Excitement as Kabaka visits city supermarket
Mr Kennedy Oyema, a security guard at the supermarket, told Daily Monitor that the Kabaka arrived at around 11am and spent at least 30 minutes in the supermarket.
What you need to know:
- Last week, at the requiem Mass of late Kampala Archbishop Cyprian Lwanga at St. Mary’s Cathedral Rubaga, Buganda Kingdom Premier Charles Peter Mayiga told mourners that Kabaka Mutebi had returned from Nairobi, Kenya, where he had visited his friends.
Business at a busy supermarket in Ntinda, a city suburb, came to a standstill yesterday when Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II arrived to do some shopping.
Wearing his mask, the king, dressed in a casual outfit, walked through the supermarket as he waved to thrilled people at Capital Shoppers, Ntinda.
The Kabaka’s public appearance followed a wave of rumours about his health.
But as news spread of his shopping trip, many people crowded the supermarket to catch a glimpse of the Kabaka.
The Buganda king was accompanied by two uniformed Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) bodyguards who, according to eyewitnesses, struggled to restrain crowds that wanted to take pictures with the king.
Mr Kennedy Oyema, a security guard at the supermarket, told Daily Monitor that the Kabaka arrived at around 11am and spent at least 30 minutes in the supermarket.
“This is not the first time he is shopping from here. Whenever he comes here, he follows all the health guidelines before entering the supermarket,” Mr Oyema said.
Mr Oyema said when the Kabaka left, his guards carried away items in two white polythene bags.
Kabaka Mutebi was last seen at the celebration of his 66th birthday at the Lubiri palace in Kampala.
The king had on Tuesday appeared frail, which raised a storm on social media with some accusing the kingdom officials of keeping the health of the king secret.
The spokesman of Buganda Kingdom, Mr Noah Kiyemba, said at an appropriate time, the kingdom would issue a statement about Kabaka’s health.
The rumours about the health of the Kabaka started last year.
However, he appeared at the Ministry of Internal Affairs where he renewed his passport, which quelled some of the rumours.
Later in 2020, he went to Nairobi, Kenya, where he met Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition chief Raila Odinga.
He returned, but missed several key Buganda events, which again raised more questions about his whereabouts.
Last week, at the requiem Mass of late Kampala Archbishop Cyprian Lwanga at St. Mary’s Cathedral Rubaga, Buganda Kingdom Premier Charles Peter Mayiga told mourners that Kabaka Mutebi had returned from Nairobi, Kenya, where he had visited his friends. The Katikkiro, however, did not talk about his health.
