Manhyia Palace sets December 13 for Lumba’s final funeral rites

Manhyia Palace has announced December 13, 2025, as the new date for the final funeral rites and burial of celebrated highlife musician Charles Kwadwo Fosu, popularly known as Daddy Lumba.

The decision follows the intervention of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, after the late musician’s sister, Ernestina Akosua Brempomaa, invoked the Great Oath to halt the original funeral arrangements.

At a sitting of the Gyaase Division on November 10, chaired by Nana Saaman Nantwi II, Brempomaa accused the family of wrongdoing and demanded that a postmortem examination be conducted before burial.

Her claims prompted an inquiry by the palace, which expressed displeasure over how the family’s disagreements had been made public.

Traditional authorities dissolved the initial Funeral Committee, describing the ongoing dispute as an embarrassment to the memory of the highlife legend.

Baffour Kantankrankyi, linguist of the Asantehene, clarified that any suspicion of foul play is strictly within the remit of the police and should not obstruct the burial.

“The police will handle the issue of foul play. We work with the law, and if more time is needed, they will seek an injunction,” he explained.

He further stated that the matter concerning which of Daddy Lumba’s wives may attend the funeral is already before the courts and will not be determined by the palace.

Brempomaa was pardoned for invoking the sacred oath but warned her against repeating such an act, stressing the need for calm and unity within the family.

The Manhyia Palace appealed to all relatives and stakeholders to put aside their differences and ensure that the musician, who shaped Ghana’s highlife genre for decades, is given a dignified farewell on the newly approved date.

Last month, the funeral preparations for Daddy Lumba were thrown into uncertainty after his first wife, Mrs. Akosua Serwaa Fosuh, and her children filed a court injunction to stop all preparations.

According to a statement issued by the family, the legal widow took the decision after discovering that the funeral date had been publicised on social media without her consent or that of her children.

Mrs. Fosuh’s family insisted they have been “consistently sidelined” in discussions on how to honour the late musician, describing it as “a deliberate effort to marginalise” her since Daddy Lumba’s passing on July 26 in Accra.