The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Members of Parliament from Kasese district have called for the speedy trial of suspects accused of involvement in the 2016 Kasese clashes.
Speaking to the media, the MPs; Sowed Kitanywa of Busongora North, Ferigo Kambale of Kasese Municipality and Gideon Thembo Mujungu of Busongora South said the delayed trial of their king and the royal guards does not only infringe on their rights but also affects development of the cultural institution.
Close to six years after the government raided King Charles Wesley Mumbere’s palace and the Rwenzururu kingdom’s administration block, both facilities remain closed after police declared them scenes of crime.
The declaration was in the aftermath of the double raid by government forces on the palace and administration block in November 2016, which left more than 100 people dead.
According to the MPs, at the kingdom palace, one is welcomed by waste of the burnt kingdom houses as the palace remains abandoned and bushy.
The MPs said the court should relax the stringent bail conditions imposed on Mumbere and the former Prime Minister.
The MPs also asked government to consider the reconstruction of the Rwenzururu palace that was destroyed during the attack in 2016
The Omusinga is battling charges of treason, terrorism, murder, being found in possession of illegal firearms among other charges
Omusinga was arrested together with more than 130 people believed to be his royal guards, whom the security agencies said had been trained into a militia group that was allegedly terrorising the people and security personnel across the Rwenzori Sub-region.
The number of detainees has since risen to about 200 after further arrests however some were granted bail while others died in the prison.
King Mumbere who was arrested from his royal palace in Kasese was charged with several offences before Jinja Magistrate Court.
However, on January 13, 2017, he was granted bail by Justice Eva Luswata, who restricted his movements to Kampala, Wakiso and Jinja districts.
Since being declared scenes of crime, the two key kingdom sites have been operating under a ministerial commission that Mumbere instituted later.
