President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Friday, July 25, 2025, officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Lwattamu House, a landmark six-storey building that will serve as the Embuga y’Abataka (traditional headquarters for clan leaders) at Mengo in Kampala. The monumental project, spearheaded by the Bataka (clan heads) of Buganda, is part of a broader initiative to support cultural institutions and foster national unity. The 6-floor complex will be constructed on 2.7 acres of prime land near the Lubiri in Mengo, which the President purchased for Shs 9.7 billion. This purchase fulfilled a pledge he made during a meeting with the Bataka at State House, Entebbe on June 8, 2024.
The building will house 52 offices for clan leaders, business and banking halls, a museum, conference rooms, and lodging facilities, among other income-generating initiatives. Completion is expected within three years. “Therefore, I’m very happy to support Bataka,” said President Museveni. “We shall organize the Shs 58 billion needed for the construction of Lwattamu House, and I will send the UPDF Construction Brigade to carry out the work,” he added.
President Museveni also recalled his long-standing relationship with the Buganda Kingdom, dating back to 1981 when he met Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi in London. “As you know, I’m very much part of this system here,” he said. “I met my young brother, Kabaka Mutebi, in London in 1981 while on a mission to see Gaddafi. I told him then that I saw no problem if we’re clear on who can do what between us—the new forces—and the traditionalists.”
He reflected on his advocacy for traditional institutions, even during the liberation struggle. He recalled persuading the National Resistance Army’s council in Gulu to embrace cultural structures rather than oppose them. “When we were fighting against Idi Amin and Obote, there were Bataka who stood with us, such as Kezrone Ssonko in Luwero, the Balangira, and the Bambejja. Before I went to the bush, I visited Omumbejja Nalinya Ndagire in Lubaga and Omulangira Badru Kakungulu in Kibuli,” he recalled.
The President also spoke about the historical marginalization of the Bataka following the 1900 Buganda Agreement. He emphasized that the restoration of kingdoms in the 1990s should have included a reintegration of clan leadership into Uganda’s cultural fabric. Museveni praised Hon. Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, Minister of State for ICT, for her efforts in bridging the gap between the Bataka and the central government. “My sister, Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, came and talked about the Bataka—people like Omutaka Kibaale Nadduli, Omutaka Namuguzi, and Omutaka Kaita—whom I’ve known well. The clan leaders are the bedrock of tradition, whether or not you have kings. Like in Karamoja and Ankole, there are no kings, but clan heads are active,” he noted.
Museveni went on to emphasize the cultural and genetic significance of clan systems. “Part of our strength as Africans is our culture and our genetics. Clan structures discourage inbreeding and promote diversity. While the government builds roads and electricity, who is preserving our genetics and languages? Clan leaders play that vital role,” he said.
The President pledged a series of financial and logistical support initiatives aimed at empowering the Bataka. These included Shs 58 billion for the construction of Lwattamu House, a Shs 100 million donation to the Bataka Mutindo SACCO (with over 700 members), and a Shs 22 million cash donation to support a retreat for Balangira and Bambejja. He also promised to buy land in Nakasongola district for a Bataka goat farming project.
“I’m happy to see Abalangira abakozi because I’m also a Mulangira Ssewava—but I’m also working. We must use culture, not for exclusion, but as a force of unity, identity, and development,” he stated. Museveni further committed to sending an inspection team to assess renovation needs at the Masiro (ancestral tombs) in Wakiso and to provide a vehicle for the Bataka.
Omutaka Kyaddondo Kasirye Mbag’elamula, head of the Nvuma clan, expressed deep gratitude to President Museveni, calling his support historic. “No President has ever supported us directly apart from you. Your purchase of land at Mengo and backing for the Lwattamu House project is historic. This will be remembered by generations,” he said. He also thanked Museveni for the earlier Shs 200 million donation to the Bataka SACCO.
The ceremony was attended by top government officials and cultural leaders, including Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda (Minister for Presidency), Hajat Minsa Kabanda (Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs), and Hon. Judith Nabakooba (Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development). Also present were Eng. J.B. Walusimbi (former Katikkiro of Buganda), Eng. Dr. Fred Kateregga (Deputy Ssaabalangira), Princess Ndege Teyeggala Hawa, and several clan heads.
