Emergency in Buganda
The delegates from the Great Lukiko of Buganda spoke truly when they warned Mr. Lyttelton in December that his refusal to allow the return of Kabaka Mutesa II would bring about instability in the province. For the second time in six months a state of emergency has been imposed, this time in consequence of the Uganda National Congress's attempts to enforce a boycott against all goods except the bare necessities. In his statement the Governor said that this action had to be taken if law and order were to be preserved and the law-abiding public protected against a small minority. But it does not seem to be quite as simple as that. The Baganda, in the first place, have never accepted the deposition of Kabaka Mutesa. And now the Lukiko's delegate in London, Mr. Mulira, tells a story of intrigue and alleges that the Resident has been making unconstitutional attempts to get support for Prince Mawanda- a cousin of Mutesa—as the new Kabaka. The Baganda believe that the Government has no constitutional power to depose the existing Kabaka or to create a new one, and these manceuvres —if they are a fact—are scarcely likely to succeed. It is hard to resist the conclusion that the British, public does not know all that should be known about the situation in Buganda. The solution will be found neither in boycotts imposed by the Uganda National Congress nor in the Colonial Office's rigid adherence to its earlier attitude. But it may be found in a sympathetic examination of the Lukiko's suggestion that Mutesa should be re-installed as a constitutional monarch, ruling through ministers.
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