The Bamasaba Cultural Institution has condemned the disruption that marred the official launch of the 2026 Imbalu circumcision season in Mutoto, Mbale City, describing the incident as regrettable and warning against the politicization of cultural events.
Speaking by telephone from Mbale City, the institution’s spokesperson, Steven Masiga, alleged that the embarrassing treatment of the Guest of Honour, Rt. Hon. Oboth Oboth, during Saturday’s ceremony may have been orchestrated by a section of Members of Parliament from the Bugisu sub-region.
Masiga claimed that the institution had received cultural intelligence suggesting that political rivalries within Parliament may have spilled over into the cultural event.
“There is 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 believe some supporters of Speaker Anita Annet Among wanted to use the occasion to embarrass him,” Masiga alleged.
He condemned what he described as the infiltration of politics into cultural functions, saying the Imbalu launch should remain a celebration of Bamasaba heritage rather than a platform for political contestation.
“I saw people promoting themselves instead of promoting culture,” he said.
Masiga also recalled a similar incident during the 2024 Imbalu launch, when the Minister of State for Tourism, Hon. Martin Wambuzi, who represented the government, was allegedly confronted by some political leaders.
According to Masiga, it took the intervention of officials, including the then Mbale Resident City Commissioner Asumin Nasike and the Bamasaba Minister for Culture, Moses Kutoi, to prevent the situation from escalating.
He further alleged that some opposition politicians made inflammatory political remarks during the 2024 event, which he said undermined the spirit of the cultural ceremony.
Regarding Saturday’s incident, Masiga said the cultural institution strongly condemns any attempt to humiliate a representative of the President or disrupt an important cultural function.
“As a cultural institution, we condemn in the strongest terms possible any group of persons that makes a mockery of such a dignified cultural ceremony and humiliates a representative of the Head of State,” he said.
Masiga apologized to the Umukuka of the Bamasaba and to the Tieng Adhola for the conduct witnessed during the ceremony, saying it did not reflect the values of the Bamasaba Cultural Institution or the wider Bamasaba community.
He argued that the actions should instead be attributed to “a section of certain Members of Parliament” whom he accused of placing political interests above cultural leadership.
On behalf of the Bamasaba community and the cultural institution, Masiga called on Bugisu Members of Parliament to individually apologize to Rt. Hon. Oboth Oboth, the cultural leaders of Bugisu and Budama, and President Yoweri Museveni.
He also urged legislators from the region to avoid factional politics within Parliament, saying divisions between supporters of different political leaders risk undermining national unity and effective legislation.
“We request our Members of Parliament to refrain from clique formations and creating divisions within Parliament. We need a united Parliament to legislate for the country in accordance with the Constitution,” Masiga said.
The allegations made by Masiga have not been independently verified, and the Members of Parliament mentioned had not publicly responded to the claims by the time of publication.
