Manafwa, Uganda: The Bamasaaba cultural institution has officially received two government-provided vehicles for His Highness Umukuka III Jude Mike Mudoma, fulfilling a presidential pledge made to cultural leaders.
Steven Masiga, spokesperson for the Bamasaaba cultural institution, confirmed to DailyExpress that the government delivered Toyota Land Cruiser UA 084AM (white-grey in colour) among the vehicles designated for the Umukuka’s official mobility.
“The vehicles come with VIP-trained official drivers, who have undergone specialized training on how to manage and chauffeur Very Important Persons,” Masiga said.
For the past two years, the Umukuka had been relying on personal transport after the vehicle of his predecessor was taken by individuals Masiga described as “wrong elements” and has since gone missing.
Masiga revealed that during a recent meeting between President Yoweri Museveni and cultural leaders, the President confirmed that official government vehicles for recognized cultural heads were ready for collection.
In addition to transportation, Umukuka III benefits from government-supported royal guards from the UPDF and receives a monthly facilitation of UGX 60 million to support the activities of the Bamasaaba cultural institution.
Looking ahead, Masiga outlined Umukuka’s ambitions to construct an official cultural palace at Mutoto, establish a cultural stadium, and lobby for bursaries aimed at supporting learners within Bugisu sub-region.
“We are also taking cultural awareness campaigns into schools, encouraging learners to uphold Bamasaaba values while also embracing government education programs,” Masiga said.
The Umukuka III was gazetted in 2023 following a peaceful mediation process led by the Ministry of Gender, in line with the Constitution of Uganda and the Cultural Leaders Act, 2011.
These legal provisions, according to Masiga, spell out the procedures for resolving disputes over cultural leadership, particularly under Article 126(2)(d) on reconciliation and Article 246(2) on resolving conflicts, with Section 15(1) providing the legal grounding to extinguish such disputes.
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