A fresh succession dispute has emerged in Tooro following the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, with the Tooro Chief Prince and head of the Babiito royal clan, Charles Kamurasi Akiiki, rejecting claims that the late monarch left behind a son to inherit the throne.
Kamurasi, also known as the Omusuuga, said the Royal Family had never been informed of the existence of a child belonging to the late King.
“The King had no child. I don’t know about it because we have never been told that,” Kamurasi said.
His remarks directly contradict an earlier announcement by Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki, who, while announcing King Oyo’s death on August 27, said the monarch had left behind a Prince who would succeed him.
Rwomiire said the identity of the heir would be revealed at an appropriate time in accordance with the customs and traditions of the Tooro Kingdom.
President Yoweri Museveni later appeared to confirm the existence of the heir, saying on August 29 that Queen Mother Best Kemigisa had informed him by telephone that King Oyo had left behind a young boy.
CHIEF PRINCE QUESTIONS HEIR CLAIM
However, Kamurasi has questioned both the source of the information and the authority of the Prime Minister to declare an heir.
“I heard the prime minister, while announcing Oyo’s death, saying he had left an heir. I don’t know where he got that information from,” Kamurasi said.
He further argued that the Prime Minister was not in a position to make such a declaration because he is not a member of the Royal Family.
“Moreover, he has no right or power to make such an announcement because he is not a member of the Royal Family,” Kamurasi added.
The conflicting statements have thrown the succession process into uncertainty at a time when the Babiito clan is preparing to determine who will occupy the Tooro throne.
BABIITO TO LOOK BACK TO RUKIDI III LINEAGE
Asked about the possible successor, Kamurasi said the Babiito clan will explore other options within the royal lineage associated with Omukama Rukidi III.
“What will happen now is that we shall go back to the Rukidi lineage and those issues have to be sorted out by the clan,” he said.
Rukidi III, the grandfather of the late King Oyo, reigned over Tooro from 1921 to 1965.
The development suggests that the succession could involve consultations within the wider Babiito royal lineage if the claim of a direct heir is not established through the customary process.
OMUSUUGA TAKES CHARGE
Kamurasi’s position carries significant weight in the succession process because the Omusuuga heads the Babiito, the ruling royal clan of Tooro.
Under Tooro customs, the office of the Omusuuga assumes a central role during a vacancy on the throne following the death of a reigning Omukama.
The office oversees key cultural processes, including funeral arrangements, burial rites and the succession process.
The Omusuuga also convenes and chairs meetings concerning the funeral and succession and oversees the process of identifying and installing a new King.
A statement from Kamurasi’s office has maintained that all Kingdom institutions involved in the funeral and succession are expected to operate under his authority.
21-MEMBER COMMITTEE TO CHOOSE NEXT KING
Kamurasi is now leading a 21-member committee of Babiito elders tasked with handling the succession.
The committee is expected to identify the next King, communicate the decision to relevant stakeholders and organise the cultural rituals and ceremonies required for the installation of the new Omukama.
The Babiito maintain that succession is fundamentally a cultural matter and therefore falls under the authority of the Omusuuga and the royal clan.
This means that despite the earlier announcement by the Prime Minister and the statement attributed to Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, the question of who will succeed King Oyo remains unresolved.
KING OYO’S 31-YEAR REIGN ENDS
King Oyo died in the United States at the age of 34, bringing to an end a reign that began in 1995 when he was only three years old.
He ascended the throne following the death of his father, Omukama Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, and went on to become one of Uganda’s most recognisable traditional leaders.
His death has now left the Babiito with the responsibility of determining the next custodian of the Tooro Crown.
For now, the biggest question remains whether King Oyo left a son who qualifies as heir — or whether the Babiito clan will have to look elsewhere within the Rukidi royal lineage for Tooro’s next King.
