Two shot dead after fire destroys royal tombs

At least two people were shot dead on Wednesday after the tombs of Ugandan regional kings were badly damaged by fire. The army and police were deployed across Kampala to disperse supporters of Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, traditional ruler of the Baganda tribe, who believe the fire was started deliberately.

The king of Bugunda Ronald Muwenda Mutebi (C), pictured during a visit to Kampala last year AFP

Authorities said it was not yet clear what started the blaze, which destroyed much of the Kasubi graves south of Kampala. The Unesco-listed, straw-thatched tombs were built 128 years ago as a burial site for kings of the Buganda kingdom.

The army confirmed that at least two people were shot as protestors tried to prevent President Yoweri Museveni from visiting the site.

“When the fire broke out, police were called in and got there in time but the fire brigade was obstructed by a hostile crowd, three trucks were damaged and a fireman injured,” Uganda’s police chief Major General Kale Kayihura told French news agency AFP.

“Faced with this hostility and in an effort to stop the fire from destroying the tombs, the officer fired some shots in the air to disperse the crowd but no one was hurt,” he said.

Peter Mayiga, a spokesman for the Buganda Kingdom, claimed the fire was “an attack on Buganda”.

Scores were killed last year during clashes between security forces and Baganda people.