King Kigeli deserved a State funeral
A family member carries a portrait of Rwanda's last King, late King Kigeli V Ndahindurwa, while others carry the coffin of the King to the King's Palace in Nyanza where the funeral services took place on this January 15, 2017.
What you need to know:
- The official recognition of the kingdom by the Rwandan state is still a quest that needs an open national debate by its people.
- The priests, mourners and funeral workers did their difficult, sad but meaningful part of bidding him farewell as respectably as was possible.
King Kigeli V Ndahindurwa of Rwanda was very close to our family ever since he was granted asylum in Uganda by Idi Amin in the early 70s.
In African culture a father’s close friends become part of his family’s circle of elders. Therefore, we the Amin family pay special respects to the king.
As king Kigeli V was quietly laid to rest, it was heart-warming to hear that solidarity and condolences were sent from Uganda’s kings whose officials were also present at the funeral.
The Buganda, Tooro, and Ankole Kingdoms among other cultural leaders, are said to have sent prominent delegations with their messages read to the public in attendance.
Unfortunately, there was no State funeral for king Kigeli. It would have been befitting to hold an official State funeral like the one my father decreed for the king of Buganda Sir Edward Muteesa in 1971. This was after the king had passed away two years earlier in exile.
An opportunity for more national healing was missed. The official recognition of the kingdom by the Rwandan state is still a quest that needs an open national debate by its people. The priests, mourners and funeral workers did their difficult, sad but meaningful part of bidding him farewell as respectably as was possible. Our prayers for king Kigeli’s successor and also for his people continue. May his soul rest in peace.
Hussein Amin,
[email protected]
