The Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Muweda Mutebi II has cancelled his tour of Kyotera district amid the fears of the coronavirus outbreak.Although Uganda has no case of confirmed coronavirus but neighbouring Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, DR Congo, Congo Brazaville, Ethiopia, Somalia have all recorded cases.tttttttt
Kabaka was expected to visit various areas in Kyotera district of Buddu as part of his tour in Buddu county, between 19th and 20th March.
He was expected to pay homage to a palace of one of the Royal clans in Buganda located at Ssanje parish in Kakuuto sub-county, paying a visit to cross-border traders at the Uganda-Tanzania border on Mutukula from where he would proceed to participate in Juma prayers with the Muslims congregation at Mutukula primary school mosque on Friday.
However, although most of the activities ahead of the tour are close to completion, the visit has been cancelled. Charles Peter Mayiga, the Buganda prime minister says they have found it important to heed to the advice of health experts in avoiding mass gathering as one of the alternatives to preventing the spread of the virus.
Mayiga says that they do not want to put to risk the big gatherings that normally grace the Kabaka’s visits. He adds that the kingdom will reschedule another day for the tour after a thorough assessment of the situation is done. He also says that they are planning to call off this year’s Kabaka’s birthday run, slated for next should the situation fail to normalize.
Patrick Kintu Kissekulo, the Kyotera LCV chairperson who has been the leading the local organizing committee says that the community was eagerly waiting to receive the Kabaka in the area.
Many Buganda kingdom loyalists in the area had already constructed archways decorated with bark clothes and flowers along the roads headed to Kyotera to welcome the Kabaka.
In total, at least 30 countries out of Africa’s 54 countries have recorded one or two cases of corona virus. Worldwide, there have been more than 173,344 infections and 7,019 deaths in 146 countries. u.r.n