Africa-Press – Uganda. The chairperson of Busoga Kingdom royal chiefs council, Mr Sam Nkuutu Zirabamuzaale, has been dethroned over alleged illegal occupation of the Bugweri Chiefdom seat.
Mr Nkuutu’s fate was at the weekend sealed by the 13 hereditary royal chiefs of Bugweri Chiefdom who are entrusted with electing a representative to the council.
Eleven hereditary chiefs from the 11 chiefdoms constitute the Busoga royal chiefs’ council.
The royal chiefs from the 13 sub-counties that make up Bugweri Chiefdom, chaired by Mr Suleiman Kakaire, convened a meeting at Bukowe Hill – a cultural site for crowning chiefs in Makuutu Sub-county in Bugweri District – and dethroned Mr Nkuutu.
The chiefs later crowned Mr Yokonia Menya Zirabamuzaale, Mr Nkuutu’s elder brother, as his replacement.
The chiefs contended that Mr Nkuutu had been appointed acting royal chief by his late father, Fredrick Menya Kakaire Zirabamuzaale, who died in 2017. They added that his brother (Mr Menya), who is the actual successor, was at the time on study leave and that since he has completed his studies, he should officially resume duties.
“Mr Nkuutu was acting as the royal chief of the chiefdom because his elder brother was studying; now that the studies are complete, he [Menya] approached us for occupation of his throne and we have decided to crown him,’’ Mr Kakaire said.
Subsequently, Mr Menya was made to sit on a stool and ushered into a cave at Bukowe Hill to reaffirm his leadership.
Mr Menya said he demanded the seat because a will made by their late father bequeathed to him the throne. He also claimed that several people from Bugweri Chiefdom were discontented with Mr Nkuutu’s leadership.
“Records left behind by our late father show that I am his heir and now that my younger brother seems to have lost trust of the people he leads; I stand to repossess the throne in the interest of the majority,’’ Mr Menya said.
Dethroned chief speaks
However, Mr Nkuutu insists that he is the rightful royal chief of Bugweri and described his brother’s enthronement as drama.
“Whatever is going on is just drama; my elder brother was made heir to ‘other things’ but not to the Bugweri Chiefdom,” he said.
Mr Robinah Nakisita, the mother of the two brothers, confirmed that Mr Menya was left as their heir by their late father.
Mr Andrew Ntange, the Busoga Kingdom spokesperson, said the Kyabazinga does not interfere in affairs of the chiefdom leadership. “Busoga Kingdom is a loose confederation of 11 chiefs who act independently and send a royal chief to the royal chiefs’ council. Therefore, any family dispute is settled by members of that chiefdom and we accept whoever is given to us,’’ Mr Ntange said.
He, however, warned that all kingdom laws should be observed when choosing the right chief to work with the Kyabazinga.
