Rwenzururu Rejects Reports That King Mumbere Is Critically Ill

The Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu has rejected reports that King Charles Wesley Mumbere Irema-Ngoma is critically ill, saying he travelled to Türkiye for a routine medical review.

In a statement, the kingdom urged subjects and the public not to panic over claims circulating on social media. “We wish to clarify that HM Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere Irema-Ngoma is not critically ill, contrary to reports circulating on social media,” it said. “He travelled to Türkiye for a routine medical review, as advised by his doctors.”

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We wish to clarify that HM Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere Irema-Ngoma is not critically ill, contrary to reports circulating on social media.

The kingdom thanked the public for its prayers, concern and messages of goodwill to Mumbere, the royal family and the Obusinga Bwa Rwenzururu. Spokesperson Geoffrey Kanyonyi said Mumbere left Uganda on Aug. 27 and arrived in Türkiye the following morning. The kingdom described the trip as a normal review following earlier treatment at the same facility.

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He travelled to Türkiye for a routine medical review, as advised by his doctors.

Mumbere had travelled to Türkiye in October 2025 for specialised medical care and returned to Uganda in December. He recuperated at his Kampala residence before returning to the Rwenzori region in March 2026. The latest trip came less than six months after that return.

The clarification came days after the death of Tooro’s King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba-Iguru Rukidi IV on Aug. 27 at the age of 34. That death prompted widespread concern about the health of other traditional rulers. The timing also touched on the long and complicated relationship between Rwenzururu and Tooro, neighbouring cultural institutions whose histories are closely linked. Rwenzururu’s political and cultural struggle emerged among the Bakonzo and other communities in the Rwenzori Mountains, and Charles Mumbere took over its leadership after his father, Isaya Mukirania, died in 1966. Mumbere ended the armed struggle in August 1982, saying the “war of spears” had ended and that the struggle would continue through education and political engagement.

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war of spears