Tooro Kingdom leaders have called for peace and unity as the kingdom grapples with competing claims over the succession of the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
The appeal comes amid disagreement between members of the Babiito clan and the royal family over the reported selection of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the next Omukama, days before the burial of King Oyo.
Queen Mother Best Kemigisa and Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomire Akiiki have urged those involved to put aside the succession contest until after the late king has been laid to rest, saying the kingdom needs time to mourn and resolve the matter through established cultural and legal processes.
In a statement issued ahead of Saturday’s burial, the Queen Mother said the royal family was deeply distressed by the timing of the succession announcement and appealed to President Museveni, the UPDF leadership and those contesting the throne to allow the family to bury Oyo in peace.
“I also appeal to those fighting over the throne: please, there will be time for all of that. Let us grieve and bury my son King Oyo,” she said.
King Oyo died in the United States on August 27 at the age of 34 after receiving medical treatment for cancer. He is due to be buried on Saturday, September 12, which would have marked 31 years since his coronation.
Will takes centre stage
At the centre of the dispute is Oyo’s will, dated September 14, 2022, in which the late king outlined his preferred order of succession.
According to the document, Oyo named his lawfully recognised biological son as his heir if the son survived him and was able to assume the throne.
The will then provides for alternative successors in circumstances where his son is unable to take the throne. It names Prince Komwiswa Yoweri, son of Musuga Charles Kamurasi Akiiki, followed by Prince Nyaika Solomon under specified circumstances.
The document further directs that succession should be recognised and implemented peacefully and with dignity in accordance with Tooro customs and traditions and the Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act, 2011.
Princess Ruth Komuntale, Oyo’s sister, said the royal family had not completed consultations on the will before the reported unveiling of Kijanangoma.
She said the royal family had met Musuga Charles Kamurasi and other Babiito members earlier on Wednesday to review the document and had agreed to consult lawyers before any successor was formally proclaimed.
“What happened today honestly really took us by surprise. We have no idea that it was going to happen,” Komuntale told journalists at Karuziika Palace on Wednesday night.
She said Oyo had left “very strict instructions” on succession, adding that the family’s position was that the process should be handled calmly and in accordance with his wishes.
“Clearly, the next person in line is the son. That’s the next heir to the throne,” she said.
Komuntale also appealed to Tooro subjects to remain calm and united, saying the late king would not have wanted his death to become a source of division.
“My brother was a very peaceful and calm person, so please, just at least to honour him, please stop all this drama and this disunity,” she said.
Premier calls for restraint
Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomire Akiiki separately appealed to the rival sides to lower the temperature and allow the burial to proceed before the succession question is addressed.
In a statement titled An Appeal for Peace and Unity in Tooro, Rwomire said the kingdom was experiencing one of its most painful and delicate moments following Oyo’s death.
“Let us first bury our King,” he said.
The premier said the Crown of Tooro had survived generations and would endure beyond the current dispute, arguing that no succession question was so urgent that it should undermine the dignity of the late king’s final journey.
He urged those advancing different positions to allow time for the will to be examined, the kingdom’s customs considered and the appropriate institutions consulted.
“There will be time to examine the Will, to hear those advancing a different position, and to consider our customs, the applicable law and the proper institutions through which succession should be determined,” he said.
Rwomire also appealed to the government to provide guidance and support to maintain peace and order, while cautioning against government choosing a king for Tooro.
“This is not a request for Government to choose a King for Tooro. It is an appeal to help protect the conditions within which the relevant cultural, legal and institutional processes can take place peacefully, fairly and without intimidation or disorder,” he said.
Queen Mother remembers Oyo’s reign
Queen Mother Kemigisa said the current dispute was particularly painful because the royal family was still mourning Oyo, who succeeded his father, the late Omukama Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, as a child.
She recalled facing an earlier succession dispute following the death of her husband, when some Babiito argued that Oyo was too young to become king.
Oyo eventually retained the throne and went on to reign for 31 years, becoming one of Uganda’s longest-serving traditional leaders.
Kemigisa credited him with building relationships within Uganda and abroad and said he had served Tooro with dedication.
“By the grace of God, my son went on to serve Tooro for 31 years. He made friends across Uganda and around the world,” she said.
She also thanked President Museveni and the UPDF for their support in arrangements for the late king’s burial, including work on the royal grave and roads leading to the royal tombs.
The Queen Mother urged the kingdom to remember Oyo for his service rather than allow the succession dispute to overshadow his final journey.
“He was a good son. He was a good King. He loved Tooro and served his people for 31 years,” she said.
A call to preserve unity
The competing positions have placed the interpretation of Oyo’s will, Tooro customs and the authority of the various actors involved at the centre of the succession debate.
However, the kingdom’s premier said the current disagreement should not be allowed to destroy the unity of the Batooro.
“We can disagree without destroying one another. We can defend our positions without insensitive language. We can seek the truth without abandoning our culture, dignity and humanity,” Mr Rwomire said.
He urged all sides to allow the late king to be buried with dignity before turning to the question of his successor.
“History will remember not only how the succession question was resolved, but also how we behaved when our King died,” he said.
“For now, let us mourn together. Let us bury our King with honour. Then, with dignity, fairness and respect, let the truth and the proper process guide what comes next.”
King Oyo’s burial on Saturday is therefore expected to provide the kingdom with an opportunity to mourn his 31-year reign as consultations continue over the succession of the Tooro throne.
“In whatever we do, Tooro must come first,” Rwomire said.
