Who is William Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope IV? Flash Uganda Media looks at his biography, age, wife, family, tribe, achievements, and relationship with Jovia Mutesi (Inebantu) Ruth Mpaata, the late Prof. Wilson Gabula Nadiope, Josephine Nadiope, Yosia Nadiope, Jovia Mutesi, the early life and education of the reigning Kyabazinga (King) of the Busoga Kingdom in Uganda.
William Wilberforce Kadhumbula Gabula Nadiope IV is the Isebantu (father of the people) or reigning Kyabazinga (King) of the Busoga Kingdom in Uganda.
His Majesty Gabula Nadiope IV is the fourth Kyabazinga of the Busoga Kingdom reigning over 11 Chiefdoms.
William Wilberforce is also the Gabula (Chief) of the Bugabula Chiefdom in Busoga.
Early Life
Wilberforce William Gabula Nadiope IV was born on November 1, 1988, in Kamuli, Jinja District, Eastern Uganda.
This was two years after the 1981–1986 civil war in which his father had a covert role. He grew up in Kamuli until the age of three when his father died.
Gabula was then taken in by his maternal grandmother Ruth Mpaata of Wakalenge village, Mafumbira sub-county, Jinja District,
Gabula descended from the reigning Baise Ngobi clan, is a member of Bagabula, a group of Basoga living in the northern Busoga region.
When he was younger, he was quiet and reclusive. His survival of numerous health crises as a child, however, was the first indication of his steeliness.
Nadiope IV has a strong Christian foundation and belongs to the Anglican faith.
Education Background
Kyabazinga Wilberforce began his primary education at Victoria Nile, transferred to Winston Day and Boarding Primary School in Kawempe, and finally finished at Lohana Academy from 1995 to 2001.
He enrolled in Busoga College Mwiri for O-Level studies in 2002 and stayed there until 2005.
He completed his A-Level studies at Kyambogo College School, where he graduated in 2007.
He was admitted to Kyambogo University, and he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics degree in 2011.
Later, he completed his education in the United Kingdom, where he earned a first-class master’s degree in Business Administration (Management) from Coventry University in 2015.
Education background summary
| Years | Institution | Status / award |
| 1995 – 2001 | Lohana Academy | Primary Leaving Education (PLE) |
| 2002 – 2005 | Busoga College Mwiri | Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) |
| 2006 – 2007 | Kyambogo College School | Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) |
| 2008 – 2011 | Kyambogo University | Bachelor of Arts in Economics degree |
| 2014 – 2015 | Coventry University | Master’s degree in Business Administration (Management) |
Family Background
William Wilberforce is the son of the late Prof. Wilson Gabula Nadiope, a former Ugandan Tourism Minister who died in 1991, and Josephine Nadiope, who died in 1993.
Sir William Wilberforce Kadhumbula Nadiope III, who ruled as Kyabazinga from 1949 to 1955 and from 1962 to 1966, is his paternal grandfather.
From 1962 to 1966, Kadhumbula Nadiope III served as Uganda’s first vice president.
Yosia Nadiope, Gabula’s great-grandfather, is regarded as the father of modern education in Busoga.
He granted missionaries land to create the Balangira School for training royals, which ultimately became Busoga College Mwiri.
Gabula Nadiope IV is also the hereditary chief of Bugabula, a semi-autonomous chiefdom that comprises Buyende and Kamuli today.
Marriage / Relationship
Kyabazinga William Wilberforce Gabula IV named Jovia Mutesi, his queen and wife on September 7th, 2023.
Their royal wedding was held on November 18, 2023, and officiated by Anglican Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba.
Wilberforce Gabula IV became the first King to be wedded at the Busoga Diocesan headquarters, Christ’s Cathedral in Bugembe town, Jinja city.
This was the kingdom’s only royal wedding ever since 1956.
Career and Professional Work Experience
Wilberforce Nadiope Gabula has experience as an auditor with the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development.
He was working as an Economist in the Uganda Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources at the time of his coronation in 2014.
Wilberforce Nadiope IV’s Coronation
Rtd Bishop Cyprian Bamwoze declared in September 2008 that William Nadiope IV, whom he had adopted at the age of five, was now mature and ready to become the Kyabazinga of Busoga.
He presented the then 20-year-old Gabula to the Balangira (royal clan) for endorsement as Bugabula’s cultural leader.
Gabula was declared the Kyabazinga candidate by the Balangira from Bugabula, Buzaya, and Budiope counties.
The ten Busoga Royal Chiefs who met in Bugembe on August 23, 2014, to nominate a new Kyabazinga, unanimously elected William Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope IV.
The eleventh Busoga Royal Chief, Prince Edward Columbus Wambuzi, who was also running for the throne, did not attend this meeting.
Gabula was approved unanimously by the Busoga Lukiko on September 25, 2014.
On Saturday, September 13, 2014, Prince William Gabula was crowned as the 4th Kyabazinga of Busoga at Bugembe, following a failed last-minute legal appeal.
He succeeded the late Kyabazinga Henry Wako Muloki, who died on October 31, 2008, as Busoga King.
His regents and mentors included Rt Rev Cyprian Bamwoze, the Retired Bishop of Busoga, and Dr. David Kazungu.
Work experience background summary
| Years | Institution | Position |
| Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development | Auditor | |
| Uganda Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources | Economist | |
| 2014 – Present | Busoga Kingdom | Kyabazinga of Busoga |
Achievements and Awards
Kyabazinga William Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope IV was crowned the fourth Kyabazinga of Busoga Kingdom in 2014. This marks a decade of his rule as the King of Busoga.
He has promoted Busoga as an investment region. He visited the Holmund Farm in Aalborg, Denmark, as well as the 124-year-old Danish egg packaging and distribution enterprise, Danaeg, and appealed to companies and Ugandans living in Scandinavia to invest in Busoga.
Controversies
The jubilant announcement of the Inebantu celebrations took a dramatic turn when a rumoured accomplice living in the United Kingdom claimed that she had a long-standing relationship with the Kyabazinga, including raising their shared children overseas, among other incriminating allegations.
She questioned Nadiope’s affection for his new queen, stating that the marriage was forced upon him.
In 2022, the Kyabazinga faced a crisis as six of the eleven chiefs who elected the King voted against him and considered deposing him from the Busoga Kingdom throne. Other Information…
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