The Prime Minister of Busoga, Owek. Joseph Muvawala, has appreciated the Bakenye Community for always standing with the kingdom in aspects of socioeconomic development.
Muvawala made the remarks last week while receiving the Bakenye Community’s contribution towards the Kyabazinga royal wedding at Jinja.
While acknowledging the generous contribution of Shs2m, Muvawala lauded the Bakenye for being good subjects of the Obwakyabazinga bwa Busoga, noting that getting involved in the kingdom’s activities makes them a special group of people.
“I’m very delighted by the gesture that the Bakenye Community has exhibited by contributing Shs2m towards the wedding of the Kyabazinga of Busoga,” he said. He then called upon the Basoga to ensure continued co-existence with the Bakenyi who he said have exhibited undivided loyalty to the Busoga kingdom for a very long time.
“This is what I keep telling you. Busoga is not for Basoga alone; we have so many other ethnic groups that are not only residents of Busoga but who are also very loyal to the Obwakyabazing of Busoga. Among them are the Bakenye as you can see,” he said. Muvawala, however, reserved special praise for some key members of the Bakenye Community who were directly playing key roles in the preparations for the Kyabazinga wedding at different levels across Busoga. Notable among these were Hon. Kanaku Michael, the Buyende district LC5 boss and Eng. Batumbye.
Meanwhile, the team leader of the Bakenye entourage, Wabwire George William, expressed gratitude for the great reception that the prime minister extended to the Bakenye as they presented their contribution.
He thanked the Obwakyabazinga of Busoga for hosting the Bakenye for over 200 years. He observed that when the Bakenye fled from Buganda in the late 1800s, they were received by the Kyabazinga of Busoga Wakoli, whose wife even made a blood pact with the fleeing Bakenye thereby proclaiming them as “Bagenhi bange” — a phrase that later gave birth to the tribe’s current name. Since then, the Bakenye continued to live amicably among the Basoga. Wabwire also noted that when the Bakenye got displaced from Lango and Teso regions during the insurgency that engulfed those regions from 1986- 1990s, the Bakenye fled mainly to Busoga where majority of them live today.
Meanwhile, Buyende district LC5 boss Michael Kanaku echoed Wabwire’s words of appreciation, adding that his conviction to ensure a successful and befitting wedding for the Kyabazinga was born out of the indebtedness he has towards the Basoga for welcoming the Bakenye and amicably settling with them till to date. The royal wedding between the Kyabazinga and the Inhebantu took place Saturday, drawing multitudes of people from all corners of the world.
