Two fight for Busongora throne
Daniel Bazira Kashagama (L) and Prince Apollo Bwebale
What you need to know:
- There has been a rift between the royal family and former kingdom deputy prime minister, Mr Dan Bazira Immara, over who should take over.
- More confusion brewed recently when Apollo Bwebale Kyomya V appointed Mr Jimmy Muzoora as the kingdom prime minister while Kashagama’s camp recognises Samuel Ntungwa as the substantial prime minister.
KASESE. The struggle for Busongora Kingdom throne has taken a new twist as two claimants have emerged fighting for the throne.
The Busongora throne fell vacant in 2015 after King Rutakirwa Ivan Bwebale Rwigi IV, the first Basongora king, succumbed to cancer.
Since then, there has been a rift between the royal family and former kingdom deputy prime minister, Mr Dan Bazira Immara, over who should take over.
The claimants are Mr Apollo Bwebale, son of late king Bwebale and now Resident District Commissioner of Kyenjojo District, and Mr Daniel Kashagama.
The death of Rutakirwa Bwebale split the Basongora into two camps, one under Mr Kashagama who was the then 3rd deputy prime minister and another under Mr Bwebale.
Mr Bwebale was crowned King of the Basongora at the burial of his father as Rubyahi Kyoma V (title).
Though Mr Bwebale was enthroned immediately after the death of his father, his subjects and elders later accused him of negligence and absenteeism from the community.
As a result, the Council of Recognition led by the then kingdom prime minister, Mr Samuel Ntungwa, appointed Mr Kashagama as caretaker of the throne but later on allegedly secretly crowned him as king and swore him at the Rukooki Palace.
Upon learning that Kashagama was crowned without the knowledge of the royal family, Mr Apollo Bwebale’s camp convened a meeting at Muhokya, the main palace chaired by Prince Robert Kagyenda Bwebale and disowned Kashagama.
Apollo Bwebale had earlier written to the elders authorising his brother Robert Kagyenda Bwebale to take over the throne as he waits government recognition.
However, both Apollo Bwebale and Kashagama’s camps have kept on working separately as they accuse each other of working to fail the kingdom.
“Daniel Bazira Kashagama doesn’t belong to us. He is a Munyabindi but not a Musongora and calling himself a king of Basongora is an insult to us,” Mr Bwebale said.
Kashagama is the son of the late Amon Bazira, a former NALU rebel commander. “I know my tribe and those who say I am not a Musongora are being mistaken,” Mr Kashagama claims.
More confusion brewed recently when Apollo Bwebale Kyomya V appointed Mr Jimmy Muzoora as the kingdom prime minister while Kashagama’s camp recognises Samuel Ntungwa as the substantial prime minister.
