This meeting, chaired by Bishop George William Kasangaki of Masindi Kitara Diocese, took place at the Gulu University Hoima-Campus offices located within the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom Administration Block in Hoima City
Top clerics in the Bunyoro sub-region have intervened in the ongoing leadership crisis within the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom. On Monday afternoon, the religious leaders held a closed-door meeting involving the Babiito, the ruling clan, Andrew Byakutaga, the embattled Kingdom prime minister, the Royal Commission, and other Kingdom officials.
This meeting, chaired by Bishop George William Kasangaki of Masindi Kitara Diocese, took place at the Gulu University Hoima-Campus offices located within the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom Administration Block in Hoima City. Bishop Kasangaki, speaking after the meeting, stated that the top religious leaders in the region had sanctioned the meeting between the warring parties in response to the escalating leadership crisis within the Kingdom.
He emphasized that, as religious leaders, they must promote peace and cannot allow the situation to worsen further. The clerics have resolved to meet all the clan leaders in the Kingdom on Saturday to discuss an amicable resolution to the ongoing conflict.
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The bishop urged the Kingdom's subjects to remain calm, assuring them that a solution to the leadership crisis is being sought urgently following the intervention of the religious leaders.
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Tensions are currently high within the administration of the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom, following conflicts between the Babiito ruling clan and Prime Minister Andrew Byakutaga. On September 2, 2024, the Babiito clan dismissed Byakutaga and appointed an interim cabinet. The new cabinet includes key figures such as Owek.
Kugonza Miganda is the Interim Speaker and Chairperson of the Clans Consultative Council, Owek. John Apollo Rwemparo as the First Deputy Interim Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, and Owek. Stephen Mukitale as the Second Deputy Interim Prime Minister and Minister of Oil and Gas, among others overseeing various domains like culture, education, health, and trade.
The interim cabinet, led by Interim Prime Minister Dr. Baltazar Kyamanywa Kasirivu, was sworn in on Saturday at the residence of the Chief Prince (Okwiri) in Hoima City, with Robert Atega, a commissioner of oaths from the Hoima High Court, overseeing the ceremony.
However, Byakutaga issued a statement on Sunday condemning the swearing-in as illegal and baseless, arguing that it violates Article 246 of Uganda's Constitution and the Traditional and Cultural Institution Leaders Act of 2011. He maintained that only the cultural leader (Omukama) of the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom has the authority to appoint or dismiss officials.
Byakutaga accused the Okwiri of forgery, alleging that a document claiming the Omukama had transferred his powers to the Okwiri was falsified. He stressed that the Okwiri's role is purely cultural and does not include acting on behalf of the King or the Kingdom.
The decision to appoint the interim cabinet followed an emergency meeting by the Babiito clan on September 1, 2024, where they issued a one-week ultimatum for Byakutaga to vacate his office, alleging that his tenure was illegal. The clan was dissatisfied with the Royal Commission's decision in July to extend Byakutaga's term by one year.
Eng. Fred Mugenyi Rucunya, the Okwiri (Chief Prince), criticized the extension as unlawful, asserting that the authority to manage Kingdom affairs in the Omukama's absence lies with him, not the Royal Commission. Despite this extension, the Babiito clan's directive for Byakutaga's immediate departure has led to the current dispute.
The Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom has faced a year without a functioning parliament and cabinet ministers due to the Omukama's illness. Byakutaga was first appointed Prime Minister on January 15, 2018, by Omukama Solomon Gafubusa Rukirabasaija Agutamba Iguru I. In January 2022, Byakutaga was suspended by the Babiito clan over allegations of mismanagement and other accusations, but the Royal Commission reinstated him, affirming the Omukama's sole authority over such matters.
