Fire guts part of the Rwenzururu King’s palace
Police fire brigade puts out fire at King Mumbere's palace on Thursday afternoon. Photo by Moris Mumbere
Fire has gutted two grass thatched huts in the Buhikira royal palace, the official residence of King Wesley Mumbere of the Rwenzururu Kingdom in Kasese town.
The Acting Prime Minister Jimmy Enock Muhindo said, "The fire broke out at about 1:30pm on Thursday and by the time the police was called in, it had completely razed to ashes on one of the huts. The other hut was partly burnt before fire was put down".
Police fire brigade rushed to the scene and put out the fire before it spread to the rest of the huts that surrounded King Mumbere’s main house.
Mr Muhindo told Daily Monitor that the Omusinga (King) and rest of the royal family members were safe.
"The two houses gutted by the fire are cultural and the one that completely got razed down always has unceasing fire. The fire in that hut is supposed to be kept burning as long as a reigning King is still alive," he said.
One person who is a care taker of the burnt hut whose identity was not yet revealed by press time was rushed to the health facility for treatment after sustaining a burn on the arm, according to the Premier. The gutted huts are just six meters opposite the office of King Mumbere.
Capt. Robinson Kalende, the Officer in Charge of the UPDF royal guards at the palace said he was inside the office of the Omusinga (King) when the traditional royal guard shouted for help after seeing the fire burning the hut.
He then called the police to send in the fire brigade which responded and put off the fire.
John Baluku, the Kingdom minister for disaster preparedness said that most of the property destroyed in the cultural hut are records and some regalia that cannot be revealed anyhow.
When contacted, the District Police Commander, Mr Bob Kagarura said his team has already visited the scene to ascertain the cause of the fire.
The Assistant Officer in charge of the police fire brigade in Kasese, Mr Richard Turyasingura said that the way the grass thatched huts are spread inside the palace is dangerous because any fire if not put out quickly can easily spread along the line to the royal garage where the King’s vehicles are parked.
He said that the grass thatched houses are supposed to be at least ten meters apart which is not at the Omusinga’s palace.
However, a source in the palace told Daily Monitor that the care taker of the hut had been sent to deliver something to the main gate about 100 meters by the time the fire broke out.
He only sustained a burn when he tried to rescue some of the property inside the “cultural fire” house.
By Press time, Rev. Can. Josephat Bwalhuma, the diocesan secretary of Anglican South
Rwenzori diocese and Rev. Fr. Peter Basaliza Mubunga the Catholic diocese’s coordinator of the peace and justice were seen entering the palace to have prayers with the royal family.
Hundreds of people trekked to the palace throughout the afternoon to see what had happened.
