Thousands of people have gathered at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal City as Tooro Kingdom prepares to officially coronate Omukama Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I. The coronation programme began Tuesday morning with a church service at St John’s Cathedral-Kabarole, led by the Bishop of Ruwenzori Diocese, Rt. Rev. Reuben Kisembo.
The King arrived at the cathedral accompanied by his wife, Queen Rebbeca Amoding, Prince Charles Kamurasi and other members of the royal family. The service is the first major event in the official coronation programme before the King returns to Karuziika Palace for the main ceremony, where he will formally be presented as the new Omukama of Tooro.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is expected to attend the main coronation ceremony as the chief guest. By 8 am, guests, political and cultural leaders, and kingdom subjects had started arriving at Karuziika Palace and taking their seats ahead of the ceremony.
The coronation follows the traditional enthronement of Nyabongo on Monday night as the successor to the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who died in August after battling cancer. The traditional enthronement involved an overnight procession from Rwengoma Palace through Fort Portal City to Karuziika Palace, where Nyabongo underwent a series of rituals that formally placed him on the throne.
Meanwhile, security has been heightened around Karuziika Palace and other strategic locations in Fort Portal City. Everyone entering the palace is being subjected to thorough security checks at the gates, while security personnel have also been deployed along routes leading to the palace and other key locations to maintain order.
Traffic diversions have also been put in place in parts of Fort Portal to facilitate the movement of guests and official convoys. Some roads leading to the city centre, St John’s Cathedral and Karuziika Palace have been restricted or temporarily closed to ordinary traffic, with motorists being directed to alternative routes.
The diversions are intended to ease congestion and facilitate the movement of the President, the new King, cultural leaders and other dignitaries between the cathedral and the palace. Members of the public heading into the city have been urged to follow instructions from traffic police and security personnel and use designated alternative routes-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
