By Wetondo Denis Julius
MBALE
A parallel Bugisu cultural institution has taken Bududa District Local Government and Bulucheke Sub County to court for allegedly illegally breaking into their offices and taking away office property and money.
The Bubukusu Kingdom has its headquarters in Bududa district and operates outside the Bamasaaba Cultural institution that has a king called Umkhukha. The Kingdom is founded to head the Babukusu in Uganda and Kenya.
The case was filed yesterday 18th February 2021 at Mbale High Court.
Last year, officers from Bududa district local government and Bulucheke Sub County accompanied by police raided offices of Bubukusu kingdom, broke into and threw out all their properties for none payment of 10 years rent arrears which had accumulated to ten million shillings.
Bubukusu kingdom had been operating at Bulucheke community house belonging to Bulucheke sub-county for about 10 years.
Washi Kanyanya, the king of Babukusu accused officers from Bududa district and Bulucheke Sub County for behaving in a rude manner by breaking into their offices without their acknowledgment.
He adds that during the breaking, they carried away their important documents, four computers, their cultural items like spears, shields among others.
He also alleges that the officers stole Shs1billion they had been saving under Babukusu SACCO and maliciously cutting down all their compound trees, Banana plantations, and later locking the offices.
Kanyanya also says that currently, they have nowhere to operate from since their offices have been locked and important document seized by authorities of Bulucheke Sub County and Bududa district.
Nicholas Nakasala, the Public Relations Officer of Bubukusu kingdom says, it has been long since the Bududa authorities broke into their offices but they have been soliciting enough evidence to take them to court.
He adds that last week, they finished getting all evidence and yesterday decided to file the case at Mbale high court against both the Bulucheke Sub County and Bududa district local government.
Nakasala also says that Bubukusu kingdom had been occupying that building since 2012 and they had made a memorandum of understanding with Bulucheke sub-county local government to use the house for free.
The public relations officer also confirmed that they operated for free until 2015 when they out of their own volition decided to pay Shs100,000 monthly and that this they did promptly.
He says that they want Bududa district local government and Bulucheke to compensate them with all damages and reopen for them the office to resume their normal work.
However, Elisa Khawanga, the LCIII chairperson of Bulucheke Sub County has dismissed claims of ever getting 100,000/= monthly rent from Bukubusu kingdom.
He adds that they broke into the premises because its government-owned and they had wanted to use it for other government duties rather than being used by Bubukusu kingdom which had not been remitting any rent money.
Wilson Watiri, the LCV chairperson of Bududa says that the district is ready to respond to Bubukusu kingdom at court but denied claims of cutting down trees and crops which belong to the Kingdom.
He adds that in the Uganda constitution there is no Bubukusu kingdom meaning they were operating illegally from a government house freely.
Watira also says that their documents and other items are safely kept urging them to collect but denied the issue of confiscating 1 billion shillings from the office during the break.
