Rwenzururu King calls on ADF combatants to seek amnesty 

When the Omusinga (King) of Rwenzururu, Charles Wesley Mumbere the Irema-Ngoma landed returned home on October 4, 2023 almost seven years after his arrest, the message to the sea of subjects that thronged Kasese Airfield and Kilembe Golf Course grounds, was reconciliation and mindset change.

The Omusinga and about 200 co-accused persons had charges of treason, terrorism, murder, attempted murder, aggravated robbery and being found in illegal possession of firearms dropped by the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP). It has also come to be known that the decision by DPP followed fruitful dialogue between the Cultural Institution and the central government.

He promised to embark on a tour of the whole kingdom to preach peace, reconciliation, mindset change and social-economic transformation. Indeed, the Omusinga together with Queen Agnes Ithungu Asimawe are touring the Kingdom with three rallies already addressed by press time.

Before addressing subjects on each of these rallies, the monarch has been touring some of the developmental projects in his Kingdom. In native Kambasa County (political constituency of Bukonzo West), he toured Bwera School of Nursing and Midwifery and Bwera General Hospital where he commissioned a recently constructed ward for premature babies. Whereas in the native Buthale county (political Bukonzo East Constituency) he toured Kagando hospital and the AgriVolve coffee processing plant.

The arrest

While addressing his subjects at Kisinga playground in the native Buthale County, the Omusinga recounted the circumstances under which he and his traditional guards were arrested during a security raid on his Buhikira royal palace in Kasese town on November 27, 2016. More than 100 people including security personnel were killed in the clashes that had started a day earlier.

“You can’t start a fight against the government when seated comfortably in town and also with a limited number of royal guards. Whatever happened was very regrettable because it was not necessary to happen and many lives were lost” he said while insisting he never had treasonous intentions.

He said that the events in the palace when he was arrested and forced to jump over dead bodies of his subjects will forever be in his memory.

“At the police station (Kasese), there was a crazy officer who ordered his men to handcuff me and I was to spend three hours. In my heart I cursed him. We continue to ask ourselves how we survived because we saw bullets, bombs and launchers fired and you would think heaven was falling” he recounted.

On freedom

The Omusinga has expressed gratitude to President Yoweri Museveni for ensuring that he was not hurt during the raid and throughout his detention at Nalufenya police station in Jinja, Kirinya prison and Luzira prison before his release on bail.  The royal family lived in the Kampala residence for nearly seven years under the protection of the army until he returned home about two months ago.

He specifically commended Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) National Coordinator, Gen Caleb Akandwandaho alias Salim Saleh for breaking ground for the peace talks between the Kingdom and the Government. The dialogue was chaired by Dr Ambrose Agona the former Executive Director, National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) with the government team led by Prof Tarsis Kabwejyere while the Rwenzururu team was led by Queen Asimawe.

“Gen Saleh invited me to visit him and I was scared because Court bail conditions only allowed me to move in Wakiso, Kampala and Jinja Districts but he stayed in Luwero District. He confirmed to me it was peaceful. When I went there, he told me he could have stopped the attack on the palace had he known of the move” he said

Adding that; “I think the Government of Uganda is now relieved of the burden of prosecuting a King and I think seeing what happened when you welcomed me back home, there might have been some regrets”

Amnesty for ADF

The Omusinga has issued a rallying call on Bakonzo tribemates who may be in the ranks of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) a Ugandan terrorist group based in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to return home and benefit from amnesty.

He sounded out the June 16 massacre of over 30 students at Lubiriha Secondary School near the border with DRC that has been attributed to the ADF by the government and the Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF) continues to pursue the terrorists across the border.

Most recently, President Museveni informed the country that the terrorist group’s splinter team was responsible for the killing of two tourists and their driver in Queen Elizabeth National Park and killing of two traders near Mpondwe town.

“I want to announce that if there are Bayira (Bakonzo) in the ADF, you have nothing to claim in the bush, please come back and build your Kingdom. Come and get amnesty instead of killing people who have nothing in the political leadership of the country. I call upon Bakonzo to come back because you will not manage the fight against the government” he remarked.

It should be noted that, in 1998, on the invitation of the government, the Omusinga returned home from the US for the first time 1982 to tour the Rwenzori region rallying whoever had joined the ADF after being tricked that he backed the rebel group to return home. Indeed, some people who had been deceived that the Omusinga was backing the ADF were granted amnesty on returning home.

In their report, the Chiefdom and Ridge Leaders who are the lower native administrators, asked the Omusinga to lobby the government to construct roads in the mountains in order to foster security and aid transportation of agricultural produce.

They revealed that there is increased coffee and food production but the farmers fail to get a good market because of the transportation challenges caused by the terrain.

There remains a Presidential pledge to construct the alpine road on the Rwenzori ranges which is supposed to be a strategic security infrastructure and also for promoting trade in the area.

The Omusinga promised to engage the President and the Ministry of Works and Transport over the need for the mountain roads.

“I admire the mountains where I grew up and I would like to go there but now I can’t manage to climb. To develop the mountains, we need roads so that people can bring their produce to the market. If I meet the President or the Minister of Works, I will tell them that we need roads and Helicopter landing sites” added the Omusinga.

The royal visits are expected to be stretched to Bundibugyo, Bunyangabu and Ntoroko District where the message of peace and reconciliation must be delivered to the Rwenzururu subjects living there. It is, however, not yet clear whether the royals would visit eastern DRC where millions of subjects always wish to receive them.