Should Baganda Kneel?

The hot topic of Baganda kneeling is back in the limelight and on this occasion a very imminent citizen (and who I must admit, I immensely admire and respect) found it necessary to wade into these murky waters.  As a muganda man with an opinion on this subject, I believe I am qualified to respond to Hon. Winnie Byanyima’s utterances.  I will first and foremost put the following out of the way:

1. Kneeling is not backward (may be odd)
2. It’s not for non Baganda to tell the Baganda when and when not to kneel. 

And these are my reasons:

I find kneeling by female Baganda odd (but not backward or primitive) and for that reason; I don’t encourage it though I don’t go as far as calling it names!  There are 4 female Baganda in my house, 3 born, bred and raised in Buganda (Uganda) and one born, raised and schooled out of this country!  My wife and my older daughter do not kneel before me! My niece who is older than my daughter kneels before me, despite being clear to her that I would rather she doesn’t! My younger daughter (12 years old) born and going to school outside Uganda did not kneel until she was about 10, but started and she insists on doing it to this day! Of course as a foreign born Muganda she was intrigued and about 3 years ago she sought to find out why some female Baganda kneel and some don’t!  She had also keenly observed that some that kneel before me are older, much older than me! I took the time to explain why it is so (respect, culture etc) and gave my honest opinion on the practice! I finally added that she may find it confusing in my house because I don’t encourage it and I leave it to the individual to make a decision (not every one who kneels before you actually respects you).  She made the decision that she will kneel because it makes her feel better! It was her decision and she kneels to this day.  I have another niece who regularly visits and stays with us, it’s clear to me that she doesn’t like kneeling but was going through the ritual rather unwillingly! I sat her down and told her that she didn’t have to do it. She has since stopped and I guess she feels better because our relationship is still as great as ever.  Therefore, I regularly interact with 4 females from whom my younger daughter was supposed to learn and pick lessons in addition to my pep talk.  Two of them don’t kneel, one consistently kneels and another was unwillingly going through it until I put a stop to her ‘torture’.  The youngest occupant who only visits Uganda 3 months out of 12 in a year has chosen to go ahead with the practice of her foremothers!  Who in this country has the right to label her decision ‘backward’, ‘primitive’ etc! I think cultural practices are a choice and if they don’t infringe any laws of this country, they should be left to those who they belong to! For a non-muganda to start attacking a culture purely practiced by Baganda and one that they have never sought to impose on any body else is ‘kukayirirwa kamulali gw’otalidde’

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