Charles Wesley Mumbere, known by his royal title Irema-Ngoma I, is the king (known locally as the Omusinga) of the African kingdom of

Rwenzururu Rwenzururu is a Administrative division, subnational kingdom in western Uganda, located in the Rwenzori Mountains on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The kingdom includes the districts of Bundibugyo District, Bundibugyo, Kas ...

, a subnational kingdom within

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

. Mumbere was arrested in December 2016 after the clashes in the kingdom's capital of

Kasese Kasese is a town north of Lake George in the Western Region of Uganda. It originally grew around the copper mine at Kilembe, while attention later turned to cobalt mining. It is the chief town of Kasese District, and the district headquarters ...

, and has since been in prison awaiting trial.

Biography

Rwenzururu was established in 1962 as the result of the

secessionist Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics lea ...

Rwenzururu movement The Rwenzururu movement was an armed secessionist movement active in southwest Uganda, in the subnational kingdom of Tooro. The group was made up of Konjo and Amba fighters and was led by Isaya Mukirania. It disbanded in 1982 following success ...

by the

Bakonzo The BaKonzo (pl. ''Bakonzo'', sing. ''Mukonzo''), or Konzo, are a Bantu ethnic group located in the Rwenzori region of Southwest Uganda. Numbering 850,646 in the 2014 census, they live on the plains, hills and mountain sloping up to an altitude o ...

people in the mountainous region of western Uganda. The revolt was led by Mumbere's father, Isaya Mukirane, who was recognized as the region's king. Mumbere inherited the title at age 13 and assumed the position of king at age 18. When he was 30, he made an agreement with the government of Uganda by which the government sent him to the United States for an education. In 1984, at age 30, he enrolled in

business school A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, school of business administration, o ...

, but his government stipend was cut off. He obtained

political asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another enti ...

in the United States in 1987, received

nurse's aide Unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) are paraprofessionals who assist individuals with physical disabilities, mental impairments, and other health care needs with their activities of daily living (ADLs). UAPs also provide bedside care—includi ...

training, and began working in a

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...

in suburban

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

near

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He later moved to

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...

, Pennsylvania where he continued as a nurse's aide. He kept his royal title secret during most of his 25 years in the United States. In July 2009, Mumbere mentioned his kingship in an interview with ''

The Patriot-News ''The Patriot-News'' is the largest newspaper serving the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area. In 2005, the newspaper was ranked in the top 100 in daily and Sunday circulation in the United States. It has been owned by Advance Publicati ...

'', the primary newspaper of Harrisburg, and said that he was considering returning to Uganda, which had recently recognized Rwenzururu and designated Mumbere as " Omusinga", or king. In October 2009, Mumbere returned to his homeland, where he was crowned on 19 October. His authority is limited to social and cultural matters. Because of clashes between Mumbere's guards and Ugandan police, the Kampala government arrested Mumbere on 27 November 2016 and killed 46 of his guards. The clashes resulted in 100 deaths. Mumbere was granted bail in January 2017, but the case was postponed until June at the request of the prosecutor. In February 2021, the court scheduled pre-trial hearings to begin on 30 March 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mumbere, Charles 1953 births Living people Kingdom of Rwenzururu History of Uganda 21st-century monarchs in Africa People from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Rwenzori Mountains