Prime
Bunyoro royals block plans to dethrone king
The Omukama of Bunyoro, Solomon Gafabusa Iguru I
What you need to know:
- Members of the royal commission of the kingdom had reportedly moved to seek President’s Museveni’s endorsement of a plan to cause the naming of a number of regents to preside over matters of the kingdom until a new king is enthroned.
Members of the Babiito Clan—the royal family of the Kingdom of Bunyoro Kitara—have vetoed attempts to dethrone Omukama Solomon Gafabusa Iguru.
Sunday Monitor has learnt that members of the royal commission of the kingdom headed by Mr Fred Kabagambe-Kaliisa, had moved to seek President Museveni’s endorsement of a plan to cause the naming of a number of regents to preside over matters of the kingdom until a new king is enthroned.
Mr Kaliisa, a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, is also a senior presidential advisor on oil and gas and mining industries, as well as the chairperson of the Uganda Chapter of the Board of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
The plan is opposed by the royal family, a position which was made clear in a December 2, 2021 letter signed by the Chief Prince (Okwiri), Fred Mugenyi Ruchunya.
“Lately, you led efforts to seek the President’s authority to set up a medical board to examine the Omukama’s health with a view of determining whether he has the capacity to lead or not. We consider this unnecessary and not backed by any laws of the country,” reads Prince Ruchunya’s letter addressed to Mr Kaliisa.
The letter says their support for the position being championed by the royal commission is limited to supporting the continued treatment of the Omukama back to full health. It categorically opposes either dethroning him or declaring him unfit to rule.
The health of Omukama Solomon Gafabusa Iguru has been the subject of discussion for some time now. Kingdom officials are, however, extremely cagey when it comes to disclosing what is afflicting the king.
On January 30, for example, Prince Ruchunya accused the kingdom’s Omuhikirwa (prime minister) Andrew Byakutaga and other “other powerful people” in the kingdom of exploiting Omukama Iguru’s ill health to steal money and sell off some of the kingdom’s properties.
The prince, however, declined to tell Sunday Monitor the nature of the king’s sickness. He said during an interview last week that it was not up to him to say.
Last week, Mr Byakutaga, who was responding to accusations of financial impropriety, told Sunday Monitor that his accounts are examined by the finance committee, the Orukurato, the royal commission and the Omukama. He dismissed claims that he had not been meeting the Omukama lately.
“Do those who claim that I have not been meeting the Omukama want me to keep inviting them every time I am holding a meeting with him?” Mr Byakutaga asked.
Cultural considerations
Sunday Monitor has also learnt that some of the Babiito are opposed to subjecting the Omukama to medical examinations because it would be in conflict with the kingdom’s cultural norms and practices.
The norms and practices require that an ailing or incapacitated king is either exiled or put to death, which the present generation of Babiito find abhorrent.
“We decided that we cannot kill or banish the king. That is not tenable, at least not in our times,” a Mubiito told Sunday Monitor.
Several sources within the kingdom told Sunday Monitor that the position as stated in the December 2 letter was a U-turn on the part of the Babiito, some of whom had earlier agreed to meeting President Museveni over plans to name regents.
The sources indicated that Mr Kabagambe-Kaliisa had earlier arranged a meeting with the President, and that the Babiito had named a team of 10 as part of a 15-strong delegation.
These included the Omuhikirwa and four members of the royal commission.
Some of the Babiito who were meant to meet the President include Prince Ruchunya, Chief Princess (Batebe) Jane Kabahanika, the Mugema (custodian of royal tombs and properties) Isagara Araali and Mr Patrick Baguma.
The council delegation was meant to be comprised of Mr Kaliisa, Mr Byakutaga, Mr Joseph Biribonwa and Mr Abdalla Kazimbiraine. The Babiito, however, withdrew their delegation by way of the December 2 letter earlier referred to.
“By the same note, we are withdrawing the list of our delegation that we had forwarded to you for the intended meeting with the President,” the letter further reads.
The meeting that had been scheduled to take place on December 15 at State House Entebbe, was consequently called off.
The Omukama of Bunyoro, Solomon Gafabusa Iguru I, inspects an agricultural exhibition in Hoima City last year. The Omukama’s health status has been the subject of discussion for some time now PHOTO/ FRANCIS MUGERWA
Power struggle?
Other sources in the kingdom alluded to a power struggle that has since pitted the Babiito against the royal commission.
The source indicated that the decision by the Babiito to pull out of the planned meeting was informed by the need to trim Mr Kabagambe-Kaliisa’s powers.
“Mr Kaliisa organised the meeting with the President. He wanted to take charge of the process, which would have made him much more powerful than the Babiito. That was not agreeable to us,” a member of the royal family told Sunday Monitor.
That feeling was captured in the December 2 letter earlier referred to.
“We strongly object to all processes that are seeking to invade the privacy of the Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara that are not informed by any cultural or legal precedence. The ongoing process is viewed by the Babiito as a manoeuvre by some individuals to usurp the cultural and constitutional mandate of the Omukama,” the letter reads.
Mr Kaliisa declined to discuss the goings on in the kingdom.
“I am not into storytelling and I am not ready to talk to you,” Mr Kaliisa told Sunday Monitor early on Friday afternoon before hanging up.
Mr Kaliisa is, however, accused by sections of the Babiito of taking sides with Mr Byakutaga, who some of them accuse of “persistent and unbecoming conduct contradicting the cultural values and aspirations of Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom” and lack of transparency and accountability, a charge the Omuhikirwa vehemently denies.
Accusations of bias on the part of Mr Kaliisa stem from a February 2 letter in which he challenged Prince Ruchunya’s authority to ask Mr Byakutaga to step aside to allow for an investigation and forensic audit into the kingdom’s accounts.
Mr Kaliisa advised the Babiito to present whatever evidence they have against Mr Byakutaga to his commission, but one of the Babiito—Mr Baguma—told Sunday Monitor that the former Energy ministry accounting officer cannot be trusted to be impartial.
“They are saying we take our grievances to that Kakurato (council), but how can we take our grievances to a council where the chairperson is an interested party?” Mr Baguma wondered.
Mr Baguma told Sunday Monitor that Mr Kabagambe-Kaliisa’s hotel—Miika Resort Hotel Limited—and the mineral water plant, which bottles Albertine Water, are established on what should be a national cultural and heritage site, Katasiiha Fort. Omukama Kabalega used the site as a barracks, stores and an armoury. It also has fighting trenches.
READ: Traditions of Bunyoro’s empango
Background
The king’s health
The health of Omukama Solomon Gafabusa Iguru has been the subject of discussion for some time now. Kingdom officials are, however, extremely cagey when it comes to disclosing what is afflicting the king.
On January 30, for example, Prince Ruchunya accused the kingdom’s Omuhikirwa (prime minister) Andrew Byakutaga and other “other powerful people” in the kingdom of exploiting Omukama Iguru’s ill health to steal money and sell off some of the kingdom’s properties.
The prince, however, declined to tell Sunday Monitor the nature of the king’s sickness. He said during an interview last week that it was not up to him to say.
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