Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Preparations are underway in the Rwenzururu Kingdom for the 58th coronation anniversary of Omusinga (King) Charles Wesley Mumbere. The commemorative event, which will also mark 15 years since the kingdom’s official recognition by the government, is scheduled for October 19 at Kilembe Golf Course in Kasese Municipality.
During the celebrations, guests will be treated to various cultural performances, and it is during this event that the king will deliver his inaugural speech to his subjects. Baritazale Benson Kule, the Deputy Prime Minister of Rwenzururu Kingdom, stated that the kingdom is currently seeking financial support to fund various activities, including the coronation celebrations, a cultural gala, tree planting, and a football tournament.
He emphasized that this year’s celebrations are centered around five core pillars championed by the kingdom: unity, mindset change, reconciliation, peace, and development. Kule announced that they have invited President Museveni as the chief guest and called upon the king’s subjects to contribute positively to the coronation festivities and to attend in large numbers to commemorate the anniversary.
Costa Bwambale, the chairperson of the coronation anniversary organizing committee, indicated that they require more than 400 million shillings to support the planned activities. Mumbere ascended to the throne following the death of his father, Isaya Mukirania Kibanzanga, in 1966. Mukirania was the first king of the Rwenzururu Kingdom, which was officially recognized by the current government in 2009.
This will be the second anniversary to be graced by Mumbere since his release from prison in 2023, following his arrest in 2016 on charges of treason, terrorism, and murder related to the military attack on his palace on November 27, 2016, which resulted in the deaths of over a hundred of his subjects.
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