The former cultural leader of Bugisu Wilson Wamimbi has died, the Inzu ya Masaaba cultural institution announced on Friday.

Alfred Geresom Musamali, the institution's information minister, said the former leader was recently admitted to a health facility in Namulanda in Wakiso district.

He said he died Friday evening at the age of 85/86.

"Details about his birth, education, career progression and death will be following soon," he said in a brief statement. 

Born in 1938, in Busano sub-county Mbale district, Wamimbi went to Nabumali High School and trained as a teacher at Kyambogo College before going for further studies at Makerere University, where he graduated with a degree in marketing.

He worked as a marketing officer with Bugisu Co-operative Union and later joined politics in 1987 when he became the Mbale district chairman.

He also served as Uganda's High Commissioner to Canada in the 1990s.

Wamimbi was elected to the position of Umukhuka in August 2010,  beating his only opponent, Canon Codovia Wakiro, by 41 votes to 22 for a five-year non-renewable term.

The exercise almost flopped as delegates, who included seven members from Babukusu in Kenya, queried the method used by the cultural council to select the two candidates.

The council chairman, Augustine Wanendeya, had earlier read seven names, which included former Chief Justice George Masika ( RIP), former state minister for works and transport Sylvester Wanjusi-Wasieba, Francis Nagimesi, Situma Munyanda and Charles Walimbwa.

The controversy was solved by Masika, Nabudere and Prof. Timothy Wangusa, who argued that the selection of the candidates conformed to the provisions of the cultural constitution.

The elections come after Joseph Kanyanya had over the years imposed himself as Umukhuka.

He had at one time attempted to place his throne at Mutoto ( the seat of Bamasaba cultural activities) but the Bamasaaba, who had never had a royal family opposed the move.

By the time of Wamimbi's election as Umukhuka, the Bamasaba had last had a cultural institution in the 1960s when Y. B. Mungoma was made the Umuinga (equivalent of Umukhuka) until Obote abolished kingdoms.