By Paul Kasadha
Last week, The Pearl Times broke the news of the firing of Kyabazinga Gabula IV by members of the Council of Chiefs (Read story here).
All the chiefs who supported a decision to fire their king, Kyabazinga William Wilberforce Nadiope Gabula IV could lose their positions and vehicles, if the events that happened in recent days are anything to go by.
Prime Minister Katuukiro Dr Joseph Muvawala quickly issued a statement insisting Nadiope Gabula IV was still Kyabazinga and would rule Busoga until he dies.
Hours later, the six chiefs called a press conference to cement their position on the ‘sacking’ of Kyabazinga Gabula IV. (Read what they said here).
Now, days later, the Kyabazinga has begun cracking the whip against the chiefs opposed to him.
The Balangila from Busiki Chiefdom, which is present day Namutumba District, led by their speaker Rev Canon David Kaluya on January 20 stormed the Busoga Kingdom headquarters in Bugembe, Jinja city.
They were warmly welcomed by the Kingdom Permanent Secretary Isadhaibi Godfrey Samanya who led them to the council hall and asked them to reveal to him why they had visited unannounced.
Top on the agenda were issues surrounding the coup that nearly ended Gabula Nadiope’s reign as Kyabazinga of Busoga Kingdom.
In the coup plot, six chiefs led by Isiko Yokonia Kawanguzi from Busiki released a joint statement claiming to have dethroned King Gabula and replaced him with his nemesis Chief Edward Columbus Muloki Zibondo of Bulamooji Chiefdom (Kaliro District).
The visitors came with resolutions which included getting rid of their Chief who took part in the coup. They accuse of him hypocrisy and uncultured behavior and claim he didn’t consult them as elders and council members before deciding to join the other Chiefs to dethrone Gabula.
It’s this meeting that they also unveiled a new acting Chief who accused his predecessor of turning the chiefdom on a ride of compromised deals.
They also claimed that the six chiefs sold off Kingdom land to a Jinja-based pastor Zakaria Serwada of Evangel World Vision without the knowledge of their boss, the Kyabazinga (Read Kyabazinga’s Profile here).
That the six didn’t even inform the kingdom Council about the selling off of Kingdom land at Igenge Hill near the official palace of the Kyabazinga.
Speaker Kaluya further says trouble came when the six Chiefs involved in the deal were told to return the pastor’s money so that he doesn’t use the land because he acquired it illegally and was stopped.
That these chiefs also approached several Kampala-based top government officials for a bailout so that they pay back the money.
Kaluya went on to allege that the said government officials accepted to help the embattled chiefs but on condition that they convene and decide in unison to dethrone the reigning King Gabula which they heeded and outed a joint statement on January 03 which made rounds on social media and made headlines indicating Kyabazinga Gabula had been overthrown.
However, kingdom bosses who pay allegiance to Gabula have been cited in the firing of the Busiki Chief Isiko Yokonia Kawanguzi and reports indicate more of the six chiefs who took part might be axed.
Gabula seems determined to crack the whip against those opposed to his leadership and to prove this, unknown armed men wearing UPDF uniforms confiscated a double cabin vehicle belonging to Chief Ayub Ntembe Banamwita of Butembe Chiefdom who also took part in the Coup.
The car was driven to unknown place when his driver was forced to hand over the car keys while on official duties along Iganga Road in Jinja city.
The vehicles had reportedly been donated to the chiefs by President Museveni on request by Rebecca Kadaga, the Kyabazinga and other top officials from Busoga.
