Rwenzururu unveils kingdom plans after Mumbere’s return

Following the return of Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere to his kingdom after nearly seven years, the prime minister of the cultural institution has unveiled their agenda for the interim period.
 In an interview with the Monitor at his office in Kasese Town yesterday, Mr Joseph Kule Muranga, said emphasis will be on rebranding the kingdom.

 Mr Muranga said as part of rebranding, he said they will ensure that the kingdom avoids a repeat of clashes with the government that culminated in the 2016 raid on the palace and the subsequent arrest of the king.

“We faced a total of 43 cases involving our king and others. To be honest, it became clear that we wouldn’t have won any of these cases. That’s why we chose to accept the amnesty offer, as the government had substantial evidence regarding the events of 2016,” Mr Muranga said.
“On our part, our mistake was recruiting royal guards, which was not in line with our kingdom’s constitution. Going forward, we will not have royal guards anymore; we have trained forces from the government responsible for the king’s security,” he added.

Mr Muranga emphasised that this time they are committed to adhering to the Ugandan constitution and that of the kingdom.
He said the primary goal is to ensure that the subjects of Rwenzururu benefit from government programmes and are empowered so as not to fight the government.

“This time, we have no issues with the government, including security matters. As a cultural institution, we have extended our forgiveness to the government, and likewise, we have received forgiveness,” he said. 
Mr Muranga also addressed the issue of those who advocated for the creation of a separate country (YIRA) from Uganda, categorically stating that such aspirations should be abandoned as they amount to treason.

He advised kingdom subjects to collaborate with the government and noted that they have initiated awareness campaigns to foster this cooperation.
The kingdom attorney general, Mr Alfred Makasi, stressed the critical need to disentangle cultural institutions from political affiliations.
“We have previously been perceived as having political leanings towards the opposition, and we are determined to prevent a recurrence of such affiliations in this rebranding process,” he said. Regarding the royal guards who were released alongside the Omusinga, Mr Muranga revealed that they are planning a seminar for them to ensure their alignment with the kingdom’s values.

He also said they plan to plant 10 million trees on Mt Rwenzori and that they have already entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Water and Environment on the five-year initiative.
Mr Muranga disclosed that they have already received the architectural designs for the new palace and construction work will soon commence to be undertaken by the UPDF engineering brigade.

He said in the interim, the kingdom will initiate the construction of office space after the former kingdom offices, located on Alexander Street in Kasese Town, were rendered inaccessible after 2016.
“The kingdom is also actively fundraising to acquire the Hotel of Springs International, which will serve as an asset to generate revenue,” he said.

He announced that the kingdom is set to collaborate with the Ministry of Agriculture to embark on various projects, including fish farming and coffee cultivation to empower the local populace and enhance their livelihoods.

Complied by Alex Ashaba, Jerome Kule Bistwande, Moureen Biira & Yoweri Kaguta