The Rwenzururu Kingdom has clarified that the home in Kirindi Village, Bundibugyo District, is an ancestral residence and not an official royal palace, cautioning the public against descriptions that could misrepresent the kingdom’s cultural protocols.
The clarification follows recent public remarks by the kingdom’s Chief Prince, Christopher Taban Kibanzanga, who said he personally financed the renovation and expansion of the home established by the late Masanduko, the grandfather of Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere Iremangoma.
Kibanzanga said the home was preserved because it nurtured the Omusinga and several prominent leaders from the Rwenzori sub-region, including himself.
Addressing journalists at Verina Gardens in Kasese Municipality on Wednesday, the Prime Minister of the Rwenzururu Kingdom, Benson Baritazale Kule, said the Kirindi residence has been an ancestral home for decades and should not be referred to as an official palace of the kingdom.
He urged members of the public, media practitioners and social media users to avoid language that could mislead the public about the kingdom’s established procedures for designating and recognising royal palaces.
Baritazale said although the kingdom respects public debate among its subjects and the wider community, discussions should be guided by truth, mutual respect and adherence to the kingdom’s cultural traditions.
He also appealed for calm among the Bayira community in Bughendera County, Bundibugyo District, saying the kingdom remains committed to promoting peace, unity and reconciliation, socio-economic transformation, cultural preservation and mindset change as key pillars for sustainable development.
The Prime Minister further called on the public to use social media responsibly by sharing information that educates, promotes unity and supports development instead of spreading misinformation, insults and messages that create divisions within the community.
