By Elias Biryabarema
KAMPALA (Reuters) - Fire has destroyed much of the Kasubi Tombs in Uganda, the final resting place of royalty and a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back 150 years, police said on Wednesday.
The cause of the blaze which started early Tuesday night and which consumed the thatched-roof mausoleum and many royal artefacts of the Bugandan kingdom has not been identified.
"Our officers are at the scene trying to examine every available evidence and piece together bits of information to establish what clearly happened but no conclusion has been reached yet," said police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba.
The Baganda are Uganda's largest tribe and were instrumental in Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni coming to power 24 years ago. Museveni based his five-year military struggle in the kingdom's heartland and support by the Baganda helped him stay in power.
However, relations are now strained after Museveni last year blocked the Bugandan reigning king, or kabaka, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi, from visiting a part of his kingdom.
The kabaka wants more autonomous control over resources in his kingdom, such as land and taxes, but the government says he is only a cultural figure and must steer clear of politics.
Bloody riots ensued in September, which left scores of people dead. Authorities also shut down the kingdom's radio station for allegedly fanning violence.
A kingdom official, Charles Peter Mayiga, said the gutted mausoleum was built in 1860 by Kabaka Mutesa I and that its historical and cultural significance was an object of deep reverence by the Baganda.
The kingdom's leadership was meeting to try and establish what had caused the fire, he said.
"There are people who want to cause harm to this kingdom. They are keen on destabilising us and we don't know whether they're behind this," he said.
A local paper daily said arson could have sparked the flames.
"A white numberless pickup truck reportedly emerged from the tombs shortly after the fire broke out," the paper said, quoting motorcycle taxi riders near the scene. Other witnesses, the paper said, reported a fleeing man shooting in the air to scare away motorcycle riders pursuing him.
(Editing by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura and Matthew Jones)
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