"Omusinga Mumbere not sick,"- Rwenzururu kingdom trashes allegations

The Kingdom of Rwenzururu has dismissed social media reports as untrue that its King, Omusinga Wesly Mumbere is fighting for his life.

According to the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu (OBR), the claims are attributed to some Members of Parliament from Kasese and one staff attached to the office of the Omusinga.

This comes on a backdrop of comments made on Monday by Bukonzo West MP Atkins Katusabe who told the Parliament’s Human Rights Committee that Mumbere was critically ill.

Katusabe had also claimed that despite Mumbere’s health situation, government had restricted the king from traveling abroad for better medication.

“The king cannot be allowed to seek medical attention. Since the attack and the incarceration, the king has never got the opportunity to interact or pay a visit to his external medical doctors and this has taken a toll on his health. Last year, the king was critically ill,” Katusabe revealed.

However, in a statement issued on Tuesday, the kingdom’s spokesperson John Thawite clarified that King is in sound health and dismissed the social media reports as false and unfounded.

“The Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu (OBR) leadership wishes to inform OBR subjects and well-wishers that we have talked to the Omusinga and are happy to report that what has been reported on social media is untrue,” Thawite said in his statement.

He urged the public and kingdom subjects to ignore the ‘false allegations’ surrounding the King’s health.

Thawite further called on those spreading the rumours to stop, saying their acts only cause unrest among the peace-loving Rwenzururu subjects.

“We further urge individuals or groups who trade in such falsehoods about the Omusinga w’Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu or the leadership of the institution to desist from acts or utterances that can cause unrest or mislead the peace-loving Banya Rwenzururu.”