By Sania Babirye
On the 12th of December 2018, the Attorney General of the Kingdom Alfred Makasi whils accompanying the Omusinga at the International Crimes Division of the high court in fulfillment of his bail terms revealed that the acquittal or conviction of the king and his subjects on charges of terrorism and murder that stem from the 2016 Kasese killings will not reclaim the peace and glory of the Rwenzururu kingdom .
As a result he revealed that peace talks between the two parties are in advanced stages and soon they will yield positive results.
In February 2017, Jinja High court Judge Micheal Elubu granted bail to the the Omusinga after the king entered a memorandum of understanding with government to honor nine bail conditions.
Some of the conditions included Mumbere to have unlimited access to only his lawyers,close relatives and doctors but must brief his security detail to see any other visitors.
He also agreed to not travel to the districts of Kasese,Bundibugyo and Kabarole but only travel in the districts of Kampala, Jinja and Wakiso among others.
The king is also to report to CID headquarters in Kampala and before the Jinja magistrates court once every month until he shall be committed to the trial court.
This was Mumbere's second time to be granted bail after he was first released on the 13th of January 2017 before he was immediately re-arrested on fresh charges of Treason,terrorism, murder and attempted murder.
Mumbere is jointly charged with 112 others for offenses allegedly committed between the months of July and November 2016 at Bukara Village, Kabonero sub county, and at Nyabutsi village, Karangura sub county in Kabalore district and are waiting to be tried by the ICD court on charges of Murder, terrorism , robbery and malicious damage to property allegedly committed in April 2016 at the Rwenzururu palace.
Prosecution states that the crimes were indiscriminately committed with out due regard to the safety of others or property, when the accused directly or indirectly
involved themselves in the murder of police officers , Army men and members of the public
Head of the International Crimes Division of the High Court, Justice Moses Mukiibi, has allocated the pretrial hearing of a case against King of Rwenzururu Charles Wesley Mumbere & 159 others to High court Justice Michael Elubu
And in a related development justice Mukiibi has also appointed a panel of three justices of the International crimes division of the high court led by Justice Duncan Gaswaga, Eva Luswata and Susan Okalany yo hear the main case.
The Pre-trial hearing is scheduled to commence in the last week of May 2019 at the Law Development Center court in Kampala.