Kooki Cultural Institution has denied rumors making rounds on different media platforms that they held a meeting with Mengo officials in Rakai and allowed the Buganda Kingdom to hold official events in Kooki.
This follows last week’s clashes between Kooki and Buganda loyalists during the official the pre-Masaza (County) Cup Tournament launch at Lwamaggwa and Kifamba sub-county playgrounds in Rakai district.
Stanley Ndawula, the Kooki Information Minister, says that Kooki has not formally met with Mengo officials to allow such events in Kooki as alleged, adding that they have not held any talks since October 2014 when they cut ties with the Buganda Kingdom.
Ndawula explains that anyone peddling the rumors about the alleged meetings intends to mislead the public, and stir differences, friction, and tensions among the subjects of the two cultural institutions.
On May 22, 2022, Mengo officials and supporters launched the tournament without the consent of Kooki leadership.
As a result, a section of the subjects of the Kamuswaga -Apollo Ssansa Kabumbui II, who felt provoked, confronted the organizers and blocked the launch thereby sparking a fight.
The two teams proceeded to Kifamba where Kooki supporters followed them leading to another fight. It took the intervention of the anti-riot police to disperse the two groups.
The Rakai Resident District Commissioner, Sarah Kiyimba stopped the tournament saying it compromised security in the district.
Following the growing tensions, Kiyimba invited officials from both institutions to a security meeting on May 24, 2022, to discuss ways to prevent the clashes.
He says that after the meeting, Mengo officials instead told the public that Kooki and Mengo had agreed to allow the launch and other official events for Buganda to take place in Kooki, which was false.
He adds that the Kook administration snubbed all attempts to meet Mengo officials on any matter after failing to honor Kooki’s demands in 2014.
Ndawula explains that there is no way Kooki would make a U-turn on its firm decision, which was made nearly nine years after Mengo failed to honor their demands.
Richard Sseggwaanyi, the Speaker of the Kooki Parliament (Lukiiko) explains that Kooki is an independent kingdom with a flag, emblem, anthem, and several other regalias and they have all the powers to decide on what happens in theirterritory.
Gertrude Ssebugwawo, the representative of the Buganda Kingdom in Kooki, says that the meeting with the security committee was clear on the two institutions respecting each other unless Kook officials want to spur tensions.
She adds that they were allowed to proceed with the tournament and also hand over the houses, which Buganda built for the needy in Rakai.
She noted that they do not expect any confrontations from Kooki subjects as it was in Lwamaggwa last week during the launch of the tournament.
According to Kiyimba, the matter between the two institutions need to be handled with extreme care to avoid causing tension.
She says in a security meeting they held in her office, both parties agreed to respect each other and that was it.