Profile courtesy file photo of Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere and Her Royal Highness, Queen, Agnes Ithungu Asimawe.
The Rwenzururu Kingdom lives under fear over another looming catastrophe, allegedly being petrol inginted by the Kasese District Resident Commissioner, a one, Walusimbi Joel, by forceful dragging and keeping residents in camps with land grabbing intentions.
In an exclusive interview with Digitalk Television, Uganda’s leading online media platform, at his palace, the unhappy Charles Wesley Mumbere Irema-Ngoma I, king (Omusinga) of Rwenzururu, said, that several attempts have been made for to amicable dispute resolution, but all being frustrated by Walusimbi.
Accompanied by Her Royal Highness, Queen, Agnes Ithungu Asimawe, and the King’s Personal Secretary, David Bradford Nguru Nguru, Omusinga stressed who was meeting and issuing fresh instructions to his Lawyer Eron Kiiza, emphasised the urgency of the matter and how his subjects are leaving in immense fear.
“As we speak now, we have another humanitarian crisis where the Kasese RDC Walusimbi Joel is seemingly stubborn and not cooperating.” Omusinga revealed to his lawyer.
The said crisis emanates from poor and unsatisfactory government land compensations, which forced residents to camp at the RDC’s offices.
“There have been land wrangles in Kasese, where uncompesated farmers decided to camp at the RDC’s offices for 3 months without government and Walusimbi’s interventions, until 2 weeks ago when he (RDC) decided to chase them away forcefully” Omusinga Mumbere further expounds.
Some of the grass-satched shelters for the Kasese internally displaced residents at the RDC’s offices.
Mumbere further accuses RDC Walusimbi for choosing force over peace, something he vows never to accept against his people and warns that if it persists, there are possibilities on another likely disaster compared to the one of 2016, where hundreds of Rwenzururu subjects were killed by the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces, UPDF under the command of the then commander land force, Gen. Peter Elweru, others tortured, arrested, imprisoned, including Omusinga himself, who is out on an amnesty program with several co-accused still in prison.
“We believe the excessive use of force is likely to cause another catastrophe in Kasese, following the one of 2016, and we don’t wish our people to be shedding blood all the time.“
Follow this link for the full interview;
youtu.be/ZZrqOiqxPdU
In addition to the excessive use of force, Omusinga also accuses the RDC of starving the residents to death, as a weapon to chase people away after their refusal to leave the camp before an appropriate solution from the government.
“The RDC is using starvation as one of the means to punish my subjects.” A seemingly worried Mumbere said.
A group photo of Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere, Her Royal Highness, Queen, Agnes Ithungu Asimawe, and Counsel Eron Kiiza with his delegation, on Thursday September 4, 2025 at the palace.
Omusinga has appealed to all responsible authorities to arrest the situation, including taming and reigning over the “stubborn” RDC before it is too late.
“I appeal to the government through President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, and minister of land to come and solve the problem, because, this won’t be the first internally displaced camp in Kasese, and the government has quickly been coming up why not now?” Omusinga Mumbere appealed.
He warned that if nothing is done, he wouldn’t wish the government to regret when his subjects decided to take the law in their hand over the government’s slow to act by offering a deef ear.
In response, Counsel Eron Kiiza who is also aspiring presidency for the Uganda Law Society, ULS, welcomed the instructions and promised to professionsly fight for the rights of the Rwenzururu people like before.
Eron’s delegation had counsel Amos Kuku, Human Rights; Namara Claire and Jjuuko James.
By; Mukose Arnold Anthony, Senior Journalist,
Programmes Director, Digitalk Television.