Mumbere faces more charges

The Rwenzururu king, Charles Wesley Mumbere. Photo/File

The Police have released the list of the suspects in the Kasese clashes arrested during the joint security operation last weekend.

The clashes that broke out between government forces and the Rwenzururu royal guards claimed the lives of over 100 people, including 16 Police officers. But the Police have revised the death toll to 62.

During the operation, the Rwenzururu palace was raided and the king, Charles Wesley Mumbere, arrested and remains detained at Nalufenya Police Station in Jinja.  He was on Tuesday charged with murder in the Jinja district Chief Magistrate's Court.

However, Police spokesperson Felix Andrew Kaweesi said that the accused number one is the king, and that more charges will be preferred against him after investigations.

"What he was charged with on Tuesday was one of the many charges that will be preferred on him after the investigations," Kaweesi said while addressing journalists at the Rwenzori East regional Police headquarters in Kasese town on Wednesday.

Kaweesi said Mumbere and his group will also be charged with terrorism, aiding terrorism, destruction of property and murder after the investigations.

He denied reports circulating on social media that the Police stripped naked the women who were arrested from the Omusinga's palace.

"We have people who were in the palace and can testify that they saw the naked women before we even entered the compound," he added.

He said the Police had got intelligence information that some of the royal guards had started regrouping in some parts of the district.

"On Tuesday, we raided a camps and recovered two guns and one of them surrendered and he is currently with Police custody," Kaweesi said.