The last king of Rwanda, who died aged 80 in October in the United States after decades in exile, was buried yesterday in his ancestral home in the south of the African nation.
His burial sparked a row in the royal family over whether he should have been interred in the country from which he fled after he was deposed in 1961.
Relatives of King Kigeli V Ndahindurwa have also rejected a declaration by a courtier last week that his successor should be the king’s nephew, who now lives in a modest house in England.
About 3,000 people gathered in white tents in Nyanza for the ceremony to lay the king to rest next to his predecessor and brother, King Rudahigwa.
Some relatives wept over the coffin.
Rwanda’s Sports and Culture Minister Julienne Uwacu attended the service and said the government was saddened by his death.
“The government will continue to support the remaining members of the royal family,” she added.
Last week, the king’s chief courtier announced in a message on Facebook that the title would pass to Emmanuel Bushayija, described in media reports as a naturalised Briton living in northwest England.
Family members, represented by the pastor and family friend who conducted Sunday’s funeral, said they opposed the proclamation.
They have not said who they believe should be the heir.
A family member carries a portrait of Rwanda’s last king, Kigeli V Ndahindurwa, while others carry his coffin to the King’s Palace in Nyanza, where the funeral services took place yesterday.
