Mumbere suspends Kibanzanga from position of chief prince

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Rwenzururu King (Omusinga), Charles Wesley Mumbere Irema-Ngoma has suspended his brother, Christopher Kibanzanga from the position of the Chief Prince of Rwenzururu kingdom. Mumbere has also scrapped the position until further notice.

Mumbere says that his young brother has used the position of Chief Prince to undermine the Rwenzururu King, members of the Royal Family, the Prime Ministerial Commission and the Kingdom’s top most organs, the Privy Council to the King.

Kibanzanga, the Junior Agriculture Minister has had a frosty relationship with Mumbere since 2016 when a joint security force raided Buhikira Palace leading to the death of more than 100 people and the subsequent arrest of the king and close to 200 loyalists.

The relationship worsened on June 14 when Kibanzanga defied the King’s directive to bury their mother Christine Biira Mukirania at Nyamirangara in Muhokya Sub County in Kasese district.

Mumbere, who had been barred by the courts from stepping foot in Kasese as part of his bail conditions secured temporary permission from the court to enable him to mourn and bury his mother.

Justice Eva Luswata of the International Crimes Division of the High Court gave Mumbere 14 days to travel to Kasese, Bundibugyo, Ntoroko and Kabarole to mourn his mother and perform any rituals expected of him as a cultural leader.

However, Kibanzanga took the body to their ancestral home in Kirindi, Bundibugyo district where the late Christine Mukirania was buried on June 16. Mumbere and four of his siblings declined to attend the funeral in Bundibugyo as a sign of protest.

Now, Mumbere argues that Kibanzanga’s actions not only undermined the wishes of the deceased but also denied him, the Royal Family and many Banya Rwenzururu (Rwenzururu People) an opportunity to lay to rest, Mukirania, whom he described as a mother, grandmother, Queen mother and heroine of the Rwenzururu Mountain.

Mumbere also said that Kibanzanga’s utterances at the funeral dented the image and reputation of the Kingdom. During the funeral, Kibanzanga questioned the intelligence of those that didn’t want him to bury his mother at their ancestral home.

But Mumbere says these utterances and many others by Kibanzanga on the same were not befitting of a person who holds the position of Chief Prince of Rwenzururu Kingdom.  He says Kibanzanga will remain a Prince, albeit without any responsibility until further notice.

“Your aggressive, abusive behaviour and reckless outbursts have undermined and degraded the image of the Royal Family, Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu locally, nationally and internationally. You will not, therefore, from this point forward represent the royal family.  You will remain a prince but without any specific responsibility until further notice,” reads Mumbere’s letter.

As Chief Prince, Kibanzanga would represent the Royal Family on key functions where the king wouldn’t be present.  As Chief Prince, it was also possible for Kibanzanga to become king if it became impossible to have a king from Mumbere’s bloodline. Kibanzanga hasn’t yet commented as he couldn’t be reached because his known mobile phones were switched by the time of filling this story.

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