Kabaka sickness: Should Buganda King have stayed away from his 66th birthday celebration?

The videos and photos of Buganda Kingdom’s Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi appearing for his 66th birthday celebration appearing sick and weak have raised several questions.

One these is whether the Kabaka should have stayed away from the birthday event.

For months, the kabaka had been away from the public eye.

For example, he missed the Masaza Cup final weeks ago.

The photos of a frail-looking king have made some of his subjects argue that he should have stayed away from the event.

Some also argued that the kingdom should have postponed the birthday event “under the guise of Covid19 restrictions” until the king had healed and looked healthy.

But in debate raging online, other subjects felt the Kabaka’s decision to appear before his subject even when he is sick had cleared the air about his whereabouts.

Just days ago, kingdom prime minister Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga told a social media follower the king would appear before his subjects whenever he wishes.

This subject had told Katikkiro Mayiga to “stop fooling us” and “tell us where the kabaka is.”

That query had perhaps made the Katikkiro appreciate how much anxiety the Kabaka’s continued absence from the public had created.

It should be remembered that last year, some social media reports had gone as far as alleging that the Kabaka was dead.

Mayiga was well aware of such speculations, and these might have come up as those close to the king made the final decision to advise him to attend his birthday celebration even if he is seriously sick.