The leadership of the Bamasaaba cultural institution, under Umukuka Jude Mike Mudoma, will try to lobby the Government of Uganda to ensure that every person in Bugisu has a copy of the Ugandan constitution which has been translated into Lumasaba.
This was revealed to this The Ankole Times by the spokesperson of the cultural institution, Mr. Steven Masiga.
Masiga says that Article 4 of the Ugandan constitution mandates the state to promote public awareness of the constitution through translating it into different Ugandan languages.
He stated, “I am happy to report to our people that the Uganda Law Reform Commission (ULRC) has translated the Ugandan constitution into various Ugandan languages like Lumasaba, Ateso, Lugwere, Runyakitara. Almost 95% of all Ugandan languages had the constitution translated into their local lingua way back between 2015 and 2018, but our people are not aware of this wonderful initiative.”
Masiga says research findings by Makerere University Mbale Centre and others, like the Bugisu Lawyers Association, indicate that sometimes the fights over cultural leadership could be connected to a total ignorance of the law regulating cultural institutions by some actors within the cultural institution. “Some initiatives may be well-meaning, but because people are ignorant about the law, they can fight to the death, and usually an ignorant man fights with a lot of stamina and vigor.”
Recently, the Ministry of Gender and Social Development made a corrigendum and re-gazetted the various Ugandan traditional and cultural leaders in line with the legislative directives in the third schedule of the Ugandan constitution, where the cultural or traditional leader should be gazetted for the area or jurisdiction reflected in the constitution.
The translated versions of the Ugandan constitution into various Ugandan local languages will make it quite easy for every Mumasaaba to be equipped with the necessary cultural constitutional knowledge in tandem with Art. 4, which enjoins every responsible person to publicize the Ugandan constitution.
“Institutions of teaching are also required to promote constitution learning,” Masiga says.
The cultural and traditional institutions, as per Art. 246, will be availed to Bamasaaba and other Ugandans, and this, with time, will help to reduce conflicts on cultural leadership, instead of relying on self-created laws by people who are not clothed with the power to do so.
