The leadership crisis in Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom has taken a new and potentially more sensitive turn after security forces, including the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), were deployed to guard key kingdom installations, including the palace and headquarters in Hoima.
The deployment comes amid a bitter dispute between Kingdom Prime Minister (Omuhikirwa) Andrew Byakutaga Ateenyi and the Babiito ruling clan, led by Chief Prince (Okwiri) Fred Mugenyi Rucunya, over who has the authority to run the affairs of the kingdom.
Byakutaga has confirmed the heightened security around kingdom installations, while the kingdom, in an official statement, said the deployment followed a security briefing about an alleged plan by unknown individuals to attack kingdom facilities.
“Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom (BKK) has received a security briefing indicating that unknown individuals were allegedly planning an attack on Kingdom facilities,” the statement reads in part.
The kingdom said security agencies subsequently assessed the situation and deployed personnel around its properties as a precautionary measure.
“Following their assessment, the relevant security agencies have deployed personnel around the Kingdom’s properties as a precautionary measure to safeguard the Kingdom’s assets, officials, and the general public,” the statement added.
The kingdom thanked the security agencies for their vigilance and assured the public that its offices remained open.
The deployment has, however, raised the stakes in an already tense leadership dispute that has pitted the Omuhikirwa against the Babiito ruling clan.
Police and UPDF deployment
The security operation has been visible around the kingdom headquarters and palace, with heavily armed personnel deployed to strategic points.
Police said yesterday that the joint operation was prompted by intelligence that a group of youths was allegedly planning to storm the kingdom headquarters.
Albertine Region Police spokesperson Julius Hakiza said the deployment was intended to prevent possible disorder and maintain public order.
The latest deployment is not the first time security agencies have been called in during tensions at the kingdom. Similar deployments have occurred during previous disputes, including in 2025, when Police and UPDF personnel surrounded the kingdom headquarters and palace following intelligence reports of possible unrest.
But the current deployment comes at a particularly sensitive moment because of the escalating confrontation between Byakutaga and Rucunya.
Rucunya orders Byakutaga out
On September 14, Rucunya, the Okwiri gave Byakutaga four weeks to vacate the office of Omuhikirwa.
Rucunya said Byakutaga’s tenure had expired and accused him of continuing to occupy the office without a valid mandate.
Byakutaga was appointed prime minister by Omukama Solomon Gafabusa Rukirabasaija Agutamba Iguru I on January 15, 2018.
His initial term was expected to end in October 2023 but was subsequently extended to June 30, 2024. When the term expired, the Babiito ruling clan demanded that he leave office. However, the Royal Commission later issued a letter dated June 27, 2024, extending his tenure for another year. Rucunya disputes the legality of that extension, arguing that the Royal Commission did not have the authority to extend the prime minister’s tenure.
Byakutaga, on the other hand, has maintained that his continued tenure is backed by the authority of the Omukama. Byakutaga claims the Omukama gave him an indefinite contract.
The disagreement has therefore evolved beyond a personal contest between two kingdom officials into a broader dispute over the constitutional and cultural authority to appoint and remove the prime minister.
Babiito claim authority
Rucunya has argued that, with the Omukama reportedly unwell, the Okwiri and the Babiito have a responsibility to oversee the affairs of the kingdom.
The Chief Prince recently disclosed that Omukama Iguru was unwell, although he did not disclose the nature of the illness. He appealed to the king’s subjects and well-wishers to pray for his recovery. Rucunya subsequently said the kingdom would move to appoint a new prime minister if Byakutaga did not step aside.
The position has intensified the confrontation because Byakutaga remains in office while Rucunya and sections of the Babiito ruling clan insist that his mandate expired.
Rucunya has also warned that Byakutaga should hand over kingdom property and office peacefully.
Rucunya said that if Byakutaga refused to leave, the Babiito would use “reasonable force” to remove him from the affairs of the kingdom.
That threat has added to fears that a dispute previously confined largely to competing statements and administrative decisions could spill into physical confrontation.
Fight over kingdom administration
At the centre of the dispute is the question of who exercises authority over the kingdom’s administrative machinery when the Omukama is unable to perform his duties.
The Babiito position is that the authority to manage the kingdom in the absence of the king falls within the established royal structures, with Rucunya arguing that the Okwiri should oversee kingdom affairs.
Byakutaga’s continued presence in the prime minister’s office has therefore become a major point of contention.
The disagreement has also affected other kingdom institutions. Reports indicate that Bunyoro has experienced prolonged disruption in some administrative structures, including disagreements involving the kingdom parliament and cabinet.
Rucunya and his supporters have questioned the legitimacy of decisions taken by Byakutaga’s administration, while Byakutaga has continued to conduct kingdom business.
Security becomes new flashpoint
The deployment of UPDF and Police around kingdom properties introduces another dimension to the dispute.
The kingdom’s official statement does not directly link the security deployment to the disagreement between Byakutaga and the Babiito. Instead, it says security agencies acted after receiving information about a possible attack on kingdom facilities.
This distinction is significant because the kingdom says the security deployment is intended to protect its assets, officials and the public, rather than to take sides in the leadership dispute.
The statement also stresses that kingdom offices remain open and accessible. Nevertheless, with rival factions making competing claims over the administration of the kingdom, the presence of armed security around the palace and headquarters is likely to attract considerable attention among kingdom subjects.
The immediate concern is whether the dispute will remain an administrative and cultural contest or develop into a confrontation involving supporters of the rival camps.
Call for calm
The Bunyoro crisis now involves several sensitive issues — the health of the Omukama, the tenure of the prime minister, the authority of the Babiito ruling clan, control of kingdom property and the role of state security agencies in protecting those assets.
For now, the kingdom has urged the public to remain assured that its operations are continuing normally. The security agencies have similarly presented the deployment as a preventive measure aimed at maintaining order.
The four-week ultimatum issued by Rucunya, however, puts October at the centre of the unfolding dispute.
Author Profile
- Charles Gazza Kodili is a seasoned journalist with over 20 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication. He’s currently the Chief Editor at the Investigator.
Charles can also be reached via; Tel: +256 774 108978
Email: [email protected]
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