The High Court in Jinja has confirmed His Royal Highness Gabula Nadiope IV, as the rightful king of Busoga. A contender for the throne Columbus Wambuzi has since 2014 been trying to unseat Gabula and filed a petition in the Jinja High Court challenging the king’s election, arguing that rightful procedures were never followed too by the chiefs who presided over his enthronement.
But Lady justice Jeanne Rwakakooko on Friday dismissed Wambuzis’s petition and ordered him to pay all the costs incurred by the rightful king over the seven years of the legal battle.
In her judgement read by Jinja High Court deputy registrar, Fred Waninda, Justice Rwakakooko observed that only seven chiefs participated Wambuzi’s purported election which was contrary to Busoga’s constitution that requires a quorum of eight royal chiefs out of the 11 chiefs conduct the election, making Wambuzi’s election illegal.
On the contrary, Gabula was elected by 10 royal chiefs in 2014 making him the lawful king of Busoga. Wambuzi’s lawyer Daniel Lubogo has said he is consulting his client to decide the next course of action.
