Gadaffi crowned ‘King of Kings’ as he seeks to create ‘Africa govt’

The Toro delegation to the Benghazi meeting travelled and returned aboard a private jet paid for by Gaddafi.

In all, 34 traditional leaders from Uganda, including two kings — Solomon Gafabusa Iguru of Bunyoro and Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru of Toro — attended the Benghazi proceedings.

There was also a delegation from the Kingdom of Buganda, the Paramaount Chiefs of Acholi and Lango in northern Uganda as well as the Emorimor of Teso.

But cracks were already appearing in the forum even before the ink had dried on the Benghazi protocols.

With the exception of Toro and Bunyoro, the other Ugandan cultural leaders distanced themselves from ever endorsing the Libyan leader as some kind of supreme African ruler.

At the meeting, the Buganda delegation went on record as telling the gathering that it was against their culture and norms to recognise a monarch other than their own king.

Equally, the Paramount Chiefs of Acholi and Lango were vehement in their denials that they were party to an agreement that endorsed Gaddafi as King of Kings.

“No, we did not do that. The Arabs might have elected him, but we did not sign anything to make him King of Kings.

You can call the Acholi Paramount Chief and confirm this. How could we do such a thing?” Yosum Odur Won-Nyaci, Paramount Chief of Lango, said when The EastAfrican called him.

Acholi Paramount Chief David Onen Acana said that it appeared to have been a calculated move to advance Gaddafi’s ambitions because while most delegations from East Africa were in Libya for the first time, their counterparts from West and North Africa appeared to have been there on a follow-up meeting and all what happened was symbolic.

“We were all taken by surprise. According to me, he is not really a king in any sense. Gaddafi is pursuing a social angle to achieve his goals of having one Africa. He wanted to expand the issues to cultural leaders to work with politicians to speed up the unity of Africa,” Acana said.

Although nobody gave it much thought at the time, Gaddafi’s grandiose scheme first came to the attention of Ugandans in early September, when he signed off as “King of Kings” a condolence message he sent to President Museveni upon the death of the Kyabazinga of Busoga, Henry Wako Muloki.

But the King of Kings of 2008 is the very man who overthrew King Idris I in 1969, abolished the monarchy and proclaimed the country the Libyan Arab Republic.

The Ugandan kings who spoke to The East African said that Gaddafi explained to them the need for African unity and urged them to mobilise their people to support the cause. They said Gaddafi told them that the African president would rule for only three years.

The kings said they told Gaddafi they had no powers and that electing an African president is a political issue that the head of states and other politicians must decide upon.