Gov’t to construct Rwenzururu palace as Museveni challenges traditional leaders to emphasize oneness

By Our Reporter

Entebbe: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has called upon traditional leaders to emphasize the oneness of the kingdoms other than their differences because most of the people are interlinked.

The president’s challenge was made during the meeting with His Majesty Omusinga (King) Charles Wesley Mumbere of Rwenzururu Kingdom and his wife, Her Royal Highness Nyabaghole Agnes Ithungu Asimawe, at State House, Entebbe, on Wednesday.

President Museveni assured the Kingdom that the government will, in the new financial year, embark on the work of constructing the Kingdom Palace in Kasese and also improve the monthly allowances given to the kingdoms.

The president also stressed that the reason why politicians refused to increase allowances for Kingdoms was that some of them made the mistake of taking sides in politics, adding that this is of course very dangerous.

“I’m glad that the kingdom is now aligned with the NRM vision, which has three historical missions that the Africans had failed to see,” Museveni said, mentioning prosperity, socio-economic transformation, and strategic security.

The President informed the Omusinga, who moved with some of his cabinet members, that the government restored kingdoms to allow traditional leaders to mobilize and cause socio-economic transformation of the people through, among other things, universal education and ensuring that everybody joins the money economy.

“These institutions are good if they are handled well. When I met Kabaka Mutebi in London in 1981, I told him that I would support kingdoms if they focused on unity for prosperity and unity for strategic security. So, if your kingdoms can support that, then we shall support them. If they oppose it, we shall fight them,” he stressed.

Museveni further emphasized that his government cannot make any mistake by abandoning its historical mission.

“I’m very glad to see that the Kingdom has now taken a new path, and I congratulate you because we didn’t have to have an irreversible showdown because there’s no way we can abandon the principles of the NRM,” he added.

Earlier, the Deputy Prime Minister of Obusinga bwa Rwenzururu, Mr. Edwin Kugonza, informed the President that upon returning to Kasese on October 4, 2023, the Omusinga launched a new chapter of the kingdom with new and refreshed objectives around peace, reconciliation, and, more so, socio-economic transformation of the people.

“The king has been moving around the whole kingdom, and he is preaching nothing but peace, reconciliation, and economic transformation through government programs like the Parish Development Model (PDM), making sense of the money that the government is giving to our people, and we hope this will be a game changer, Your Excellency,” Kugonza said.

The meeting was also attended by the Minister of State for ICT and National Guidance, Hon. Godfrey Kabbyanga Baluku, the Deputy Attorney General, Hon. Jackson Kafuuzi, and several ministers from the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu.

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