Mengo August 31—Omutaka Lukanga Erukaana is the new clan leader for the Mpologoma clan installed as Namuguzi Ssebuganda at a colourful cultural ceremony held 31 August 2024 at the clan’s ancestral grounds in Lwadda, Nansana municipality after 18 days of suspense.
He is the 35th head of the Mpologoma clan replacing his father, Wilson Ndawula Namuguzi Ssebuganda who died at the age of 50.
The impasse was caused by the delayed burial of his predecessor, Wilson Ndawula, as clan leaders pressed for ownership of the ancestral land the Buganda Land Board had leased to military officer, Gen. Kayanja.
Gen. Kayanja had offered to surrender 3 acres of the 25 acres he was leased band the Mengo leadership was pressing the clan leaders to accept the offer, but the Mpologoma clan leaders vehemently rejected the proposal.
At the last meeting between the Mpologoma clan leaders and the Mengo leadership, both sides exchanged bitter words to the extent that the clan leadership was going to let its youths go ahead with their decision to damp the body of the late clan leader at Bulange headquarters of the Kingdom. The clan leadership also rejected a proposal by the Mengo leadership to call Gen. Kayanja at the meeting to negotiate with him, saying that they have no business with him in the fight for their ancestral land and stormed out of the meeting.
It was after the hot meeting that the Mengo establishment re-negotiated with Gen. Kayanja, who had also earlier been pressed by Gen. Salim Saleh over the matter, the Mengo leadership wrote to the Mpologoma clan appealing for calm and go ahead with preparations for the burial and promised to solve their land demand after the burial.
All Ganda cultural rituals were followed as the late Wilson Ndawula was put in the prepared “forest”, organised and covered in 168 pieces of backcloth and carried by clan leaders who lowered him in a 17 feet deep grave.
As he was being lowered into the grave, a new leader of the Mpologoma clan was being installed and was shown to the public by the Katikkiro of Mpologoma clan, Kireega Patrick Kisekka Ddungu.
Katikkiro Patrick Kisekka told mourners that grabbers of the clan land have sabotaged the clan activities adding that the delay of the burial of the late Ndawula Ssebuganda was due to the land dispute involving Gen. Kayanja who claim ownership of the clan land.
“We shall continue fighting for this piece of land until we retain full ownership of all the 640 acres. This land belongs to Mpologoma clan and persistent encroachment by grabbers is sabotaging our cultural activities”, Kisekka said.
He insisted that this clan land has a number of historic sites which need to be protected from external encroachers.
The chairperson of the Mpologoma clan trustee, Prof. Badru Kateregga, said that they need their land back to use it for development projects.
“We plan to build a vocational Institute that will train students in different technical skills and as well turn our cultural shrines and sites into a museum”, Prof. Kateregga told mourners.
He asked the Buganda Minister for Heritage, Palaces and Tourism, Antony Wamala, who represented the Mengo establishment, to find a lasting solution to the land dispute.
Mpologoma clan leaders disclosed that they petitioned the Kabaka of Buganda to order the Buganda Land Board to return the title of their clan land to them which the Kabaka did, only to be surprised when the Buganda Land Board started dividing plots in the land for leases to give out.
In his speech, minister Anthony Wamala urged clan leaders to safeguard their properties including land from grabbers and advised them to register all their trustees on their land.
Prior to the burial of the late Ndawula Ssebuganda and installing a new one, the Katikkiro of the Mpologoma clan, Kireega Patrick Kisekka, officially introduced the would be new clan leader, Erukaana Lukanga, to the Katikkiro of Buganda, Charles Peter Mayiga, at his office in Bulange Mengo.
