Rulers (Talks) (Hansard, 19 April 1962)

§ Mr. Maudling

The following is the text of the statement which was issued on 14th April.Discussions between the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Mr. Reginald Maudling) and the Omugabe of Ankole, the Omukama of Bunyoro, the Omukama of Toro and the Kyabazinga of Busoga about the constitutional position of the three Kingdoms and Busoga concluded on Thursday (12th April, 1962). The Secretary of State said that he was fully in sympathy with the desire expressed on behalf of the three Kingdoms and Busoga that their constitutional status should reflect the general wishes of the inhabitants of Uganda at the present time; and he noted that a resolution in support of their claim had recently been passed in the National Assembly with the support of both the political parties. After giving full consideration to the representations made, Mr. Maudling assured the Rulers of Her Majesty's Government's willingness to negotiate new Agreements with them and that such Agreements would, as already envisaged, include suitable provisions to secure the traditional and instinctive institutions of the Kingdoms. He confirmed also that the Agreements would provide that the Ministers in the Kingdom Governments would act in accordance with the principle of collective responsibility. The Secretary of State agreed that appropriate revenues would be secured to them by the 93W constitution and explained that the details would need to be discussed in the context of the June discussions and in the light of the final Report of the Fiscal Commission. The Secretary of State further agreed that the Kingdoms should, within certain defined fields of activity, enjoy exclusive powers of making enactments having the force of law. Finally, Mr. Maudling informed the Rulers that if agreement could be reached on the privileges and powers to which he had referred, these matters would be entrenched in the constitution and would represent, and be expressed in the Agreements as a federal relationship with Uganda as a whole. The Secretary of State informed the Kyabazinga of Busoga that he had taken full note of his representations. He pointed out that as Busoga had never had an Agreement with the Crown it could not be treated on the same basis as that proposed for the Kingdoms. Nevertheless, in view of the representations now made, Mr. Maudling accepted that the Busoga authorities would wish to have the question of Busoga's constitutional position reviewed in the general context of the June discussions.