Kampala - The tombs of four Ugandan regional kings have been wrecked by fire, sparking protests and claims of arson.

Thousands of people poured on to the streets of Kampala and eyewitnesses said at least one person was killed after security forces opened fire.

Police denied anyone had been hurt and said the cause of the fire was unknown.

The Unesco-listed site housed tombs of kings of the Buganda region.

The kingdom has had uneasy relations with the central government recently.

A dispute over territory between King Ronald Mutebi and President Yoweri Museveni led to mass riots late last year.

Buganda regional official Charles Peter Mayiga said the kingdom's leadership would also try to establish what had caused the fire.

Buganda is the largest of Uganda's four ancient kingdoms.

They were abolished in 1966 but reinstated by Mr Museveni's government in 1993.