The government has backed the succession process that has identified Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the next Omukama of Tooro. The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development is now processing his formal declaration in the Uganda Gazette.
The new king, who will reign as Omukama Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I, is scheduled to be enthroned on September 29 at Karuziika Royal Palace in Fort Portal City.
The announcement was made on Thursday at a press conference at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala by Omujwera Musuuga Charles Kayondo Kamurasi, head of the Babiito Royal Clan, together with Minister of State for Gender and Culture Affairs Mary Kuteesa Kamuli. Kamuli said the government had received formal communication from the recognised traditional institutions of Tooro concerning the succession of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma.
“On behalf of the government, Toro has a new King,” she said. However, the minister clarified that the formal legal process of declaring the new Omukama in the Uganda Gazette is still being processed.
She said the Babiito clan selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma on September 9, after which he was presented to the Rukurato, the Supreme Council of Tooro Kingdom.
The Rukurato endorsed the succession during its sitting at the Rukurato Chambers in Muchwa on September 15.
Kamuli said the ministry had received the resolutions arising from the process and was now processing the Gazette declaration in accordance with the law.
She said the government’s role is guided by Article 246 of the Constitution, which recognises traditional and cultural leaders in accordance with the cultures, customs and traditions of the communities they lead.
The Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act, 2011, provides for the institution of traditional leaders according to the customs and traditions of the communities concerned.
Kamuli said Tooro had requested the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to process the declaration and publication of the new Omukama in the Uganda Gazette. She said the succession process presented to government had followed the customary, constitutional and statutory framework governing traditional institutions.
Musuuga Kamurasi said the succession process began following the death of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV on August 27.
He said the Babiito royal clan convened after the death of Oyo and appointed a 21-member committee to oversee the search and selection of a successor.Kamurasi, who chaired the committee, said it identified Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the successor.
“I am glad to inform the members of the press that the committee of 21 identified a prince by the name of Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I to be the king of Toro,” he said.He said the prince had met the cultural requirements and traditions considered necessary for the Tooro throne. The selection was subsequently presented to the Rukurato for endorsement.
Kijanangoma is a son of the late Prince Paul Christopher Kijanangoma and Yusta Asiimwe Kijanangoma, and a grandson of Sir George David Kamurasi Rukidi III, the 11th Omukama of Tooro.
President Yoweri Museveni is expected to attend the coronation as the chief guest. Kamurasi said Museveni has been a friend of Tooro and supported the late King Oyo during his reign.
Kamuli also confirmed that the President would attend the ceremony, saying Museveni had personally indicated that he would honour the invitation from the people of Tooro. The coronation is expected to bring together members of the royal family, Babiito clan leaders, kingdom officials, government representatives, cultural leaders and guests.
Kamurasi appealed to Ugandans, friends of Tooro, and people in the diaspora to attend the ceremony. Kamurasi also explained who is exercising authority over the kingdom during the transition period before the enthronement.
He said Tooro customs and traditions provide for him to assume the powers of the kingdom during the transition and surrender them once the new king is enthroned. “I assume all the powers of the kingdom, and I’m the one in charge of it. And when the time comes, I’ll surrender the powers,” Kamurasi said.
He dismissed suggestions that the succession process had divided the kingdom. Kamurasi said the people of Tooro remain united and that the kingdom has the support of the government.“We are all Batoro and all Ugandans united,” he said. The succession process has also been accompanied by public debate over claims concerning a child reportedly linked to the late King Oyo.
Asked about the child’s status, Kamurasi said the Babiito royal clan does not recognise the child as part of the succession process. “The child they are claiming to be there is not known,” he said. He also questioned the authority of the Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister to make pronouncements regarding the child’s status.
Kamurasi referred to the circumstances surrounding the birth of the late King Oyo and his own involvement in the traditional arrangements surrounding Oyo’s birth. The claims remain part of the wider disagreement that has emerged among members of the royal family and other actors following Oyo’s death.
The government, however, said its formal consideration of the succession is based on resolutions submitted by the recognised institutions of the kingdom. Kamurasi was also asked about reports that some royal regalia and other kingdom property had been taken or vandalised.
He said items including the royal drums, hearse and umbrella belong to the Tooro Kingdom and are not the property of individuals. “The regalia are properties of the kingdom. They don’t belong to an individual,” he said.
Kamurasi expressed confidence that any kingdom property that may have been taken would eventually be returned. The head of the Babiito Royal Clan said the coronation budget is estimated at 922 million shillings.
He said the amount was beyond the kingdom’s capacity to raise on its own and appealed to corporate organisations, friends of Tooro, well-wishers and Ugandans in the country and diaspora to contribute towards the ceremony.
Kamurasi compared preparations for the coronation to preparations for a marriage, saying major cultural ceremonies require support from the wider community. He said the government had pledged support for the coronation but did not provide details of the amount or nature of that support.
Minister Kamuli called on the people of Tooro and other stakeholders to ensure that the coronation is conducted peacefully and with respect for the Constitution, the law and Tooro’s cultural traditions.
“The Government calls upon all Ugandans and particularly the people of Toro to embrace the coronation in the spirit of peace, unity, dignity, respect and cultural harmony,” Kamuli said.
She also urged the media to provide accurate, responsible and balanced coverage of the coronation. With the September 29 enthronement approaching, preparations are now shifting to Karuziika Royal Palace, where Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma is expected to formally assume the Tooro throne.
The ceremony will mark the beginning of a new reign following the death of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV on August 27. For the government, the immediate next step is the publication of the new Omukama’s declaration in the Uganda Gazette, following the succession process undertaken by the Babiito clan and endorsed by the Rukurato-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
