RWENZURURU | OMUSINGA | MUMBERE

 KASESE - If all goes according to expectations, the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu (Rwenzururu king), Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere Irema-Ngoma, could soon return to his kingdom.

 According to the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu (OBR) Prime Minister, Joseph Kule Muranga, Government has procured land worth sh150m in Kasese Municipality to resettle the king, currently confined in Kampala, and his immediate family.

Muranga says Government has even offered to construct a royal residence on the land, which is located in Kirembe Cell of the Municipality’s Central Division.

"Government, through the UPDF Engineering Brigade, will soon pitch camp in the area to begin the construction works of the Omusinga’s official residence,” Muranga said. 

Muranga was addressing the scores of Rwenzururu royalists, including Rwenzururu Esyomango (youth wing) who had turned up to participate in a tree planting exercise as one of the activities ahead of the Omusinga’s coronation day that falls annually on October 19th. 

The tree planting was kick-started at the OBR cultural village site on Buhikira Royal Hill neighbouring by the late Gen James Kazini’s Springs International Hotel, overlooking Kasese town centre as part of the coronation anniversary.

 On October 19, Omusinga Mumbere will be marking fifty-five years since he succeeded his late father, Isaya Mukirania Kyibanzanga I, who was enthroned on October 19, 1962.

But until the NRM government restored kingdoms and cultural institutions under the Uganda Constitution of 1985, these institutions were defunct since being abolished in 1967.

However, the OBR remained on halt until October 19, 2009, when the NRM government, led by President Yoweri Museveni officially enthroned Mumbere as its leader, at a coronation ritual held at the Rwenzururu Palace in Kasese Municipality.

Dence ministry and Rwenzururu leaders during the survey of the land bought to building a residence for the Rwenzururu kind. (Credit: John Thawite)

This was later followed by a colourful reception held at the scenic Kilembe Golf Club course in Kasese municipality, which attracted Ugandan and foreign guests including a 300-member delegation from the Bakonzo, known as Banande from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Muranga also unveiled to the public the kingdom’s twenty-five Strategic Plan that aims at several phased initiatives including greening the districts around Mt Rwenzori to support the restoration of the worsening environment.

“The Obusinga is determined to plant as many trees as possible so that we may save Mt Rwenzori and retain the remaining glaciers or even increase them,” he said.

According to the Rwenzori Mountains National Park Warden-in-charge, James Okware, the glaciers have receded from about 15 sq km about 100 years ago to about 1.5 sq km.

The Esyomango chairperson, Jolly Kahyana, warned the youth to distance themselves from “traitors” of Rwenzururu poised on leading the youth into trouble. 

Esther Biira, the districts woman MP, Florence Kabugho, donated hoes, pickaxes and spades to aid the exercise of tree planting.

Kabugho saluted the youth for embracing the tree-planting, noting that involvement by such an age group was among the measures of engaging the communities in reducing global warming, which is among the factors behind glacier loss on Mt Rwenzori. 

The tree planters included former Kasese Municipality Member of Parliament, Robert Franco Centenary, who asked the Rwenzururu subjects to embrace the tree planting project for environmental conservation. 

Former Kasese District Woman Parliamentary hopeful, Sarah Ithungu Masereka Baleke, urged the OBR subjects to be patriotic to the cultural institution.