Political actors behind Speaker Oboth incident at Imbalu launch – Masiga

Mbale City, Uganda: The spokesperson of the Bamasaba Cultural Institution, Steven Masiga, has condemned the treatment of the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Oboth Oboth, during the official launch of the 2026 Imbalu circumcision season at Mutoto, claiming the incident may have been politically motivated.

Speaking to DailyExpress by telephone from Mbale City, Masiga described the events of Friday, August 1, as regrettable and said preliminary information available to the cultural institution suggests a section of political leaders may have influenced the hostile reception.

“We have sufficient cultural intelligence indicating that Rt. Hon. Oboth Oboth was sold out to the crowd by some Members of Parliament because of political differences. We suspect supporters of former Speaker Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among wanted to use the occasion to embarrass the Speaker. We condemn the infiltration of politics into cultural functions. I saw people promoting themselves instead of promoting culture,” Masiga said.

DailyExpress has not independently verified these allegations, and the Members of Parliament referred to by Masiga had not publicly responded to the claims by the time of publication.

But Masiga said the Bamasaba Cultural Institution strongly condemns any attempt to use cultural ceremonies for political confrontation, arguing that the annual Imbalu launch should remain a unifying event for the community.

“As a cultural institution, we condemn in the strongest terms possible any group of persons that seeks to make a mockery of such a dignified cultural ceremony and humiliate a representative of the Head of State,” he said.

He stressed that the conduct witnessed during the ceremony does not represent the official position of the Umukuuka and the Bamasaba Cultural Institution.

References to 2024 Imbalu launch

Masiga also recalled a similar incident during the 2024 Imbalu launch, when the Minister of State for Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Hon. Martin Mugarra Wambuzi, who represented the government, allegedly faced confrontation from some political leaders.

He claimed that cultural leaders, together with then Mbale Resident City Commissioner Asumani Nasike and the institution’s Minister for Culture, Moses Kutoi, intervened to prevent the situation from escalating.

Those claims have also not been independently verified by DailyExpress.

Masiga apologised to the Umukuuka of the Bamasaba, His Highness Jude Mike Mudoma, the Tieng Adhola of the Jopadhola, and the Speaker over what he described as unbecoming conduct during the ceremony.

He also appealed to leaders from Bugisu to avoid divisions and political factionalism.

“We request Members of Parliament from Bugisu to individually apologise to Rt. Hon. Oboth Oboth, the cultural leaders of Bugisu and Budama, and the President of Uganda for what happened. Our community expects leaders to promote unity and respect our cultural institutions,” he said.

Masiga further urged legislators to refrain from creating factions within Parliament, saying leaders should remain focused on their constitutional responsibility of legislating in the national interest.

The incident at the Imbalu launch has continued to generate public debate, with calls from various stakeholders for cultural events to remain non-partisan and focused on preserving the traditions and unity of the Bamasaba community.