Tooro’s royal succession process has taken a dramatic twist after George Kamurasi Desmond David, the man reportedly selected to succeed the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, allegedly rejected the throne, saying he would rather remain with his family in Britain and continue his sporting career.
The development, reported by The Spy Uganda on Saturday, September 5, comes barely a day after the publication reported that Kamurasi had been selected by the Tooro Royal Succession Committee as the next Omukama.
According to sources cited by the publication, Kamurasi was not prepared for the possibility that he could be chosen as King and was reportedly only informed after the succession committee had reached its decision.
‘Nobody told him he was coming to become King’
The succession process reportedly involved a closed-door meeting at Fort Motel in Fort Portal on Friday, September 4.
Of the 21 members involved in the process, 18 attended the final meeting, with Kamurasi reportedly securing 15 votes.
The report says Musuuga Kamurasi also participated virtually, bringing the number of voters to 19.
However, sources claim Kamurasi himself had not been consulted beforehand about whether he was willing to take up the throne.
“Nobody told him he was coming to become king and that’s how it is of course,” a source was quoted as saying.
According to the report, President Yoweri Museveni facilitated Kamurasi’s return to Uganda with his family, but he was allegedly told that he was travelling home to attend the burial of his cousin, King Oyo.
A source claimed that the possibility of his selection was deliberately not communicated to him over the telephone.
“He called him to come and bury his brother Oyo. No one prepared him from the word go that he would become the next king,” the source said.
The reasoning behind the approach, according to the source, was to prevent candidates who were consulted beforehand from developing resentment if another royal was eventually selected.
Kamurasi wants his family life in Britain
Sources cited by The Spy Uganda claim that Kamurasi has built a family life in the United Kingdom, where he lives with his British wife and children.
He is reportedly reluctant to abandon that life and return permanently to Tooro to assume the extensive responsibilities associated with the throne.
The report also says Kamurasi has an interest in continuing his sporting career, particularly his involvement in football.
The 36-year-old has previously been profiled in Britain as a goalkeeper, including his involvement in non-league and Sunday League football.
His reported desire to continue with his family and sporting life could therefore present a major obstacle to his installation as Omukama.
Wife reportedly at the centre of concerns
The report also raises claims surrounding Kamurasi’s marriage to his British wife.
According to sources, she allegedly became concerned about the cultural expectations that could accompany his installation as King, including claims that the institution could require the new monarch to take a Mutooro wife or change his existing marital arrangements.
However, the report stresses that these claims could not independently be verified, and neither Kamurasi nor his wife has publicly confirmed that such considerations influenced his reported position.
Kamurasi is understood to be married and has children.
Can a royal reject the throne?
The reported rejection has now triggered questions over whether a member of the Babiito royal family can decline the kingship after being selected.
A source familiar with the cultural argument told The Spy Uganda that traditionally, refusing a throne entrusted to an individual by the royal family is considered unacceptable.
“In the culture, he was not supposed to refuse. It is an abomination to reject the throne entrusted to you by the royal family,” the source said.
The cultural and legal implications of such a decision, however, remain matters for the Babiito royal leadership and relevant cultural authorities.
