By Ben Musanje
Veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda has sharply hit back at Tooro Queen Mother Best Kemigisa over her comments on the process of choosing a successor to the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, accusing her of undermining the kingdom’s cultural institutions and raising fresh questions about the identity and eligibility of a purported son of the late monarch.
Through his ‘X’ account, Mwenda said he was compelled to respond after Kemigisa reportedly described the group that handled the succession process as a “self-appointed group of clan members.”
This was after the Royal Family (Ababiito) declared UBC News Anchor Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the new Omukama of Tooro Kingdom.
Mwenda described the characterization as “a gross insult to our kingdom and its cultural institutions,” insisting that the process was initiated by members of the Babiito, the royal clan of Tooro Kingdom, following Oyo’s death on August 26, 2026.
According to Mwenda, a general meeting of the Babiito was convened at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal City on August 28, bringing together more than 100 princes and princesses.
The meeting, he said, selected a 21-member Royal Succession Committee headed by the Musuuga, the prince regent or caretaker, to begin the search for a new king.
Mwenda said the committee commenced its work on August 31 and that, until Oyo’s death, the Babiito had never received any official or informal communication that the late king had fathered a child, particularly a son.
He said four candidates were presented to the committee for consideration: George Desmond Kamurasi, son of Prince Jimmy Mugenyi; a purported son of Oyo, initially identified as Jacob Oyo and later as Jackson Oyo; George David Kamurasi, son of Prince Kato Rukidi; and Edward Rukiidi Kijanangoma, son of Prince Kijanangoma.
The purported son of Oyo, Mwenda said, was presented to the committee by Patrick Kawamara, the Queen Mother’s brother, who had been appointed to represent her interests on the succession committee.
Mwenda said the committee asked Kawamara to provide a photograph of the purported heir, but he was unable to do so.
He said members also sought information about the child’s mother, including her clan and family background in Tooro.
According to Mwenda, Kawamara identified the mother as a Muhinda but declined to disclose her family in Tooro.
He further claimed that none of Oyo’s paternal relatives, the Babiito, had previously heard of the purported son.
The conflicting names given for the child, the absence of a photograph and the lack of information about his maternal family, Mwenda said, raised concerns among committee members.
The committee therefore decided to remove the purported son from consideration, according to Mwenda.
“None of the relatives on Oyo’s paternal side had ever heard of the existence of this purported son,” he said.
Kamurasi vote
Mwenda said the committee spent four days deliberating before conducting a secret ballot.
George Kamurasi emerged as the overwhelming choice, securing 15 votes, while each of the other candidates received one vote.
Mwenda said he personally communicated the committee’s decision to Kamurasi, rejecting claims circulating on social media that he had turned down the throne.
According to Mwenda, Kamurasi instead asked for time to consult his wife and business partners in London.
However, Mwenda said the kingdom could not wait indefinitely and proceeded to consider another suitable candidate, who was announced on September 9.
The succession process, he argued, was therefore not the work of an unofficial group acting outside the kingdom’s institutions, but a process initiated by the Babiito following the death of the king.
Queen Mother pressed over purported heir
Mwenda also disclosed details of meetings involving the Queen Mother and members of the Babiito concerning the disputed succession.
He said a meeting was held at the palace on September 8 bringing together Kemigisa, Monsignor Mayombo, Father Oyo, Charles Kamurasi, who was serving as Musuuga, members of the Queen Mother’s family and other representatives.
During the meeting, Mwenda claimed, Kemigisa said she would not disclose further information about Oyo’s purported son until the late king’s will had been read.
The will was subsequently read by a lawyer before members of the group, with Oyo’s sister and Batebe of the kingdom, Ruth Komuntale, and Princess Margaret Komubaizi also in attendance.
Mwenda said the will, which was written on September 14, 2022, contained only a hypothetical reference to an heir.
But he argued that the existence of a biological son would not, by itself, automatically settle the question of succession in Tooro.
According to Mwenda, Tooro custom requires that an heir to the throne be born to a Mutoro queen officially married to the king, known as an omugowekitebe.
He argued that the kingdom would therefore need to establish the identity of the purported son, as well as the identity and background of his mother, before such a claim could be considered.
Mwenda was careful to state that he was not accusing the late King Oyo of having fathered a child outside an official marriage.
His argument, he said, was that if Oyo left behind a son, the kingdom must establish the circumstances surrounding the child’s birth and determine whether he meets the traditional requirements for succession.
The increasingly public exchange between Mwenda and the Queen Mother adds another layer to an already delicate succession question in Tooro, following the death of King Oyo.
At the heart of the dispute is not only who should occupy the Tooro throne, but also whether a purported son of the late king exists, whether his identity and maternal lineage can be established, and whether he would qualify under Tooro’s traditional succession rules.
For now, Mwenda’s account remains one side of the unfolding dispute, while the Queen Mother and other parties referenced in his statement may provide their own account of the succession process and the purported heir.
