**A planned trip by a local Ugandan king to Kampala will not go ahead, police say, after deadly riots in the city.**At least seven people died in clashes between security forces and the king’s supporters, who say the government tried to prevent Saturday’s visit.
Officials denied interfering with King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II’s plans, saying that the king had ignored their attempts to help arrange the visit.
The king is hugely influential, but is barred from taking part in politics.
He was planning to visit Kayunga district just outside of Kampala, which is populated by Banyala people.
The government feared it could have led to violence because the Banyala say they have seceded from the Buganda Kingdom and see the planned visit by the King of Buganda as an affront to them.
President rebuffed
In a pre-recorded speech broadcast after the violence, President Yoweri Museveni said the visit could have gone ahead if the king had agreed to two conditions.
He said he had asked the king to send delegates to meet community leaders before the visit, and had also requested that media outlets loyal to the king stop criticising the government.
“I told [the king] that the meeting in Kayunga would not take place until some conditions that will be communicated to him by the minister of internal affairs are met,” said the president.
“My reaction to these issues is to ring the king and we sort them out as mature people. But he could not pick or return my calls for the last two years.”
Police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba told the BBC’s Network Africa programme that the police had not been surprised by the riots.
But she says they had not expected violence to spread across Kampala’s suburbs.
She said the king’s visit would definitely not be going ahead.
Witnesses in Kampala said the city was relatively quiet on Friday - although sporadic gunfire could still be heard.
On Thursday police fired tear gas at the protesters who hurled stones and burned tyres.
Reports on the number of fatalities varied - with some news agencies reporting as many as 10 people killed.
Correspondents say there has been a long history of tension between the king and central government - particularly over land reform proposals that the Baganda say threaten their community.
Buganda is one of four ancient kingdoms in Uganda. It was abolished in 1966 but then restored in the 1990s.
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