The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Umukuuka III was one of a few African political and cultural leaders invited to President Trump’s week-long inauguration festivities
Washington, US | THE INDEPENDENT | Uwelukoosi Jude Mike Mudoma, the Umukuuka III of the Bamasaaba/Bagisu, has secured a partnership with a United States business firm interested in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and the development of low cost housing in Mbale, Uganda’s Mt Elgon City. Uwelukoosi Mudoma is in Washington DC where he arrived on Saturday 18th January, 2025 to attend week-long ceremonies related to the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States (POTUS).
Uwelukoosi Mudoma, one of a very few African political and cultural leaders invited to the POTUS festivities, was accompanied by Nabagyelema Annet (the Umukuuka’s spouse) as well as cultural ministers Pastor Phillip Charo (Inter-Faith Affairs) and Vincent Waboya (Disaster Management). They were received in Washington by the Umukuuka’s Special Envoy to the US and Canada, Prof. Florence Wakoko-Studstill. Due to forecasts of very cold weather conditions outdoor where the POTUS main inaugurations ceremonies are usually held, this year’s function was moved to the Capitol Hill Rotanda, an inhouse facility with a seating capacity for hardly 400 guests. Therefore, access was limited, with American Information Technology (IT) gurus, anti-gay activists and other top notch Trump supporters as well as past US presidents and their spouses taking centre stage while access to the almost 250,000 ticket holders was barred.
Uwelukoosi Mudoma represents African traditional and cultural leaders
Uwelukoosi Mudoma, however, represented African traditional and cultural leaders at the January 20th Presidential Multicultural Coalition Inaugural Ball to which he had specifically been invited to Washington to attend by the Ball’s organizing committee chairperson televangelist and Anti-Gay Crusader Dr Mark Burns. Internet sources say Dr Burns (born September 21, 1979) is pastor of the Harvest Praise & Worship Center in South Carolina, was an early supporter of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential elections and was by 2023 a board member of the campaign group called Pastors for Trump.
According to the Institution of the Umukuuka information, media and communications minister Alfred Geresom Musamali, Uwelukoosi Mudoma apart from attending the ball made a presentation, on engagement in climate disaster resilience by leveraging traditional ecological knowledge, at one of his multiple networking sessions.
“We had opportunity to connect with various stakeholders, including business leaders, industrialists, policymakers and cultural enthusiasts. These interactions have opened up new avenues for potential collaborations and investments between Uganda and the US,” Mudoma revealed.
“In particular, we held a meeting with Dr Bisham Singh, the MD of ChildCare International, who is interested in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and establishment of low cost housing in Mbale.”
According to Musamali, the critical takeaway from Uwelukoosi Mudoma’s trip is the importance of cultural leadership in securing investment partnerships in the US and elsewhere. As a cultural leader, said Musamali, Uwelukoosi Mudoma was able to leverage his position to promote Uganda’s rich cultural heritage and foster connections with potential investors.
Uwelukoosi Mudoma also visited Uganda’s Embassy in Washington DC to meet Ambassador Robinah Kakonge. He told Ambassador Kakonge about his strong belief that cultural leadership can play a vital role in promoting economic development and investment in Uganda. He said by Bamasaaba showcasing their unique cultural assets and values, they can differentiate themselves from other investment destinations and attract like-minded partners. He discussed with Ambassador Kakonge the possibility of securing opportunities in US institutions of higher learning scholarships for Bamasaaba youth, cultural exchange visits between Bamasaaba leaders and US citizens, as well as investments by US businesses in the coffee value chain around the Bamasaaba ancestral lands on the slopes of Mt Elgon.
Nigerians pastors instead of African politicians
Relatedly, BBC Africa reported that two Nigerian religious leaders, Pastors William Kumuyi and Nathaniel Bassey had been scheduled to attend Monday’s main inauguration ceremony before the venue was changed from outdoor to indoor. According to BBC, no African political leader made it to the invitation list of any inauguration related ceremony, adding that invitation of the Nigerian religious leaders was unusual and served to underscore the ties between Christian evangelicalism and the incoming US administration.
“Although Trump broke tradition by inviting world leaders from countries including China, Italy and Argentina, there were no African heads of state on the guest list,” the world broadcaster said.
“Trump could leverage his popularity among some religious Christians on the African continent as an alternative way to boost his influence to the more traditional channels,” BBC quoted an analyst as saying, adding that Pastor Kumuyi spent time at a prayer service for the incoming president as well as meeting political groups after the event was moved inside due to harsh weather and his access restricted.
Meanwhile, preparations for Mudoma’s triumphant return is in high gear.
Musamali revealed that the travel of the Umukuuka III and Nabagyelema was sponsored by Gro Foundation which is implementing an environmental preservation and protection project in Mt Elgon. But, he added, Waboya and Bishop Charo met their own costs.
Mudoma will jet back at Entebbe International Airport at 9pm on Wednesday, 29th January, 2025 to be received by his cultural deputy prime minister Dr Clet Wandui Masiga. He is expected to leave Kampala in the morning of Thursday, 30th and arrive at Kamonkoli on the outskirts on Mbale at noon. An anthusiastic crown organised by Uweshirifa Irene Khainza Mangali will be welcoming Uwelukoosi Mudoma so that he enters Mbale triumphantly.
“The Bamasaaba wish Uwelukoosi the Umukuuka II, the Nabagelema and their entourage a beneficial tour of the US and a safe journey back home,” said Musamali.
History of the Bamasaaba
The ancestral lands of the Bamasaaba ethnic community are on the south-west and south-east slopes of the fertile, volcanic coffee-and-banana growing but landslide-prone Mt Elgon which towers across Uganda and Kenya in the East African Community.
The Bamasaaba in Uganda are also called Bagisu by virtue of their lands falling in Bugisu, one of the eighteen districts that formed Uganda at Independence in 1962. Those in Kenya are, however, referred to as the Babukusu, although there are also some Babukusu in Uganda. In Kenya, the ancestral homes are mainly in Bungoma and Trans-Nzoia counties.
The Umukuuka (masculine) is the cultural leader of the Bamasaaba, who also call themselves Inzu ya Masaaba (IYM), in Uganda, Kenya and the Diaspora. Umukuuka implies Supreme Grandfather and the holder of the title has since its establishment in 2010 been elected to office for a non-renewable five year term. Eligibility for election rotates among the three main sub-ethnic groups (tsinda) (singular is inda) in Bugisu – Inda ya Wanale, Inda ya Mubuya and Inda ya Mwambu. Inda ya Wanale provided Umukuuka I Ambassador Wilson Wamimbi Weasa while Inda ya Mubuya provided Umukuuka II Bob Mushikori and Inda ya Mwambu now has the Umukuuka III. The title of Nabagyelema (Supreme Housewife) is bestored on the Umukuuka’s spouse. But in future when any female ascends to the throan of the cultural leader in her own right, the name shall change to Umukuukhu (Supreme Grandmother). Any Umukuuka or Umukuukhu is addressed as Uwelukoosi which, for lack of a more accurate expression, is only sometimes very loosely translated as His/Her Royal Highness (HRH).
The Bamasaaba’s main cultural practice is the compulsory, unanaethetised, public circumcision of adolescent males, a bianniel tourist attraction for which the Umukuuka aspires to secure recognition from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a unique heritage. Mbale City hosts Bumutoto, the cultural centre of the Bamasaaba. All festivities are launched in Bumutoto, where the first official candidate is initiated into manhood by circumcision on the first weekend of August in every even year. No Bamasaaba cultural circumcision takes place in odd years but Muslims and other persons may undergo Safe Male Circumcision (SMC) at any time and in any year. Among the Bamasaaba, the public opinion of anybody who undergoes SMC is not highly regarded. Besides, while such an adult may holder other positions of responsibility in the Institution of the Umukuuka, he is not eligible for election to the poisition of Supreme Grandfather.
*****
RELATED STORY
