Vocal Member of Parliament for Kasese Municipality Robert Centenary has taken a swipe at five members of the Bukonzo royal family for signing a deal with President Yoweri Museveni, in which they took responsibility for all the disturbances in the restive Kasese.
In November last year, security forces descended on King Charles Wesley Mumbere’s palace in Kasese, destroying it and subsequently arresting the Omusinga, and detaining him at Nalufenya Police Station in Jinja, before remanding him to Luzira Prisons.
This followed reports of the Omusinga’s royal guards reportedly refusing to disarm after they were cited in the indiscriminate killing and other acts of insecurity in Kasese.
Since then King Mumbere has been charged with terrorism, murder and robbery in relation to the skirmishes in his kingdom which left over 100 people, including security personnel and the King’s royal guards, dead.
And now MP Centenary those who signed the indicting document including the Queen Mother Christine Mukirania, the King’s wife Queen Agnes Ithungu Mumbere, Chief Prince Kibanzanga and two other members of the royal family are culpable and should be in prison.
‘Now that we have these people confessing by signing on the document, the best place they should be is prison’ Centenary, who was appearing on the NBS TV talkshow ‘Morning Breeze’ said, adding: ‘We think that the culprits the government has been looking for have signed on the document. They should be held accountable’.
According to the MP, the five people, including Chief Prince Kibanzanga, who is also the State Minister for Agriculture, and others who witnessed the deal, had tasted contents of a ‘poisoned chalice’.
Government has been grappling with evidence against Mumbere, this historic deal you’re talking about will be used to mobilise witnesses, he said, adding that some of the people who were there as witnesses had been sacked from the kingdom.
He also wondered whether the five members of the royal family had sought guidance on the matter from King Mumbere, and asked them to provide proof of any such undertaking.
‘If these people acted on behalf of the Omusinga, they should present evidence of order,’ he said and added that the witnesses had been duped.
‘The agenda which they went to discuss is not what they found on the table. These people were duped in witnessing this document,’ MP Centenary said.
Through law firm Alaka and Company Advocates, MP Robert Centenary and four other Kasese legislators have dragged President Museveni, former UPDF Div 2 Commander Major General Peter Elwelu and the police Director of Operations Asuman Mugenyi to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The other petitioners include Kasese Woman MP Winnie Kiiza, who is also the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in parliament; Busongora North county MP William Nzoghu; Bukonzo West MP Atkins Katushabe and his Bukonzo East counterpart Harold Muhindo.
“We want these 3 people be brought to book for the acts of impunity on the people of Kasese. We therefore invite the ICC to make investigations to these atrocities,” LoP Kiiza was quoted as saying, adding: “We believe these were crimes against humanity that the ICC should look into.”
Meanwhile, Omusinga Mumbere, who is on remand in Luzira prison, is on Thursday, January 12 expected to appear before the High Court in Jinja presided over by Lady Justice Eva Luswata, for the hearing of his bail application.
