some animals) in pain.

Ssebaaseka: June’s Katikiiro and Environment day

Ssebaaseka, the month of June derives its name from the vagaries of malaria. Coming from Muzigo (May) a wet month, the left over ponds are a breeding ground for mosquitoes. A story is told about a young girl who was sent by her mother to find out if her ill father needed more roasted maize. On seeing him smile, she returned to her mother and reported that her father was smiling. It was sad that her father had passed on; with a smile on his face. Okuseka means to smile or laugh in Luganda, spoken in the lake Nalubaale basin of Uganda, East Africa. 

This year we celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Makerere University. She turns 100 years. The reconstruction of Makerere University’s burnt Ivory Tower is proceeding.

We celebrate the Queen of England’s 70year Jubilee on 2^nd June 2022. In Uganda, we had what was a very popular monument when giving directions in down town Kampala; the Queen’s Clock tower. Local directions were given including the description ‘Esaawa ya Queen’, meaning The Queen’s clock. The Queen’s Clock tower was moved to a yet to be publicly disclosed location when expanding the roundabout at 6th Street in downtown Kampala. Uganda is a member of the Commonwealth. There was a comfort in knowing that the commonwealth countries’ tax systems were similar but that was at least 20 years ago.

Uganda Martyrs’ Day was celebrated on the 5^th of Ssebaaseka at the Namugongo Anglican and Catholic shrines with about 1 million faithful in attendance. The Katikiiro (Prime minister) of Buganda at that time was Mukasa. He had served Ssekabaka Mukaabya Walugembe Muteesa I (1854-1884) and his successor Ssekabaka Danieri Basammula Mwanga II (1884-1888) chose him to be his Katikiiro as well. The Katikiiro, a devout Muganda, did not like the foreign religions and deftly followed Ssekabaka Mwanga’s orders to terminate the Christian faithful. It was not a job for the weak, as some were serving in the Kabaka’s palace where he also served. This Katikiiro had 50 wives.

World Environment day was on the 5^th of Ssebaaseka. The East African countries of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania share Lake Nalubaale. A joint effort to curb environmental degradation of the lake would achieve more than each country tousling it out on its own. There is a tendency to buy cheap swamp plots of land, fill them with murram and stones, and build residential houses, high rise apartments, supermarkets or even petrol stations. When the swamps existing to filter water going into the lake are covered, it destroys all life like the Crested Cranes, other birds, animals and plants that are native swamp inhabitants. What most miss is that the murram hills that control the winds and rains are also razed to the ground. We need the hills intact to retain the weather patterns of old.  For this environment day, it is Who and What to tax and penalize; before there is no more cassava, matooke or purple yams.

On the 11^th of Ssebaaseka, our Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II opened this year’s Bika (Clans) football tournament. He graced the first football match of Ngo (leopard) Vs Mbwa (dog) held on a hot Saturday at Kasana in Luweero district in Buganda. Ngo won the match with 4 goals to Mbwa’s 2 goals. The matches continue…

Muzigo: May’s labour and cassava

Muzigo is a wet month, a cold month for the tropics. The rains grow the crops but the cold affects livestock.  In Muzigo (May), it is advised to handle domestic livestock with care so as not to perish from the cold. Muzigo means handle with care. Omuzigo is also ghee, in the Luganda speaking region of the Nalubaale basin in Uganda, East Africa. Omuzigo will melt if left near a warm hearth. Among its many qualities, omuzigo gives a pleasant feeling when consumed in food, and is notorious for causing weight gain when eaten daily. Even the blandest of food will get a ‘pick me up’ quality with the aroma and taste of omuzigo.

This May began with the usual International Labour Day celebration on the 1st of the month.. To commemorate his April birthday, this Muzigo, His Magesty the Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II gifted us with the use of Bulange palace for all our International Women’s Day celebrations. The theme of fighting climate change at the celebration is proceeding; and was reinforced at the ceremony hosted by the Nabagereka of Buganda, Sylvia Nagginda.

May our labours not be in vain as we fight climate change.

Eating raw cassava memes were popular on the internet when the adage of ‘let them eat cake’ was changed to ‘let them eat cassava’. Uganda does not grow wheat, so we have to import it. The effects and far reaching losses of war have us ‘returning’ to the staple cassava/tapioca. Cassava cooked with omuzigo (ghee) is very tasty. Is the reference to cassava a hint that some had eliminated it from their diet for years, after finally being able to afford bread… and cakes?

Were the articles online about cassava’s health benefits ignored by those that ranked it a cheap food, consumed by only those who could not afford bread?

Yes, in East Africa, cassava is cheaper than wheat flour. However, the taxes on fuel for its transportation, electricity, gas and the cassava accompaniments for a pleasant and or healthy meal are still high; for a ‘cheap’ food. Planting cassava, to fight climate change might be a game changer. But if we were all to regress to preparing the slightly toxic tuber using only firewood; what would the effects of our labour yield? For now, it is cassava, 30 days.

Kafuumuulampawu : April, The case of the wooden leg

This Kafuumuulampawu (April), the white ants were on time, and so was the rain in most places. We also celebrated World earth day. There are many types of enswa (white ants) and the ones that swarm in the day, expected in April are called Empawu. Okufuumuula can mean to spray or swarm, and the month is literally translated to mean swarming empawu. This is in Buganda in Uganda, East Africa.

Other edible white ants are enswa ensejjere that swarm at night and light is used to attract and collect them. We have enswa enaka that swarm when the sun shines immediately after it rains. These are found mostly in the county of Bulemeezi in Northern Buganda. Enswa embaala are very small and black. These are not eaten but the popular tiny obubaala mushrooms that currently only grow in the wild are found on their anthills. Different types of mushrooms grow in the vicinity of the different anthills.

We quietly celebrated the 67^th birthday of the Kabaka of Buganda His Majesty Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II. The lion of Buganda, the unchallengeable lion, our in charge husband, father of numerous sets of twins, the head of all men, winner above all winners, the one who is never wrestled, the palm tree that doesn’t bend, the hot charcoal that breaks the axe and fixes it, the footsteps of a leopard that are not stepped in by a dog, the sharp eyed snake, puff adder…  may your reign be long and blessed.

Lent season was also quiet and so was Easter. Ramathan month is also quiet. The rise in prices of fuel, soap and groceries that most consider essentials muted the ordinarily festive celebrations. Those in charge started lobbying the Uganda government for subsidies and still are as pupils, students and scholars are soon to return to schools and institutions of higher learning. The cost of education is higher, we need subsidies. We still need cheap, good quality soap, seeing that Covid-19 is not extinct.

An article written by Tausi Nakato, titled ‘Amputees want taxes on artificial limbs scrapped’ was published in The Daily Monitor newspaper on Thursday April 21, 2022 on page 26. In the article, the amputees and disabled from Iganga municipality in Eastern Uganda asked the government to scrap taxes on artificial limbs as they are too expensive and the ones purchased from Mulago hospital in Kampala are too heavy. Those that cannot afford the prosthetics from Mulago buy locally made wooden limbs that are also too heavy. The article said that 80% of the disabled and amputees cannot afford to buy artificial limbs. They requested the government to give artificial limbs to ordinary citizens the way it gives prosthetic limbs to army officers who lost their limbs in war.

The greater Uganda has been at peace for many years. I commiserate with our fellow citizens who have had unrest in their areas of residence and condole with those who have lost their loved ones and property to violence.

April had a party. A man with a wooden leg would have liked to attend the party and take to the dance floor if the spirit moved him. A request was made, that taxes on artificial limbs be scrapped. After the able bodied have chosen to run, dance, pick enswa and mushrooms, or abstain; what can one do about the plight of the man with the wooden leg?

Mugulansigo: March, Women and the DRC

Farmers in the Central region of Uganda (Buganda) prepare their gardens for planting in March, when the rains usually start. ‘Mugula’ means to buy or acquire and ‘nsigo’ means seeds in plant life and kidneys in humans or animals. The name ‘Mugulansigo’ describes the month of March in Luganda and the most popular seeds that influenced this name were maize and beans. We now have a variety of plant seeds to choose from when choosing what to plant.

This Mugulansigo, the Nabagereka of Buganda, Queen Sylvia Nagginda celebrated Buganda Women’s day themed ‘Women and the environment’ at Buganda’s parliament at Bulange, Mengo. The parliament and its location are both called Bulange. She addressed hundreds of women in attendance from 16 of Buganda’s 18 counties.

The Nabagereka challenged us to protect the environment, practice public activism and follow environmental preservation in our homes. Buganda kingdom has been leading efforts to save the environment which include tree planting as a part of the Kwanjula (traditional Buganda marriage ceremony) and also signed a memorandum in 2021 with the Ministry of Water and Environment to plant 20 million seedlings all over the Kingdom, supplied by the Government of Uganda. The day’s celebrations also included exhibitions of different ways to preserve the environment through agricultural arts and crafts and music presentations.

Today 29^th March 2022, we received the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) into the East African Community (EAC).  With this Women’s day turned month celebrations centered on environmental conservation, the arrival of the DRC widens the scope of influence of the EAC in meeting its objectives in fighting environmental degradation and ultimately climate change. How far will the influence of taxes in the EAC prevail, in aiding those that practice environmentally friendly modes of living and production?

We were expecting rain this Mugulansigo but the weather had its own designs; arid, with scattered rains that postpone planting. We can no longer be certain about the climate with all this weather change.

Mukutulansanja: February’s SMA

The month of February is called Mukutulansanja which means to tear banana fibers. The first half of February is usually hot. Post the January banana, matooke and other plantains harvest, the outer layers of plantain stems wither and peel off the plant. In the Bantu language originating in the Nalubaale (Victoria) region of Buganda in Uganda, Okukutula means to tear or break. Nsanja are dried plantain leaves or stems. Mukutulansanja is a combination of the two words describing the highlight of the time for the farming society.

This Mukutulansanja the members of the SMA (Stingy Men’s Association) were in for the Monday conference on Valentine’s Day. Why not celebrate the day of love? Because it is a Monday, a member of the SMA might reply. Shortly on the heels of a skipped Valentine’s Day is the national public holiday; Janan Luwum day celebrated on 16^th February every year.

The Late Archbishop Janan Luwum was the Archbishop of Uganda from 1974 to 1977. He was also the Bishop of the metropolitan province of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Boga in Zaire now known as Congo. His outspoken criticism of the late Idi Amin regime led to his demise. He is now recognized as a martyr by the Anglican Communion and his statue is among the 20^th century martyrs on the front of Westminster Abbey in London in the United Kingdom. Janan Luwum day has been a national public holiday since 2016.

If a member of SMA had skipped Valentine’s Day, as it was a Monday; we always have Janan Luwum day on 16^th February to celebrate a modern martyr. Luwum Street in Central Kampala is in memory of this martyr.

As if the SMA members were not pressed to deal with two celebrations in one month, there were the gruesome photos of Ugandan citizens being tortured in violation of our Constitution, International law and various treaties. A member of SMA is a tight fisted tax payer.  The SMA member might wonder if it is the taxes he paid that are used to inflict the abuse of human rights through torture. We are all concerned with tax morale. The question would be whether the SMA would choose to pay a professional and avoid taxes, or be tight fisted enough to evade taxes. Torture dampens tax morale.

As we continue to worry about climate change, the rains are here.

Gatonnya: Exodus

This Gatonnya (January) in Luganda (the language originating in the Lake Nalubaale (Victoria) region in central Uganda), saw the mass return of pupils and students to schools and other institutions of learning after two years at home. The auspicious date being 10^th January 2022; learners continued to register and return to school after the date schools opened. Uganda is currently the country with the longest period of schools closure since the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

Okutonnya means to rain, raining, drizzling, and dripping in regard to water and other liquids. The large bounty of ripe matooke and a variety of other plantains in the gardens; where one would be inclined to describe the sight as ‘raining matooke’ during the course of harvesting, gave the month this name. The month itself, is a dry, harvest month. Before the blatant signs of climate change and worry about global warming, it was as parched as a dry month in tropical Africa could be. So was July, but we will get there in a few months.

Two years is a long time and we now have more teenagers in primary school, with primary school teachers being challenged by the mere physical size of the pupils, let alone teen age hormones. We also have learners who did not return to pursue their education for economic reasons both lucrative and unfortunate, teenage pregnancies and those who have gone to meet the Lord. 4.5 million learners may not return to class; Exodus.

We felt the sudden collectivemovement of learners back to teaching institutions this Gatonnya. This was worsened by the intense fuel crisis that befell the whole country at the same time. Expenses were not just pressing on school needs but also on the challenges of long drives to boarding schools, some located in far districts and we also had the cost of the daily commute by day school learners and ordinary folk.

We were taxed.

The large numbers of learners that are now looking after their babies and those off to be employed in the earning sector of the economy beg the current schools systems to be revised. Questions arise like; can learning institutions claim force majeure on taxes before the legal limitation period? Do the Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) policies need to be reviewed after the pandemic culled the beneficiaries?  Can the tax payers get a tax credit for the monies not spent on UPE and USE during the two years that schools were closed? Is USE still the way to go or should we hedge other alternatives?

It is still matooke harvesting season. Gatonnya, welcome 2022.

December: Kakokolo on

A mask of any kind whether cloth, wood, metal or any other material is called a kakokolo in Luganda, the native tongue of the Baganda in Uganda. It is still a kakokolo even to those in the Diaspora. The turbulent times of the seventies and early eighties in Uganda related bukokolo (the plural form) to armed robbers and the word kakokolo was linked to terror and violence. Today, a kakokolo is a means of survival from the silent killer, Covid-19 in all its variations.

It’s the season to be merry; while wearing a kakokolo, washing hands, sanitizing and keeping social distance, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The list of presents for those who are within the sphere of requesting would include the gift of purchasing cheap, good quality soap. For everyone.  Not a handout; cheap soap. Not the soap that inclines the sensitive to infections of eczema, psoriasis etc. Not the poor quality, cheap soap that makes the able bodied redundant while treating ailments like burns that could have been avoided, in a healthcare system that is already stretched treating the same Covid-19 that we are trying to avoid.

How can we all afford good quality soap? Perhaps more stringent standards and lowered taxes on soap would make a difference?

In this holiday season, most eye the bull, the cockerel, the goat, duck or turkey that will soon be in the pot and then the stomach after prayers and carols. After which, are the more universal festivities to usher in the New Year, for everyone. But with the recent surge in the Omicron variant, notwithstanding the Delta and other mutations, the end of the year celebrations are skewed towards safety, bukokolo, soap, sanitizer and social distancing.

It is in our best interest to be sensitive towards the special needs to fight Covid-19 and also follow the standard operating procedures as we celebrate this festive season. I wish you all a merry Christmas and a healthy, prosperous and blessed New Year.

November: Musenene and climate change, and we cried again

This Musenene, the grasshoppers came on time, in early November. But unlike the ‘eat till you drop’ bonanza of my early childhood and youth, most have to buy the delicacy from street vendors either fresh or fried. The grasshoppers were on time but were not the large swarms of back in the day, where only those living in apartment blocks had to purchase them. The replacement of greenery with red soil, clay, sand, tarmac and concrete means that grasshoppers have less grass to grow in every year.

If we were slow to notice the change in weather patterns and ultimately climate change, the dwindling numbers of grasshoppers announce the change every Musenene. The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP26, was the 26th of its kind, held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, from 31 October to 13 November 2021. The conference was prominently covered this November, with uncertain commitments but a general desire to curb and ultimately reverse climate change. Its non-legally binding agreement will set the global agenda on climate change for the next decade. Some of the highlights included reducing carbon dioxide emissions, cutting down the use of coal and fossil fuels, increasing money to help poor countries cope with the effects of climate change and make the switch to clean energy, and planting more trees.

What are our options? How do we handle the rapidly diminishing, previously free protein that is nsenene (grasshoppers)? How important is free food to us? Are we doing our part to plant more trees? How many more trees are needed? Who is handling the campaign to promote the planting of indigenous tree species? Who can we tax to make sure that the benefits to those working to preserve nature are sure and tangible? Can the taxes be certain, for planning purposes?

As a seasonal delicacy, nsenene are notoriously difficult to preserve because they die within a few days when in captivity. A few enterprising gentlemen to the West of Buganda were left with sacks full of rotting insects in 2012 after they failed to get a market for their catch. Culturally, in Buganda, with nsenene, you eat most of what you catch and gift your neighbour who has none, with the rest. They freeze well when raw, with the wings and legs removed, but are not yet a supermarket item as they are tastier when prepared fresh.

Musenene once again was a month of mourning. Three bombs were set off in Kampala Central on the morning of Tuesday 16^th November. Three lives were lost and 33 people were wounded of whom 21 were policemen. My deepest condolences go out to the families of the victims of this act of terrorism. May God comfort you during this difficult time. As the State security agencies handle this tragedy, God be with us all.

October: Two Independence days, one Country

On 8^th October 1962, Buganda celebrated its independence from Britain at Bulange palace at Mengo, Kampala. On this day in the Kingdom, we celebrate Bulungi Bwa Nsi (for the good of everyone) to commemorate the auspicious occasion. The socialist ideology that existed long before colonization promotes personal dignity and the values and spirit of living together as a community. Here villagers take care of their commonly owned assets like wells, roads, schools, hospitals, places of worship under community service as opposed to only waiting for State resources to get the job done.

On 9^th October 1962, Uganda celebrated its independence from Britain at the Kololo airstrip in Kampala. Kabaka Edward Muteesa II became Uganda’s first President and Dr. Apollo Milton Obote was sworn in as the first prime minister. As a country, we had a muted celebration at the Kololo airstrip, following SOPS to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

What is the true meaning of independence?

To date in Uganda, we have no direct access to Facebook without a Virtual Private Network. Over the top tax (OTT) is now deducted from data to access all social networking sites including Facebook. COVID-19 mandated social distancing made most online social networks more popular and some now find the indirect tax difficult to calculate.

The Baganda quickly named the disease caused by the COVID-19 virus Lumiima mawugwe (literally meaning the disease squeezes the lungs), while Facebook is still in line for a name in most of our local dialects. Hopefully the OTT on all social media sites including the currently restricted Facebook will be used in the fight against Lumiima mawugwe and the provision of other health services. Independence includes the freedom to choose one’s dialect.

August: Artemisia afra

Artemisia afra, (called Omululuuza in Luganda) is boiled in water and the bitter brew is drank to treat malaria in traditional medicine in Buganda. This indigenous shrub, also known as African wormwood, is found across most of South, East and North Africa and has a number of medicinal properties with the most common being the treatment of malaria caused by a parasite carried by the anopheles mosquito. It is also used to treat colds, fevers, diabetes, whooping-cough, kidney disorders, convulsions, loss of appetite and other ailments. Artemisia is also used as an essential oil, moth repellent or as an organic insecticide spray.

As the world grapples with bringing Covid-19 to heel, we still need efficient health facilities to offer treatment for illnesses that existed before Covid-19 e.g. malaria and the essential service towards maternal health. Uganda’s second lockdown was partially lifted on Friday 30^th July 2021, leading to long lines at health centres to get the Covid-19 vaccine. Our curfew is still set at 7.00p.m until 5.30a.m.

And so, in comes the tax payer, or their Member of Parliament representative to ask whether the regular health services are still up to date and running efficiently in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the urgency to immunize those that qualify for the vaccine.

The studies to verify whether Artemisia afra is an effective treatment for Covid-19 have not yet been concluded by the World Health Organization.

As we trudge through this pandemic, it might be prudent to go old school with a garden that encompasses medicinals, herbs, vegetables and fruits. For whereas an Artemether tablet is easier to administer, a mug full of Artemisia brew might be the first aid needed in a place where a lot of people die of malaria in spite of Covid-19.

July: Certainly the Olympics and a coronation celebration

After a few months of speculation, July 1^st was to ensure that we all know where we stand with our tax obligations e.g. Over the top tax (OTT) and construction tax, in line with the new financial year in Uganda. The local newspapers, the Revenue Authority, publications written by Ugandan law firms, international accounting firms, and economists always made certain that there was a glut of information about the changes in tax laws and policy. During this Covid-19 lockdown, where sanitizing paper is of importance, information is mostly shared on the internet, television and the radio. For those in need of the latest changes in tax practice,’ it behoves you’ (Ki ku kakata ko in Luganda) to avail yourself this resource by using a qualified tax professional or by searching the Uganda Revenue Authority online portal for the information you seek, for your certainty.

We celebrate all the winners at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, and wish those waiting to participate in their respective fields all the best. It was a humbling experience to see the 2020 branding at the stadiums in 2021, which is a reminder of the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. And after we have cheered for our favourites and jubilated for the winners, the tax man will be waiting back home to tax the Olympians down to their sinews… that is if they do not have a good tax plan.

Sabasajja Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi the second will celebrate his 28^th coronation anniversary on Saturday 31^St July at his palace(Lubiri) in Nkoni in Masaka district in Buganda following the standard operating procedures for Covid prevention. I was one of the many high school students to attend his coronation at Naggalabi on Budo hill in Wakiso district in 1993. It helped that the Kings’ coronation site is about a ten minute walk to the school Kings’ College Budo. From 1993 to date, the use of organic materials in these celebrations has been maintained. These include reed columns and fences with sisal twine, expensive bark cloth, hand woven mats and banana plants for decoration. The consumption of traditionally made banana juices and spirits in dried squash gourd containers, and local bull goat and chicken roasting all enhance the pomp and festivities. The musical instruments are handmade and the naturally preserved regalia of our forefathers is on display. This cultural celebration retains our traditional history; and the decorations also degrade in ways that are favourable to the environment. May your reign be long, great lion of Buganda.