Rwenzururu king (Omusinga) Charles Wesley Mumbere Iremangoma has today, Monday, been flown to Turkey for a medical review.
‘I have not been feeling very well. I am here at Entebbe Airport to travel to a foreign country [Turkey] for medical review. I thank the President of the Republic of Uganda, His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, and his entire government for allowing me to travel abroad for further medical review,’ he said in a five-minute video on Monday.
The King clarified that there should be no cause for alarm regarding his health condition, even though he was flying out of the country for medical reasons.
‘I would also take this opportunity to send a message to my subjects that although I am going for a medical review, I am not as bad as it has been published on social media, portraying that I am unable to walk and talk. I am still in good health because I can still walk and talk very well,’ He said.
Accompanied by his wife, Agnes Ithungu Asimawe, and some royal family members, including their children, the King assured his subjects that the journey would be successful and that he hoped to return home soon after the medical review.
‘The date of coming back from abroad will be determined by the doctors. It is difficult for me to determine when I will come back,’ he said.
When asked by the press how information about his health condition had leaked to the public, the soft-spoken king responded that he was unaware of how it happened and advised journalists to seek clarification from those spreading what he described as rumours.
‘Actually, I don’t know how those social media handlers got the information. They are the ones to be asked for more information on how they got the news,’ he said.
King Mumbere further appealed to his subjects to remain calm and not to worry too much about his health.
‘I am directing the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Benson Kule Baritazale, to cordially liaise with the Cabinet Ministers and ensure that the Kingdom and the subjects are in good health conditions,’ the King concluded.
Postponing coronation
Consequently, the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu has postponed Mumbere’s 59th coronation anniversary, initially scheduled to be marked on October 19, 2025, in Kasese Town.
It has been deferred to November 14th, 2025.
The kingdom’s prime minister, Mr Benson Kule Baritazale, said the postponement followed a communication from the Omusinga.
‘The Omusinga was advised by his doctors to go for a medical check-up before the end of this month. The government has already made arrangements for His Majesty’s travel and stay for treatment. Since he will not have returned in time, he directed that the coronation anniversary be pushed to November 14,’ he said.
Mr Baritazale said this year’s coronation anniversary will be combined with the Omusinga’s birthday celebration, which also falls in November, and that the cultural institution plans to hold a birthday run in Kasese Town on the same day as part of the festivities.
‘This year, we shall celebrate both the 59th coronation anniversary and the Omusinga’s birthday on the same day. The events will also include the launch of the Kingdom’s Strategic Development Plan,’ he explained.
The development comes two years after Omusinga Mumbere’s return to Kasese District on October 4, 2023, after spending about seven years in custody following his arrest in November 2016, alongside 217 of his subjects and royal guards.