Just IN: DPP Drops All Charges Against The Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere Of Rwenzururu Kingdom

By Gad Masereka

The DPP has dropped all charges against the Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere of Rwenzururu, and 217 others. Mumbere has been facing charges of murder, treason and aggravated robbery.

According to our sources from court revealed to us that Proceedings are continuing for the former Prime Minister of Rwenzururu, Johnson Thembo Kitsumbire.

He confirms that he did not apply for Amnesty, like the others, because he doesn’t know what it means.

On Tuesday when the case returned for pre-trial conferencing, the state represented by Lilian Omara, Marion Benbella and Jackline Okui told court that the accused had applied for amnesty.

“The DPP is not opposing the amnesty but is facilitating this process. The DPP has therefore entered a nolle prosequi for the 218 accused persons for all the offences they are indicted of,” Omara told court.

She noted that the proceedings are therefore discontinued.

Speaking in response, trial judge, Alice Komuhangi Kaukha ordered  that those on remand at Jinja Main prison and Luzira prison  and those on bail  should be discharged.

The charges

Mumbere was arrested together with royal guards in November 2016 after a joint operation by the army and police led to storming of his Buhikira Palace in Kasese Town in which 136 people were killed.

Mumbere was later airlifted and detained at Nalufenya police station in Jinja district but was granted bail by the High Court in Jinja
The Omusinga and his royal guards face several charges of treason, terrorism, murder, attempted murder, aggravated robbery and malicious damage to property.

He recently started negotiations with government over amnesty that would see him and over 200 royal guards pardoned and released.

By the time the charges were dropped today, seven years had passed since the Kasese attack.

Whereas Mumbere was released on bail, he has since been stopped from stepping foot in Kasese unless granted permission by court.

On the other side, a big chunk of his royal guards were granted bail, others  died in prison while some are still prison.

However, two of the royal guards including Thembo Kitsumbire and Kamada Mashereka didnt benefit from the amnesty and were ordered to return to court next month.

The charges now remain against former Prime Minister Thembo Kitsumbire and Hamada Masereka. The case was being heard in the International Crimes Division of the High Court. Justice Alice Komuhangi has ordered that they should be discharged accordingly.

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