A king is a king, and in the past fortnight this point was driven home by three events happening at the same time, two in Kampala and the third abroad.

First, the Kabaka of Buganda celebrated his birthday as he attained 60 years “of youth,” as his Baganda subjects adoringly put it.

A marathon to raise funds for the treatment of fistula victims attracted a sea of participants on the eve of the birthday. On the big day itself, another sea of subjects and dignitaries turned up to celebrate and catch a glimpse of the king.

Ugandans are refusing to accept the whole idea. But if you asked what the Kabaka does exactly, it is both easy and difficult to answer. But we can say that what he is, is more important than what he does. He is simply the Kabaka and his subjects love him for it.

It is said that three decades ago, the NRM leaders, whose armed struggle he endorsed and supported until they captured state power in 1986, were baffled when they offered him big positions and were told that the Kabaka cannot work for anybody. He is expected to be, not to do.

Even when he makes a mistake, the subjects are supposed to apologise to him for it, for indeed it is their mistake for failing to advise him against it.

At the birthday occasion, another beloved Ugandan king, the youthful Oyo of Toro kingdom, made a faux pas, literally. Cameras caught him as he sat with one leg crossed over the other above the knee, as he listened with apparent disinterest to the Katikkiro – prime minister – of Buganda.

The Baganda were fuming at the apparent disrespect the young king showed to their Katikkiro, who is traditionally called the “king outside the palace” because he administers the kingdom on the Kabaka’s behalf.

Social media was clogged with criticism of King Oyo, with the offensive sitting posture being dubbed the “Oyo Challenge” — thousands posed similarly, posting the photos on social media.

But the Kabaka’s court did not take offence, and continued treating Oyo like the monarch that he is. Soon after the picture was circulated, Oyo was seen enjoying a hearty tete a tete with the birthday boy, fellow king Kabaka Mutebi.

The “Oyo Challenge” craze was rudely interrupted by news from South Africa that foreigners were being murdered by xenophobic gangs.

Ugandans were shocked, recalling how they hosted and trained ANC battalions when the apartheid regime kicked the freedom fighters from the frontline states, accounting for Nelson Mandela’s early visit to Uganda when he was released from prison.

The murderous xenophobia had been whipped up by another king. Because a king is a king, a position he attains not because of personal merit but through birth, he commands a loyalty that is difficult to comprehend.

He is capable of turning good, law-abiding citizens into manic killers, by just saying so. It was a rude reminder about the power of a king, which can be abused. Suddenly, King Oyo’s sitting pose diminished into significance. He can sit as he wishes.
If we don’t like the way he sat, it is our duty to apologise to him for that! He is a king!