The mediation is being led by Deputy Chief Justice Emeritus Richard Buteera, assisted by Solicitor General Emeritus Francis Atoke, Uganda Law Society President Emeritus Francis Gimara and Andrew Khaukha, Head of Alternative Dispute Resolution and Director of the Judicial Training Institute.
Opening the proceedings, Justice Buteera outlined ground rules for the mediation, urging the parties to demonstrate respect, active listening, restraint and flexibility throughout the process.
He emphasised that the panel was not sitting as a court but as mediators whose role is to help the parties reach a mutually acceptable solution.
Buteera commended both sides for agreeing to participate in the mediation and highlighted its advantages over litigation, particularly in terms of cost, time and preserving relationships.
"In litigation, judges hear the cases and make a decision for you. The judge declares a winner, and the winner takes it all," Buteera said.
He urged the parties to focus on restoring unity within the Bugisu community.
"Consider yourselves as representatives of the people in this dispute who are looking for a solution that establishes the unity your anthem speaks about," he said.
"If we succeed today, we will have a cultural institution that speaks with one voice. We will have a cultural institution that is able to mobilise its people towards greater causes. We will have an institution that is not divided but one that inspires young people to believe in this great institution."
Lawyers representing the opposing sides were then invited to outline their clients' positions to guide the mediation process.
Counsel Eddie Nangulu, representing nine of the eleven applicants, presented what he described as key conditions for settlement.
The applicants are seeking the restoration of Inzu Ya Masaba as the recognised cultural institution, reinstatement of its original constitution and rotational leadership system, the departure of Umukuka Jude Mike Mudoma from office on grounds that his term expired in October 2025, and the commencement of the transition of leadership to the Wanale Clan.
"The parties require that our constitution as a governance framework be restored as the bedrock of institutional integrity and accountability," Nangulu said.
Another lawyer representing the applicants argued that adherence to the original Inzu Ya Masaba constitution remains central to resolving the dispute, maintaining that Mudoma's tenure had expired.
However, lawyers representing Mudoma maintained that he lawfully occupies office under the Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act following government recognition after previous leadership disputes.
They argued that some provisions of the Inzu Ya Masaba constitution conflict with national law and therefore cannot override the Constitution of Uganda and the governing legislation.
The defence further submitted that the dispute extends beyond Mudoma, noting that multiple individuals have laid claim to the cultural leadership and urging the mediation panel to first address the legal framework governing succession.
Following submissions from both sides, the panel adjourned the joint session and held separate closed-door caucus meetings with each faction. Lawyers were excluded from the discussions to allow candid engagement between the mediators and the parties.
The mediation seeks to resolve more than eight court cases arising from the Bugisu cultural leadership dispute and is being viewed as the most significant effort yet to reunite a cultural institution that has been divided by years of litigation and competing claims to the Umukuka throne.