Kabaka's saddest moments in 70 years

By Muwonge C W Magembe, Researcher 

OUR HISTORY 

An unfolding of Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi's undesirable moments through his youthful days, exile, the death of his parents, paternity and his health condition.

The first time Prince Ronald Mutebi (now Kabaka) travelled outside Uganda was in 1963, when he was only eight years old. His father, Sir Edward Mutesa II, instructed a female palace staff to take the young prince for holiday in Zanzibar, where he was warmly received by Sultan Sayyid Sir Abdullah bin Khalif Al-Busaid. 

Sadly, following Prince Mutebi’s return from Zanzibar, the aforesaid sultan who had hosted him, died on July 1, 1963, aged 52. At the time of his death, he had ruled Zanzibar for two years and 265 days. 

Mutesa was saddened by the death of his friend; something he expressed in the condolence message he sent to the royal family of Zanzibar. Back home, the young Prince Mutebi was prepared and sent for studies in the UK. 

His going later turned out as a journey into the first saddest moment of his life, a long poverty-stricken exile. On May 24, 1966, about two years after he had commenced his studies in the UK, his father’s palace at Mengo was invaded by the military commanded by Col. Idi Amin on the order of President Milton Obote. 

Obote wanted Mutesa murdered or arrested during the attack. However, Mutesa, with an injured shoulder, escaped into exile in the UK, where he visited Prince Mutebi at school. 

Though Mutesa was close to his son during his three years in exile, he lacked money to provide the good things any parent would wish for a child. His financial stress resulted from Obote’s government sabotage of his income sources in Uganda. 

Also, Obote succeeded in urging the British government to deny Mutesa any stipend. Given that limitation, Mutesa largely stopped at giving parental advice to his son. 

Then, the financial help to his son came from Mutesa’s friends like Maj. Richard Carr Gomm and Capt. Ronnie Owen.

The exile challenges also caused Prince Mutebi to miss out on attaining his childhood dream of becoming a lawyer at Cambridge University. Thus, he resorted to working with Concord Magazine of Nigerian tycoon Chief Moshood Abiola. 

Besides, he attempted on a marketing role for double-glazed windows in England. After 20 years in exile, Prince Mutebi was overjoyed upon return to Uganda in 1986. 

Given the warm reception he received during his tours in Buganda, he confessed to American journalist, David Zucchino, that: “I was surprised, overwhelmed. 

You can imagine what had gone through my mind all those years. Certainly, I wondered if the feelings for the traditional monarchy were still there. It had been 20 years since my father’s time.”

• Death of parents 

The other saddest moment in Kabaka Mutebi’s life journey was the untimely death of his parents, Mutesa and Sarah Nalule Kisosonkole, when he was still a teenager and in exile. His father died when he was only 14 years old, and his mother passed on when he was 19. Mutesa died in November 1969, and then Kisosonkole died five years later.

She died of cancer. Prior to her death, she had received treatment at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Royal Marsden Hospital and St. Theresa Hospital in London. Part of her treatment was sponsored by President Idi Amin. 

• Brother's death 

When Prince Mutebi was about 36 years old, he lost his only full brother, Prince Richard Walugembe. His death was a big blow to him. Walugembe died after a long illness. Prince Mutebi, with the help of Walugembe’s guardian and friends like Rose Kibaya and lawyer John Kaggwa, attempted to save his life, but were unsuccessful.

He died at the time when Prince Mutebi was not yet sure whether his monarchy would be restored. And after the death of Walugembe, Prince Mutebi spent several weeks mourning his brother at his grandmother’s, Pumla Ngoziwana’s home. Every morning, he opted to put on a white tunic, sat alone, as he mourned his brother. 

• Royals rebellion 

In 1999, Kabaka Mutebi was dismayed when some of his aunties and uncles publicly alleged that he was not a true son of Mutesa. They claimed that his real father was Mutesa’s late friend, Daudi Ochieng from Acholi. And when the brother of Ochieng, Dr Martin Aliker, heard those claims, he described them as malicious. Kabaka’s aunties, who made those unfortunate allegations were Princess Elizabeth Nakabiri, Catherine Nkinzi and Dorothy Nabweteme.

Initial attempts by Katikkiro Mulwanyamuli Ssemogerere to reconcile the Kabaka and the rebel royals was fruitless. The defiant royals demanded that it was Kabaka Mutebi to look for them at their meeting point in Rubaga, instead of them going to his palace.

Matters worsened when Kabaka’s sister, Irene Ndagire, refused to vacate Kasubi Royal Tombs as par the Kabaka’s directive. She insisted that she was the in-charge of the tombs. Her defiance received the backing of the aforesaid Kabaka’s aunties.

• Kayunga riots

The other lowest moment in Kabaka Mutebi’s life was when the central government stopped him from touring the Buganda Kingdom county of Bugerere in September 2009. This sparked the infamous riots alias Kayunga riots. A year before, Kabaka had been blocked from touring another Buganda Kingdom county of Buruli.

Amid the Kayunga riots, Broadcasting Council, headed by Godfrey Mutabazi, switched off the Kingdom’s radio, CBS, for alleged inciting of violence. Also switched off were Radio Saptientia, Suubi and Akaboozi. The other three radios were switched on after a while, but CBS spent a year off air. And when it resumed on October 23, 2010, it operated without a licence.

This motivated Mutabazi to tell the public: “The radio was re-opening on political grounds, but its re-opening is not legally binding.” It took the broadcasting Council 15 years to grant CBS a new licence. It was given to it last year, 2024. Blocking him from touring Kayunga has since motivated Kabaka Mutebi to publicly say that unless Buganda is granted a federal status, what was restored as Buganda Kingdom in 1993 exists “in name only.” 

• Kasubi Tombs fire 

One of the rare incidents when Kabaka Mutebi has ever been seen in public shedding tears was when he toured the ruins of Kasubi Royal Tombs in March 2010. The tombs had been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001.

Fire gutted the grass-thatched site, where his father and three of his grandfathers (former kings of Buganda) are buried. Upon touring the ruin, Kabaka Mutebi was overwhelmed by emotion; hence tears ran down his cheeks. He then wiped them away using a white handkerchief. 

• Disturbing sickness 

For years, Kabaka Mutebi had a brand as a physically fit/healthy king. He routinely exercised, burning out numerous calories as recorded on his hi-tech watch. But around 2020, his health deteriorated. And when he attended his coronation anniversary at Twekobe Palace on July 17, 2022, he beckoned the former Katikkiro of Buganda, Dan Muliika and then confessed to him in a low voice in Luganda: “Olumbe lunnuma nnyo! Olumbe lunnuma nnyo!” He meant that he was critically sick.

The ailment, which Katikkiro Charles Mayiga linked to allergy, forced Kabaka Mutebi to seek specialised treatment in Germany, Switzerland and Namibia. Sadly, before doctors finished administering the required treatment to him at Okonguari Psychotherapeutic Centre in Namibia, some of his subjects made negative comments, forcing the government of Namibia to deny him a visa extension renewal beyond three months. A sick Kabaka opted to return to his kingdom, where he continued receiving medical treatment at his palace, especially at Nkoni Palace in Masaka district.

The writer/researcher, Muwonge, wrote a book, President Idi Amin: A narrative of his rule (1971- 1979). It costs sh100,000 at Uganda Bookshop, Kampala.