President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Friday, July 25, 2025, presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for Lwattamu House, a Shs 58 billion six-storey cultural complex that will serve as the official headquarters for clan leaders (Embuga y’Abataka) in Mengo, Kampala.
The project, initiated by the Bataka (clan heads) of Buganda will promote Uganda’s cultural heritage and strengthen national unity through the empowerment of traditional institutions.
Set on 2.7 acres of land near the Lubiri in Mengo—purchased by President Museveni for Shs 9.7 billion—the building will feature 52 offices for clan leaders, business and banking halls, a museum, conference facilities, and lodging spaces. Completion is expected in three years.
“We shall organize the Shs 58 billion needed for the construction of Lwattamu House, and I will send the UPDF Construction Brigade to carry out the work,” said President Museveni. “Therefore, I’m very happy to support Bataka.”
The President highlighted his long-standing relationship with Buganda Kingdom, recounting his 1981 meeting with Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi in London, and his continued advocacy for traditional institutions since the liberation struggle.
“As you know, I’m very much part of this system here,” Museveni said. “I met my young brother, Kabaka Mutebi, in London in 1981… I told him then that I saw no problem if we’re clear on who can do what between us—the new forces—and the traditionalists.”
President Museveni emphasized the historical sidelining of clan leaders under colonial rule, arguing that restoring kingdoms in the 1990s should have included reviving clan structures as vital pillars of cultural identity.
He praised Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, Minister of State for ICT, for advocating for the Bataka. “My sister, Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, came and talked about the Bataka—people like Omutaka Kibaale Nadduli, Omutaka Namuguzi, and Omutaka Kaita—whom I’ve known well,” he noted.
Museveni underscored the cultural and biological value of clan systems. “Clan structures discourage inbreeding and promote diversity. While the government builds roads and electricity, who is preserving our genetics and languages? Clan leaders play that vital role,” he said.
In addition to the construction project, the President pledged financial and logistical support to the Bataka:
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Shs 100 million to the Bataka Mutindo SACCO
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Shs 22 million towards a retreat for Balangira and Bambejja
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Land in Nakasongola for a goat farming project
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A team to inspect and advise on renovating Masiro (ancestral tombs)
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A vehicle to ease Bataka transport needs
President Museveni also called for using culture as a tool for national development. “We must use culture, not for exclusion, but as a force of unity, identity, and development,” he said.
Omutaka Kyaddondo Kasirye Mbag’elamula, head of the Nvuma clan, hailed the President’s support as historic. “No President has ever supported us directly apart from you. Your purchase of land at Mengo and backing for the Lwattamu House project is historic,” he said.
The ceremony drew top government officials and cultural leaders, including Babirye Milly Babalanda (Minister for Presidency), Hajat Minsa Kabanda (Minister for Kampala), and Judith Nabakooba (Minister for Lands), alongside Eng. J.B. Walusimbi, Eng. Dr. Fred Kateregga, Princess Ndege Teyeggala Hawa, and several clan heads.