Speaker pledges to advance ‘Obuntu Bulamu’

The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, has undertaken to interest legislators in adopting the Obuntu Bulamu concept, which aims at promoting unity through advancing cultural values.

She said that there is need to inculcate certain values in people to restore respect and discipline.

“We need to have institutions advancing these values because there is gross abuse of human rights especially through violence in the society,” Kadaga added.

This was during a meeting on Friday, 7 September 2018 at Parliament between the Speaker and the Nnabagereka Development Foundation to promote the Obuntu Bulamu concept.

The Speaker also promised to support the cause by allowing the team present a motion to the House on the concept of Obuntu Bulamu.

“We need to also teach constitutionalism in schools so that our children know that they are all equal and respect each other,” Kadaga added.

The Communications Manager of the Nnabagereka Development Foundation, Maroushka Kanywani, said Obuntu Bulamu is an accepted and consistent behaviour that signifies a shared set of values, which promote well-being, togetherness and unity.

“We are intent on reviving Obuntu Bulamu because we used to have cultural values that were emphasised by cultural institutions, however we lost these with the abolition of cultural institutions during the 1966 crisis,” she said.

Kanywani said the values include; honesty, responsibility, transparency, accountability, selflessness and hygiene.

“We are trying to align these values with the 16th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of peace, justice and strong institutions,” she noted.

She said, “that the purpose of extending Obuntu Bulamu to the population is to see that we as citizens participate in achieving the SDGs without leaving it solely to the government.”

Philip Katahoire, the Bunyoro Kingdom Minister for Diaspora and Liaison said such values would promote peace and cohesion within societies.

“When you have a neighbour you are in good terms with, there will be no disputes because as we have seen, these disputes cost the government a lot when it comes to mitigating them,” he said.

He also suggested that the concept of Obuntu Bulamu be taken to schools and introduced into the curriculum.

“We have a tool for this concept and we want it to be pushed into the population at all levels possible,” Katahoire said.

Abaliwano Joyce, the Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development for Busoga Kingdom said these values would teach children to be good behaved and exercise tolerance for one another in society.

Andrew Adrian Mukiibi, the Programme Director of the Nnabagereka Development Foundation said that the concept of Obuntu Bulamu could help Uganda realise development and achieve the SDGs.

“We need leaders to expound on these values using the models we have developed and we want to make this a national agenda,” he said.

Mukiibi said they hope to have an engagement with Members of Parliament so that they can be the champions of the message.