The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Washington, USA | THE INDEPENDENT | Uwelukoosi the Third Umukuuka uwe (Cultural Leader of the) Bamasaaba/Bagisu, Jude Mike Mudoma, has arrived in Washington DC to attend week-long activities marking the inauguration of President Elect Donald J. Trump.
Mudoma and his delegation arrived in Washington, USA, on Saturday morning aboard an SN Brussels flight, according to the Institution’s information, media and communications minister Alfred Geresom Musamali.
“They were warmly received by Prof. Florence Wakoko-Studstill, our Institution’s envoy to the US and Canada,” he said, adding that Mudoma will represent African kings at the U.S. Presidential Multicultural Coalition Inaugural Ball. The Ball is to be held at the Washington Times Building Arbor Ballroom, located at 3600 New York Ave, NE, Washington, DC 20002 on the evening of January 20, a few hours after President Trump takes office at Capitol Hill.
Due to extreme weather conditions, the main function will take place indoors and admit fewer people than had been officially invited but all over Washington and other American cities there will be many more activities related to the inauguration throughout the week, including the prestigious Ball to which the Umukuuka was invited by the Ball’s organising committee chairperson Dr J. Mark Burns.
The Inaugural Ball will be a grand occasion, bringing together distinguished guests from various ethnic and professional sectors. The evening will feature a catered dinner, live entertainment, and an opportunity to engage with esteemed colleagues and dignitaries from around the world, said Dr Burns in the official invitation. Mudoma is also scheduled to address a UNESCO meeting later in the week, according to a posting on social media by IYM Spokesperson Stephen Masiga.
Umukuuka III is Cultural Leader of the Bamasaaba
The Umukuuka III is the cultural leader of the Cultural Institution for the Bamasaaba in Uganda, Kenya and the Diaspora. He is addressed as Uwelukoosi, loosely translated as His Royal Highness (HRH).
The ancestral lands of the Bamasaaba ethnic community are on the south-west and south-east slopes of Mt Elgon which towers across Uganda and Kenya in the East African Community. The Bamasaaba in Uganda are also called Bagisu by virtue of their lands falling in Bugisu, one of the eighteen districts that formed Uganda at Independence in 1962. Those in Kenya are, however, referred to as the Babukusu, although there are also some Babukusu in Uganda. In Kenya, the ancestral homes are mainly in Bungoma and Trans-Nzoia counties.
Their main cultural practice is the compulsory, unanesthetized, public circumcision of adolescent males, a biennial tourist attraction for which the Umukuuka aspires to secure recognition from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a unique heritage. Mbale City in Uganda hosts Bumutoto, the cultural centre of the Bamasaaba. All circumcision festivities are launched in Bumutoto, where the first official candidate is initiated into manhood by circumcision on the first weekend of August in every even year. Thereafter, the circumcision spreads out sub-county by sub-county till it covers the whole of Bugisu, Bungoma and Trans-Nzoia. The end of the circumcision festivities is marked by Inemba, a function held sub-county by sub-county in January of the odd years to mark the curing of the wounds and a declaration that the newly initiated are now ready to take on wives, cultivate the fertile volcanic soils of Mt Elgon to feed their families and defend their entire community.
Turmoil in the Institution of the Umukuuka
Mudoma succeeded Umukuuka II Bob Mushikor who died in 2021. However, there were leadership wrangles that delayed the installation of Mudoma as the Umukuuka III till August 2023. Even after the installation, there have been a number of court cases filed to contest whether Mudoma was properly elected for his five year non-renewable term of office. The wrangles have remained haunting Mudoma so much that a few weeks ago he dropped his Prime Minister Charles Walimbwa Pekke Masolo on suspicions of colluding with other people to overthrow the Umukuuka III.
It all started with a certain Difasi Wabuya, who calls himself Chairman of the 26 Bamasaaba Clans, convening a meeting at the Lukhobo Hall in Malukhu, the Mbale District headquarters, to constitute the Third General Assembly despite Mudoma advising then to hold on for a number of restructuring arrangements to take place. Walimbwa, Nelson Wedaira and other Cabinet members, Envoys and Commissioners in the Umukuuka’s administration not only attended the purported Third General Assembly but also got elected to positions of responsibilities in it, forcing Mudoma to denounce the assembly and relieve his appointees of their responsibility.
In a press release issued by Musamali, Uwelukoosi Mudoma is said to have “noted with great concern the conduct of the people who under unclear circumstances purported to constitute that purported General Assembly” and promised to “immediately seek clarify from Mbale District Local Government over how such an illegal meeting was convened at their premises”.
Musamali pointed out that the law establishing the Institution of the Traditional or Cultural Leaders (ITCL) in Uganda is very clear about unauthorised actions of persons who are not delegated by the Cultural Leader. Sec 16(2) of the ITCL, 2011 Act (Cap 242) is to the effect that any person or persons who purport to act in the name of the Cultural Leader without authorisation of the Cultural Leader commits an offence. He quoted Mudoma as saying “Wabuya’s actions in organising this gathering are illegal, since he lacks the mandate to conduct such an assembly on behalf of Uwelukoosi the Umukuuka. Furthermore, the involvement of outgoing Institution of the Umukuuka Prime Minister Mr. Charles Walimbwa Peke and others in orchestrating this illegal assembly raises serious questions about their integrity”.
Mudoma reportedly said, “The Cultural Institution Leadership regards such actions as provocative and detrimental to the unity of our people in Bugisu sub-region and beyond as it can only be intended to undermine the very fabric of the cultural authority. Therefore, all the actions such as the purported “election” of Mr. Wedaira and Mr. Muliro (Deputy Speaker) are a nullity, with no legal effect”. Mudoma, therefore, called upon all stakeholders to respect the rule of law and adhere to the established protocols of the Institution of the Umukuuka under the laws of Uganda.
“For clarity, by the time the Umukuuka III took office, it had been noted that there were several inconsistencies between the law and the IYM Constitution and these inconsistencies were at the bedrock of instability in Bugisu sub-region. The Umukuuka has brought these issues to the Government of Uganda’s attention and is waiting for guidance on the same, the most important being guidance on what constitutes the Institution of the Traditional or Cultural Leader within the Uganda legal framework. This is something which appears to have been misunderstood by many people across the board. Uwelukoosi the Umukuuka also calls upon all stakeholders to work together to uphold the integrity of the Institution of the Cultural Leader to promote their unity, cultural preservation, and development among the Bamasaaba in Uganda, Kenya and the Diaspora,” said Musamali, in the press release.
“As we conclude the year, 2024, Uwelukoosi the Umukuuka urges all of us Bamasaaba who have spent days debating matters concerning Bukuuka and the Umukuuka to transform their discussions into actionable resolutions. He says we should distill our ideas into tangible, constructive proposals that can be presented to the Umukuuka for consideration and further management,” he added.
