Rwenzururu the very spirit of the Bakonzo
Charles Mumbere is lobbying the government to recognise what he calls the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu (Rwenzururu Kingdom). <b>Asuman Bisiika</b> interviewed him in Kasese
Charles Mumbere is lobbying the government to recognise what he calls the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu (Rwenzururu Kingdom). Asuman Bisiika interviewed him in Kasese. Below are excerpts:
Q:Can you justify the existence of the Rwenzuru Kingdom?
A: The Rwenzururu Kingdom started in 1963. This was after the realisation that portraying ourselves as a kingdom would enhance the struggle for self-identity, self-esteem and Bakonzo/Bamba consciousness as a people among other peoples in the world.
But that is not a
justification, is it?
I was still talking but you just interrupted. In Kyetanga (in the DR Congo), Congolese ethnic Bakonzo and Ugandan Bakonzo agreed to the idea of forming a kingdom. After that agreement, they installed Isaya Mukirania as the first king of the Rwenzururu Kingdom. So, the justification for the existence of my kingdom is that the people ordained it. They cherish it now, and they have vowed to cherish it forever.
How symbolically representative is the Rwenzururu Kingdom to the Bakonzo and Bamba?
The installation of Isaya Mukirania as the first king of the Rwenzururu Kingdom was an act that united all the Bakonzo and Bamba wherever they were. The kingdom was not clan-based as is the case with some kingdoms in the region. In the Rwenzururu region, a clan leader may have authority over a designated area with boundaries but the Rwenzururu Kingdom is the symbol of Bakonzo/Bamba identity as a distinct people with no regard to the clan from which the king comes. However, it is not our aim to impose the Obusinga over anyone because the constitution is very clear on this. Only those who so wish will participate in the Obusinga activities.
What are the justifications for your claim to the kingship of the Rwenzururu Kingdom?
I am the king of the Rwenzururu because I was installed as king after the death of Isaya Mukirania, my father. I never fought to be king because I was a minor when I was installed. The elders and the clan leaders agreed that I was the heir to the Rwenzururu throne. When in 1982 the Uganda government and the Rwenzururu Kingdom entered into an agreement to end hostilities and the reversal the kingdom’s unilateral declaration of independence, they recognised me as the undisputed leader of the Rwenzururu Kingdom.
The Bakonzo are said not to have a tradition of kingship. What do you say about this?
There is no known timetable for the formation a kingdom. The formation of any kingdom depends on the circumstances and situation obtaining at a given time. But why don’t you ask other communities whether they also had a tradition of kings? I am not saying this to open old wounds, but all of us know that Captain Frederick Lugard created the Kingdom of Toro to serve his own political interests. Now, the Toro Kingdom is recognised. So, the question of whether this or that community has a tradition of kingdom or not is irrelevant.
Minority communities in Kasese like the Basongora and Banyabindi have expressed a fear that they would be marginalised if the Obusinga is recognised now. How do you respond to these fears?
But these communities and the Bakonzo have lived together from time immemorial and I do not see why the recognition of the kingdom would threaten their livelihood. My kingdom would not pose any threat to the minority communities.
We were marginalised as a minority community in the Toro Kingdom, so we should not be the ones using our majority population to harass other minority groups. This is a modern-day kingdom whose legitimacy is got from the will of the people. The intermarriages between the Banyabindi and the Bakonzo make the Banyabindi our uncles, our stepfathers and aunts and so on. So, how can the Bakonzo harass the Banyabindi uncles and aunts?
A senior cabinet minister has vowed to fight you and the kingdom you claim to lead till he dies. What will you do if the government does not recognise the Rwenzururu Kingdom?
Go and ask that minister: Fighting for what? Is fighting the best option to resolve differences? Can one just fight without being provoked? But I would like to make this clear. The Obusinga will not fight anybody. We have no agenda of fighting. Our only fighting will be by lobbying the Uganda government to recognise the Rwenzururu Kingdom. Even if we die before the government recognises it, those who come after us will continue lobbying the authorities. This is a constitutional matter, not a boxing ring matter. Even the president supports the Obusinga but says there are some issues that should be resolved first before he recognises the kingdom. But if most of the Bakonzo people want their king and kingdom, why should one person declare a war on us? Even if I die today, the quest for Rwenzururu Kingdom will live on. This struggle comes a long way even before my parents were born.
It has changed leadership and form, but the cause remains the same.
What would you do in the first hundred days if the government recognised your kingdom today?
We have a draft of a strategic development plan for the region.
In the one hundred days, we would invite input and critique from the population and the Uganda government to enrich our plan. And here we are talking of mobilising the population for the creation of a scholarship fund, healthcare facilities, an institution of higher learning and many other things.
As I told you, this is a modern-day kingdom whose legitimacy lies in its relevance to the population.
You are requesting for the recognition of your kingdom at a politically inopportune time. Don’t you think you face the challenge of relating to all political parties and yet remain apolitical?
I understand the political situation in the country and therefore call on the politicians not to involve me, or the institution I lead, in their politicking. As a traditional leader, the constitution bars me from participating in the politics of the country. However, you should appreciate the fact that the supporters of the Obusinga are the very people from whom the politicians will seek electoral mandate.
Otherwise the Obusinga as an institution will not support any candidate.
But your brother is a member of the opposition FDC.
I addressed a press conference in Kampala at which I was asked about the ‘Third Term’ for President Museveni. I told the press that I am not a politician but a cultural leader. If my brother expresses support for the Obusinga by using his political standing, I have no influence on that. However, the fact is that his views remain personal and are not the views of the royal family or the kingdom.
Tell us about your life. Are you married? What course were you doing in the United States?
Oh yes (displaying his marriage silver ring), I am married and a father of two: Wesley Albert Asimawe and Joyce Furaha. I was born in 1952 and grew up in the bush fighting for the cause of the Bakonzo as a people.
During the struggle, I was installed as a king and therefore leader of the struggle. Before I left the United States, I had already enrolled for an undergraduate course after attaining a diploma in Business Administration. I will now do that course by correspondence.
We have not seen the mother of the children in public, have we?
She will soon be presented to the public and the population will see her.
Q:Can you justify the existence of the Rwenzuru Kingdom?
A: The Rwenzururu Kingdom started in 1963. This was after the realisation that portraying ourselves as a kingdom would enhance the struggle for self-identity, self-esteem and Bakonzo/Bamba consciousness as a people among other peoples in the world.
But that is not a
justification, is it?
I was still talking but you just interrupted. In Kyetanga (in the DR Congo), Congolese ethnic Bakonzo and Ugandan Bakonzo agreed to the idea of forming a kingdom. After that agreement, they installed Isaya Mukirania as the first king of the Rwenzururu Kingdom. So, the justification for the existence of my kingdom is that the people ordained it. They cherish it now, and they have vowed to cherish it forever.
How symbolically representative is the Rwenzururu Kingdom to the Bakonzo and Bamba?
The installation of Isaya Mukirania as the first king of the Rwenzururu Kingdom was an act that united all the Bakonzo and Bamba wherever they were. The kingdom was not clan-based as is the case with some kingdoms in the region. In the Rwenzururu region, a clan leader may have authority over a designated area with boundaries but the Rwenzururu Kingdom is the symbol of Bakonzo/Bamba identity as a distinct people with no regard to the clan from which the king comes. However, it is not our aim to impose the Obusinga over anyone because the constitution is very clear on this. Only those who so wish will participate in the Obusinga activities.
What are the justifications for your claim to the kingship of the Rwenzururu Kingdom?
I am the king of the Rwenzururu because I was installed as king after the death of Isaya Mukirania, my father. I never fought to be king because I was a minor when I was installed. The elders and the clan leaders agreed that I was the heir to the Rwenzururu throne. When in 1982 the Uganda government and the Rwenzururu Kingdom entered into an agreement to end hostilities and the reversal the kingdom’s unilateral declaration of independence, they recognised me as the undisputed leader of the Rwenzururu Kingdom.
The Bakonzo are said not to have a tradition of kingship. What do you say about this?
There is no known timetable for the formation a kingdom. The formation of any kingdom depends on the circumstances and situation obtaining at a given time. But why don’t you ask other communities whether they also had a tradition of kings? I am not saying this to open old wounds, but all of us know that Captain Frederick Lugard created the Kingdom of Toro to serve his own political interests. Now, the Toro Kingdom is recognised. So, the question of whether this or that community has a tradition of kingdom or not is irrelevant.
Minority communities in Kasese like the Basongora and Banyabindi have expressed a fear that they would be marginalised if the Obusinga is recognised now. How do you respond to these fears?
But these communities and the Bakonzo have lived together from time immemorial and I do not see why the recognition of the kingdom would threaten their livelihood. My kingdom would not pose any threat to the minority communities.
We were marginalised as a minority community in the Toro Kingdom, so we should not be the ones using our majority population to harass other minority groups. This is a modern-day kingdom whose legitimacy is got from the will of the people. The intermarriages between the Banyabindi and the Bakonzo make the Banyabindi our uncles, our stepfathers and aunts and so on. So, how can the Bakonzo harass the Banyabindi uncles and aunts?
A senior cabinet minister has vowed to fight you and the kingdom you claim to lead till he dies. What will you do if the government does not recognise the Rwenzururu Kingdom?
Go and ask that minister: Fighting for what? Is fighting the best option to resolve differences? Can one just fight without being provoked? But I would like to make this clear. The Obusinga will not fight anybody. We have no agenda of fighting. Our only fighting will be by lobbying the Uganda government to recognise the Rwenzururu Kingdom. Even if we die before the government recognises it, those who come after us will continue lobbying the authorities. This is a constitutional matter, not a boxing ring matter. Even the president supports the Obusinga but says there are some issues that should be resolved first before he recognises the kingdom. But if most of the Bakonzo people want their king and kingdom, why should one person declare a war on us? Even if I die today, the quest for Rwenzururu Kingdom will live on. This struggle comes a long way even before my parents were born.
It has changed leadership and form, but the cause remains the same.
What would you do in the first hundred days if the government recognised your kingdom today?
We have a draft of a strategic development plan for the region.
In the one hundred days, we would invite input and critique from the population and the Uganda government to enrich our plan. And here we are talking of mobilising the population for the creation of a scholarship fund, healthcare facilities, an institution of higher learning and many other things.
As I told you, this is a modern-day kingdom whose legitimacy lies in its relevance to the population.
You are requesting for the recognition of your kingdom at a politically inopportune time. Don’t you think you face the challenge of relating to all political parties and yet remain apolitical?
I understand the political situation in the country and therefore call on the politicians not to involve me, or the institution I lead, in their politicking. As a traditional leader, the constitution bars me from participating in the politics of the country. However, you should appreciate the fact that the supporters of the Obusinga are the very people from whom the politicians will seek electoral mandate.
Otherwise the Obusinga as an institution will not support any candidate.
But your brother is a member of the opposition FDC.
I addressed a press conference in Kampala at which I was asked about the ‘Third Term’ for President Museveni. I told the press that I am not a politician but a cultural leader. If my brother expresses support for the Obusinga by using his political standing, I have no influence on that. However, the fact is that his views remain personal and are not the views of the royal family or the kingdom.
Tell us about your life. Are you married? What course were you doing in the United States?
Oh yes (displaying his marriage silver ring), I am married and a father of two: Wesley Albert Asimawe and Joyce Furaha. I was born in 1952 and grew up in the bush fighting for the cause of the Bakonzo as a people.
During the struggle, I was installed as a king and therefore leader of the struggle. Before I left the United States, I had already enrolled for an undergraduate course after attaining a diploma in Business Administration. I will now do that course by correspondence.
We have not seen the mother of the children in public, have we?
She will soon be presented to the public and the population will see her.