By Obed K. Katureebe
On the 12th of September, the deceased king of Tooro, Omukama Oyo Kabamba Iguru Rukiidi IV, will be lowered into his grave at Karambi Royal Burial Grounds, a few kilometres from the Karuzika Palace in Fort Portal. King Oyo, who died on the 27th of August, 2026, will finally be laid to rest. Unfortunately, with a lot of noxious noise from some members of the royal family who began jostling for the throne. It is sad that this elbowing began immediately after King Oyo was announced dead.
Some sections of the Royal Babiito clan threw all decency to the wind and began scheming for the throne from day one, when King Oyo was announced dead. Common decency demands that people are supposed to mourn the deceased, bury him and allow him first rot, before schemes and fights erupt of who can take over the throne emerge.
It’s so sad that the ugly fights that have emerged spoilt the honourable mourning of the king. Nobody expected such shameful acts, especially when the world was mourning the decent king that was much-loved and cherished in Tooro and the rest of the world.
In fact, the defining legacy of King Oyo is that he was a king of peace. Oyo did not like noise. He was a peaceful man, who preferred resolving disputes using peaceful means. All people in Tooro agree to the fact that the outstanding legacy King Oyo has left behind is peace. He was a peacemaker and resolved all challenges using non-violent means.
Even when those opposed to him used all forms of violence and obscenity, King Oyo preferred to remain calm and peaceful, a trait that would in most cases disarm his enemies. He is believed to not only have promoted peace in Tooro but even beyond its borders.
Almost all kingdoms in Uganda have had serious frictions with the central government, after disagreeing on many issues except the Kingdom of Tooro. And this is due King Oyo’s peaceful nature. As a result, Tooro Kingdom has had a harmonious working relationship with President Yoweri Museveni. The president himself admitted this while eulogising King Oyo.
However, as Tooro prepares to bury the remains of this giant and handsome king on the 12th of September 2026, there is a great sense of uncertainty of how Tooro Kingdom will shape up, minus the unifier who has since fallen. Already, there are dirty frictions, within the royal family, of who will be the next king that emerged the day King Oyo was pronounced dead.
The Chief Prince (Musuuga), Prince Charles Kamurasi, has been all over the media refuting the announcement made by the Prime Minister of Tooro, Armstrong Calvin Rwomiire, that King Oyo left behind a heir to the throne. And that this will be unveiled after the burial. Omusuuga Kamurasi, however, denies that the king didn’t leave a son behind.
According to journalist Andrew Mwenda, who on the 4th of September, 2026, made the announcement on his X (formerly Twitter) handle that the Tooro Kingdom’s Royal Succession Committee had selected George Desmond Kamurasi as the next Omukama (King) of Tooro.
This so-called committee did not involve the current Prime Minister, Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire, and other prominent royal family members allied to the late King Oyo. They did not even wait for the burial to take place according to tradition, meaning this was a coup d’état of sorts.
Shortly after that announcement, the Chief Prince Omusuuga Kamurasi denounced Mwenda’s announcement saying it was a figment of Mwenda’s imagination. The drama was not about to end. On the 9th of September 2026, the Babiito Royal Clan announced that they had selected the new king and this time it was Edward Rukid Kiijanangoma and not Prince Desmond Kamurasi.
The Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, together with Princess Elizabeth Bagaya and Princess Ruth Komuntale brushed aside that announcement, insisting that the deceased King Oyo had a will that clearly spelt out who was to take over throne after him, namely his son. This was to be made public after the burial ceremony.
While the desire for economic advancement and power is natural, the extreme stretch to acquire these at all costs is dangerous and ugly. This is dangerously eroding Tooro’s royal clan’s deeply rooted cultural values and the world is now viewing them as dirty, hungry vultures.
The prime minister has now and again called for calm and decency in the trying moment when Tooro Kingdom, and indeed the rest of the world, were mourning the king. In his guidance, any jostling for throne should be after the burial. He is right. Being decent remains a critical component in preserving their cultural values, while responding to the needs of a changing world.
Finally, there are set standards to guide the Babiito clan in selecting the new king, plus the Constitution of Uganda. One wonders why there is such a rush to enthrone a new king, before the decent burial of the deceased king. Such rushed decisions might attract legal conundrums that will make Tooro look ugly.
Without a doubt, some members of the royal family will be rushing to court to seek court injunctions and the ugly drama will play out in full circle in the media. That is not good at all.
Rest in peace the king of peace, Omukam Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukiidi IV. The writer works with Uganda Media Centre.(For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
