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A cabinet minister has ignited a political firestorm with audacious claims that the Buganda Kingdom's Katikkiro, Charles Peter Mayiga, harbours presidential ambitions.
State Minister for Lands, Dr. Sam Mayanja, claimed that these aspirations are the root cause of Mayiga's perceived resentment towards President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, suggesting a deeper, underlying political manoeuvring within the kingdom's leadership.
A Growing Nationalistic Tide
Speaking on a radio talk show over the weekend, Dr. Mayanja said there was a growing sense of “Buganda nationalism” spearheaded by Mayiga that needed to be thoroughly investigated by the state.
He wondered why the Mayiga-led Mengo administration is so keen on operating a governance and social services infrastructure that strikingly mirrors that of the central government.
In certain instances, he said, the Buganda Kingdom's administrative and social service delivery systems have proven to be more efficient than their central government counterparts.
This efficiency, he argued, poses a subtle yet significant challenge to national cohesion.
Dr. Mayanja stated that it is high time President Museveni curtailed his perceived leniency and directly confronted Mengo on these issues before the situation escalates beyond control, potentially undermining the state's authority.
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Minister Sam Mayanja
The Invisible Hand of Power
Dr. Mayanja elaborated on his claims, asserting that Mayiga's actions are a calculated effort to cultivate an image of himself as a more people-centred and effective leader than General YK Museveni.
This, the Minister contended, is the political capital Mayiga intends to leverage to popularise his presidential ambitions, potentially at the expense of President Museveni or any future successor from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) camp.
Furthermore, and notably without offering substantial corroboration, Dr. Mayanja alleged that Mayiga is, in fact, the clandestine mastermind behind Mathias Mpuuga's recently re-branded and revitalised Democratic Front (DF) party.
Drawing a historical parallel, Mayanja likened the DF's current role to that played by the Kabaka Yekka (KY) party in the 1960s, which he claimed epitomised Mengo's political ambitions of that era.
He concluded by suggesting that it is strategically convenient for Mayiga to shield his presidential aspirations by operating from within the esteemed office of the Katikkiro at Mengo, using Mpuuga as a proxy.
Neither Mayiga nor the Mengo administration has responded to Minister Mayanja’s claims