By Aggrey Baba
With the body of late Tooro Prince David Kiijanangoma lying in state at St Luke Church in Ntinda on Thursday as mourners gathered for prayers, his family used the requiem service to reveal how the prince had spent his final years trying to protect his family’s legacy from the divisions that have troubled the royal establishment for decades.
David died on Tuesday, September 15, at the Uganda Cancer Institute in Mulago Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was a younger brother to slain Prince Charles Happy Kiijanangoma and to Prince Edward Kijanangoma, the newly selected King of Tooro, making his death another heavy blow to a royal establishment that had only days earlier buried King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
David was born into a deeply rooted Tooro royal lineage. His late father, Sir George David Matthew Kamurasi, was a brother to the late Omukama George Rukidi III (King Kaboyo), making him a direct member of the Babiito royal family whose history has for decades been intertwined with the succession and family disputes in Tooro.
Speaking on behalf of David’s cousins, Linda Makulima said the prince had, particularly during the last three years of his life, become a voice of reason within the family, helping relatives navigate disagreements surrounding their father’s estate and urging them to preserve the family’s legacy rather than allow differences to tear them apart.
Makulima said David’s wisdom, calmness and willingness to listen made him a natural leader in family meetings, despite the fact that he himself had previously been involved in some of the most public disagreements within the Tooro royal establishment.
“He did not like conflict. He did not like insults. He did not like anger,” Makulima said, portraying David as someone who preferred dialogue and reconciliation whenever family members disagreed.
The cousins’ account placed David’s final years against a long and painful history of wrangles within the Babiito establishment, with disputes over succession, land, royal authority and the management of the kingdom repeatedly creating divisions among members of the royal family.
One of the darkest chapters came with the killing of Prince Charles Happy Kiijanangoma, David’s elder brother, during a period of bitter royal and land disputes. The murder remains one of the most painful episodes in the history of Tooro Kingdom, with former Tooro Prime Minister John Katuramu later convicted for 20 years over the killing.
David himself would later become embroiled in succession tensions, most notably in 2015 when he openly challenged his cousin, the late King Oyo, at one point declaring himself king, a confrontation which eventually gave way to reconciliation, and the two rebuilt their relationship.
It was against such a complicated background, according to Makulina that David’s later role as a family peacemaker became particularly important.
“He was a leader in our family meetings. He was wise, he was calm and he respected everyone,” she said.
She also recalled standing with David when he fell sick, accompanying him to hospital where tests revealed cancer cells, later facing his prolonged battle with the disease which subsequently claimed his dear life at only 59 years.
As his condition deteriorated, family members gathered around him in prayer, meeting nightly to pray and sing with him, as Makulina revealed that he held on to God.
The requiem also became a platform for Rev. Anthony Kamukama to deliver a stinging message on corruption, directly asking Brig Gen Henry Isoke, who represented government, to relay it to President Museveni.
Kamukama urged Museveni to use an iron hand against corrupt officials, blaming corruption for the failure to complete and maintain the road leading to Tooro.
He reminded government officials who travelled to Fort Portal for King Oyo’s burial that they had personally witnessed the poor condition of the road, which he described as almost impassable.
The cleric further warned officials allegedly enriching themselves through public funds that their wealth and flashy vehicles would not shield them from mortality.
“As you continue swindling public funds and driving big cars, you should know that one day you will also die,” Kamukama warned. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
