Buliisa District Chairman elect Fred Lukumu’s political rival has said he will not support the breakaway of Bugungu from Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom.
While speaking to Kazi-njema News, Mr Simon Agaba Kinene, the out-going district chairman, believes that the cessation is a creation of more rivalry in Bugungu which might sabotage cultural and economic progress made in the past years.
According to him, the question of which clan among the 56 Bagungu clans produces the cultural institution leader stands as a complication ahead of most clan leaders and members as the Basimo are rooted at Kitahuura, Bakibiro at Kizongi, Basansya of Kisansya, Basyabi at Kisyabi, Balima at Kilima, Batyanga at Kityanga, Badogimo at Kidogimo and Basonga in Butyaba.
Mr Kinene reveals that he made wide consultations through local government councils but the proposal for dismemberment was rejected saying the breakaway move is self-interest motivated than for the common good of the people of Bugungu and Bunyoro.
However, Mr Kinene says much as he remains loyal to Bunyoro Kitara kingdom, he does not reject all efforts to promote positive cultures of the Bagungu such as Lugungu language, traditional dishes, food stuffs and way of life.
His stand follows a statement made by the Buliisa district chairman elect, Fred Lukumu last week clarifying that he will not hesitate to facilitate Bugungu breakaway as long as it is tabled as an important need by the people of Bugungu.
The Bugungu cessation issue has been boiling for more than a decade now.
Bagungu, a traditional sub-division of the Banyoro people have a discrete language compared with other sub-divisions with its uniqueness of carrying a blend of vocabulary from various lingua franca including Lugwere, Alur, Ruruli, Kiswahili, Runyoro/Rutooro and Kinyarwanda.
Among the several traditional Banyoro sub-divisions, Batyaba are the closest geographical neighbours of the Bagungu with language and lake-life similarities.
The Batyaba live in Butyaba as their ancestral land in present day Buliisa district whereas the Bagungu are predominantly in Bugungu with high presence and residence in Kigorobya county of Hoima district where they were placed by epidemics like sleeping sickness as far back as Omukama Kabaleega times.
The Bagungu are also many and influential in the business communities of Hoima and Masindi districts’ urban centres.
The creation of new cultural institutions is constitutional under the Cultural Leaders Act.
Mr Job Kusiima, a resident of Biiso town in Bulisa district, says constitutional affairs are not good to rely on since they may not care much about the beauty of the historical relations of a given rapport.
