Nankabirwa lambasts Buganda for trashing late PM Nsimbabi’s economic dreams

The minister for Energy and Mineral Development, Ruth Nankabirwa has lambasted Buganda for acting on sentiments after they failed to embrace former prime minister Apollo Nsimbabi’s vision that would have propelled the kingdom to economic greatness.

Nankabirwa says it was a lost development and economic power opportunity when the loyalists in 2007 rejected Nsibambi’s advice on amending the Land Act. Nsibambi and the late Archbishop Livingstone Mpalanyo Nkoyoyo had proposed plans on how Mengo would use its land to generate income if the law was amended. Among the proposals was turning the palace at Mengo into a tourist facility complete with hotels and an airstrip for tourists.

However, when a report was read in the Lukiiko (kingdom parliament) in 2007 that Nkoyoyo had cautioned the then Buganda prime minister Emmanuel Sendawula on officials who were inciting Baganda against the Land Act amendments, all hell broke loose. The Shs 2 million that Nsibambi had donated to Mengo towards the development of Mutesa I University was angrily rejected and returned to him. Nsibambi would later donate the money to Uganda Christian University owned by the Church of Uganda.

Speaking at the first Archbishop Livingstone Nkoyoyo memorial lecture at the Church of Uganda Martyrs site in Kyaliwajjala, Namugongo Nankabirwa said Nkoyoyo’s ideas were a lost treasure and partnering with Nsibambi presented a great opportunity for Buganda. She castigated some loyalists who misunderstood Nsimbabi and Nkoyoyo and failed to see look far into the future, saying up to this present day, the kingdom has failed to set up any project to match their economic independence dreams.

Nankabirwa, who represented President Yoweri Museveni hailed the developments taking place at the site and pledged government continued support, especially to the tourism development plans. The projects being undertaken after the Martyrs museum include a primary school which is nearing completion, an amphitheatre to be used during ceremonies and a church.

However, Nankabirwa said the planned church is too small and that it should be redesigned to cater for the growing Christian population and the growing visibility of the site generally. She says that so far government has spent over Shs 21 billion on the completed and ongoing projects, with the amphitheatre alone expected to cost up to Shs 37 billion.

Bishop Jackson Matovu, the archbishop chairperson, said they expect the amphitheatre to house the main Martyrs’ Day celebrations on June 3, this year, having completed the more complex museum, which he says has taken a lot of resources. Nkoyoyo, who died in 2018 was the brainchild of the development of the site and most of the current projects going on, especially the idea to turn it into a tourist site. Nankabirwa asked the church, Uganda Tourism Board and the government to find a way of developing the sites into globally known religious tourism attractions like the Taj Mahal of India and Mecca pilgrim sites in Saudi Arabia.    

In his recorded keynote address, local hospitality industry investor, Amos Wekesa, said if only Uganda increased the marketing budget for tourism, there is no reason why Uganda would not be strong in the global tourism industry. NRM vice chairman for eastern Uganda, Mike Mukula used the opportunity to rally support for the incoming Martyrs’ Day in June, which is being organized by the dioceses in eastern Uganda, especially in form of money and other donations. 

He said while Nkoyoyo’s idea was turning the place into a tourist site, it has helped a lot in ensuring that Christians, especially Anglicans recognize the importance of the site to their spiritual growth. Archbishop Samuel Kaziimba-Mugalu described Nkoyoyo as first of all someone who cherished love for all and did not discriminate in any way along religious lines. 

This, according to Kaziimba is one of the reasons he was loved back by people of all religions. He cited the example of the Send-A-Cow project where people were given heifers as startup capital and, against complaints from some Anglicans, the requirements for benefiting from the project did not include religion on any other discriminatory aspects.