A leadership dispute has erupted within the Mamba clan after the sitting head of the Wagaana lineage, Robert Kiyega, accused Mutaka Gabunga of unlawfully installing a new Wagaana despite his continued service.
A stand-off emerged after photographs circulated on 11 October 2025 showing Mutaka Gabunga 38, James Mubiru Ziikwa, presiding over the installation of another man as Wagaana.
Kiyega, who leads the 17th generation of the lineage and was officially installed in 2010, called the act a serious breach of Buganda cultural norms.
During a meeting with lineage leaders in Kasanje, Wakiso District, Kiyega presented a document outlining 11 grievances addressed to the Katikkiro of Buganda.
He insisted that the move contradicted established clan procedures and had sown confusion among members.
“I am the rightful Wagaana, and I was officially installed in 2010,” he told clan leaders. “Mutaka Gabunga’s decision to elect another Wagaana contradicts the laws and traditions of the Buganda clans.”
Clan members gathered on their ancestral land in Kasanje expressed anger, saying the contested installation had deepened divisions within both the clan and the Wagaana lineage. Kiyega displayed his installation certificate, issued by Omutaka Mulondo Stanley Kunobwa Kyoloobi, as proof of his legitimacy.
He added that the Katikkiro of Buganda, Charles Peter Mayiga, has consistently advised that unresolved clan matters be referred to the Kisekwa Court established by the Kabaka. Kiyega said they intend to follow this process to challenge the ceremony.
“We shall take this matter to the Kisekwa Court. The traditions of Buganda must be respected,” he said.
However, the faction backing Mutaka Gabunga maintains that installing a new Wagaana was the rightful course of action.
Clan election officer Salongo Kasozi John Stephen, speaking on behalf of Jajja Gabunga Ziikwa Mubiru V, argued that their decision was based on lineage.
According to Kasozi, Timothy Sserubidde is the legitimate heir, as his father previously held the Wagaana title before dying while Timothy was still young.
“When he grew up, it was only right to enthrone him in his father’s place,” he said.
Kasozi added that Gabunga had presented both Kiyega and Sserubidde before clan elders to seek guidance on which of them should be confirmed as Wagaana.
“The elders were asked to help determine the rightful Wagaana between the two,” he noted.
With both sides firmly asserting their legitimacy, the Mamba clan now awaits cultural arbitration. The matter is expected to be forwarded to the Kisekwa Court, where elders hope a final ruling will settle the long-running lineage dispute.