A visit to the Buganda parliament housed at Bulange Mengo

Bulange (boo-lah-ngeh), is a building in Uganda. It houses the Lukiiko (Parliament) of the Kingdom of Buganda. The Kabaka of Buganda and the Katikkiro (Prime Minister) of Buganda also maintain offices in the building. The building serves as the administrative headquarters of the Buganda Kingdom.

King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II

The first thing you notice at Bulange is a giant statue of king Ronald Muwenda Mutebi, the current king of buganda kingdom

 There is a reason why this is And to find out we will have to go back into a little history. Yes, there was an attack in 1966, on the kingdom by Milton Obote. Milton Obote abolished all the kingdoms. To fast forward King Ronald is the one who restored the Kingdom on 31st July in 1993. 

Fun Fact: the King's statue is posed moving on one leg, to represent that Buganda is moving in the forward direction.

For that reason, King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi's statue will never be replaced, even when there is a new King, because of the fact that it was King Ronald who restored the kingdom of Buganda.

The Flags

The Kingdom has Clans, and these are the big families, in which all the Baganda belong. Here at the Buganda parliament, each clan has a flag post. When the king is inside, that is when all the flags are raised. And when he is not inside, normally only the flag for the Republic of Uganda and Buganda Kingdom flags are raised. 

The buganda flag has three colors, that is to say royal blue, cream and golden brown. The royal blue represents water, cream represents peace, golden brown which are the Spears and shield on the flag represent unity and protection. In case the parliament is to receive a guest from any of the other kingdoms, their flag is raised as well.

The entrances.

The Buganda parliament has three entrances. On one end, we have the Majestic Brands Limited. 

Majestic Brands Limited (MBL) is a limited liability company that was established by the Buganda Kingdom to undertake innovative and competitive activities to harness the Buganda Brand for the benefit of the people of Buganda. They are responsible for issuing the Buganda Kingdom for Certificates for marriage, introduction letters, etc.

The middle entrance leads to the parliament of Buganda kingdom, the King's and queen's offices, office of the prime minister, the Court and all the minister's offices. 

On your left hand side. It used to be the entrance for the radio station. Central broadcasting services (CBS), but the space was too small. So CBS was transferred to the Masengere building. Which now houses BBS television, office of land for Buganda Kingdom and even other offices.

What kind of laws do they make in the Buganda parliament? 

They mainly discuss land because that is where most of the kingdom's income comes from. There are also laws about dress code for example; ladies are not allowed to put on trousers. And some of the issues within the culture of Buganda. 

The kingdom laws do not apply to everyone, they are just people who are part of Buganda. 

The Buganda clans.

The clan in Buganda represents a group of people who can trace their lineage to a common ancestor and it is central to the Buganda culture.

At the main entrance there are carvings that represent all the clans. These clans are classified under plants, animals, insects and birds. Each clan has its own set of names, names that are given to people that belong to that clan and each name is unique. This means that you can never have the same name under two different clans. There is a backstory for each of the clan and how their members came to be. 

Here are some of the Buganda clans;

• Abalangira    
• Abalangira b'Essanje    
• Ababbito b'Ekooki
• Ababiito b'Ekibulala    
• Butiko Ffumbe
• Kiwere    
• Mpindi    
• Kibe
• Kkobe    
• Kinyomo    
• Kayozi
• Kasimba    
• Lugave    
• Mpologoma
• Emmamba 
• Gabunga    
• Mmamba 
• Kakoboza    
• Mpeewo
• Mbwa    
• Mbogo    
• Mutima Omuyanja
• Mutima Omusaggi    
• Musu    
• Mbuzi
• Njobe    
• Nkerebwe    
• Namunggona
• Nkula    
• Ntalaganya
• Ngali    
• Njaza    
• Nakisige
• Nte    
• Nseenene    
• Nswaswa
• Ngeye    
• Nyange    
• Ndiga
• Ngo    
• Ngabi 
• Ensamba    
• Ngabi 
• Enyunga
• Nggonge    
• Nkima    
• Njovu
• Nsuma    
• Nkejje    
• Nnyonyi
• Nvubu    
• Nsunu    
• Nkusu
• Nvuma

Laws governing the Buganda Clans:

The children never choose their clans but rather take up the father's clan. But this law does not apply to the King.

If the clan is edible, you are not supposed to eat it, that would be a taboo.

You are not supposed to marry anyone from your clan or your mother's clan, that would be incest

Each clan has a duty that was appointed by the King. For example the Pangolin clan protects the King, The Mushroom clan entertains the King. There are 3 dances, namely; Baksimba, Nankasa and Mawogola

Only the Members of the parliament are allowed to use the main entrance

The Buganda parliament.

The Buganda parliament was built in the year 1953 to 1955 during the reign of King Freddie Mutesa II who is the father to the current King, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II. 

After his studies from Cambridge University of England, King Mutesa visited a city called Belfast, in Northern Ireland where he admired the Stormont parliament And that's where he got the design.

The King enters only once a year in this parliament, to close off the current year and open for the following year. Whereas the prime minister has 8 sessions within a year.

The King's throne is only carried into the parliament and protected by the Pangolin clan, when the King is to come to the parliament and it is stored away when they are done. If a Prince seats on the throne it means the King has been overthrown and it is for this reason that the throne must be guarded by the members of the Pangolin clan.

There are no opposers and proposers in the parliament of Buganda because there are only cultural and traditional issues.

The parliamentarians are not voted, however they are appointed by the King with guidance from his advisors during the selection process.