Police has
deployed heavily along the Kasese-Mbarara highway to block the Rwenzururu King
Charles Wesley Mumbere to go to Kasenyi landing site on Lake George to preside
over the Kingdom’s environmental and hero’s day.
King Mumbere’s
intended visit has been contested by the minority ethnicities that include the
Basongora, Bachingwe, Bagabo and Banyabindi who claim they do not pay allegiance
to Rwenzururu Kingdom.
They claim
to be behind the embattled Busongora Kingdom leader Ivan Bwebale Rutakirwa who
was crowned on July 1st last year at a secret event at Muhokya
trading center five kilometers from Kasese town.
Despite, an
agreement in a meeting between the two parties and the police on Thursday that
changed King Mumbere’s venue from Kasenyi to Katunguru landing site, he and the
youth wing have insisted on the original destination.
The Rwenzori regional police Commander Mr.
Wilson Kwanya has this morning issued a press statement vowing to block any
cultural function to take place at Kasenyi landing site since the area is
contested by many parties.
Police insists
they will give security to King Mumbere and his subjects as they go to
Katunguru landing site as agreed earlier.
However, the
mood in Kasese town now is different from the setting of the police as groups
of Banyarwenzururu prepare transport to Kasenyi despite warnings from the
police.
Police on
the other hand say they fear that any advances by the Banyarwenzururu to
Kasenyi landing site may result into demonstrations by both the Bakonzo and the
minority tribes leading to accidents, interruption of business activities and destruction
of tourism since the venue is deep inside the Queen Elzabeth National park.
But majority
of the Rwenzururu subjects seem to have taken heed of the press statement from
the First Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Ivan Syauswa urging them to come in big
numbers accompanying King Mumbere to the disputed venue. END.
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