THE remains of the four Buganda kings buried in the burnt Kasubi tombs are intact, Katikkiro JB Walusimbi said yesterday.
Briefing journalists at the Bulange, Walusimbi said: “Fortunately, gallant rescue efforts prevented total damage to the tombs in the inner sanctum (ekibira). Luckily still, no lives were lost although there was substantial loss of ancient regalia and royal paraphernalia.”
The over 130-year-old structure was razed to the ground in the Tuesday night inferno.
Walusimbi’s assurance came as a relief to Baganda who feared that the remains of Muteesa I, Mwanga, Daudi Chwa and Frederick Edward Muteesa II, Kabaka Ronald Mutebi’s father, had been burnt to ashes.
After an emergency Mengo cabinet meeting yesterday, the Katikkiro announced a week-long mourning period.
“The Lukiiko has been summoned to an emergency session next Monday to deliberate upon the tragedy.”
Walusimbi also said the kingdom had resolved to rebuild the tombs to “their full glory as a symbol of Buganda’s enduring resilient and tenacious spirit”.
“The kingdom of Buganda is in deep mourning. The official mourning of one week starts March 22 and ends with a formal ceremony, including prayers at the Kasubi tombs on March 26 at 10:00am.There are no words to describe the loss occasioned by this most callous act,” Walusimbi said in a statement.
The press briefing was attended by Mengo ministers, some of whom shed tears.
Outside Bulange, crowds waited patiently for the outcome of the meeting.
Five years ago, about four of the small huts in Kasubi tombs caught fire. They were re-roofed with iron sheets.
The mood at Bulange, the Kabaka’s seat, was sombre. Women wore bitenge and black gomesi, a sign of mourning, and men wore tunics and bark cloth strings.
A big rowdy crowd of mostly youth waving tree branches tried to enter the Bulange as the meeting went on. They were denied entrance, prompting most of them to head to the Mengo palace.
A small crowd that stayed behind followed Katikkiro’s team which was going to the Kasubi tombs.
The Mengo cabinet conveyed their sympathy to the Kabaka, the royal family and the people of Buganda.
The meeting also established two committees to draw the mourning programme, to assess the damage and establish what is needed to reconstruct the world heritage site.
