The Office of the President in Buliisa District has stopped a Bugungu cultural gala (Kabaari) that had been scheduled to take place on April 1, 2023, unless the organiser follows the previous guidelines that were stipulated by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
In his January 16, 2023 letter to the ex-Prime Minister of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom and current Chairperson of Bugungu Cultural Revival Association, Mr Norman Lukumu, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Gender and Social Development, Mr Aggrey Kibenge, guided in the previous communication that in promoting their right to their culture, one should not infringe on other people’s rights.
The gala was in preparation for the establishment of the Butebbengwa bwa Bugungu seceding from Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom.
It is on this basis that the Buliisa Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Mr Stephen Byaruhanga Mfashingabo, stops the Bugungu Cultural Gala that had been organised by Mr Herbert Munyomo, guiding that he must fully adhere to the previous guidelines.
In his letter to the Buliisa District Police Commander dated March 24, 2023, the RDC requests for the cause of observance of law and order in Buliisa district on or around April 1, 2023, when Mr Munyomo wanted to showcase the cultural gala.
Mr Mfashingabo clearly states that the event will not take place unless it is in conformity with the guidelines.
“We recognise that the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development is the supervisor and custodian of national policies regarding culture and hence their guidance should be fully adhered to. As such, no cultural gala is taking place in Buliisa District unless in conformity with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development guidelines. You are requested to ensure compliance,” he writes.
This response follows Mr Munyomo’s letter to the RDC requesting for permission to hold a cultural gala with intent to promote Bagungu’s culture.
On December 18, 2022, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development stopped the activities of Bugungu Cultural Revival Association, on the grounds that they infringed on other people’s rights.
Bagungu are one of the many sub-ethnicities including Batyaba, Banyabugoma, Bagahya, Basiindi, Bagangaizi, Bakobya, Banyabuyaga and others that form Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom.
