Vice-President Jessica Alupo has stepped into the deepening succession crisis in Tooro Kingdom, holding a closed-door meeting with key members of the royal establishment as tensions rise following a controversial announcement by veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda naming a new Omukama.
Alupo arrived at Karuziika Royal Palace in Fort Portal City on Sunday morning in an apparent attempt to calm the increasingly bitter divisions within the kingdom’s leadership and encourage the different factions to put aside their differences ahead of the burial of the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
The meeting, which lasted about 40 minutes, brought together senior figures in the Tooro royal establishment, including Omusuuga Charles Kamurasi Akiiki, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, Prince Bagaya and Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire. After the meeting, Alupo paid tribute to the late Omukama and laid a wreath at his casket at Karuziika Palace.
Her intervention comes at a delicate moment for Tooro, where a dispute over who should succeed Oyo has rapidly evolved into a major confrontation involving members of the royal family, cultural leaders and the kingdom’s political and administrative establishment.
The Vice-President reportedly urged the kingdom officials to remain united and concentrate on giving the late king a dignified send-off instead of allowing the succession controversy to divide the institution. King Oyo is scheduled to be laid to rest on September 12.
Mwenda announcement sparks royal storm
The latest crisis was triggered by an announcement attributed to Andrew Mwenda, who claimed that the Royal Succession Committee had already elected Prince George Desmond Kamurasi as the next King of Tooro. Mwenda reportedly claimed that Kamurasi had emerged victorious after defeating the late King Oyo’s son in a vote of 15 to one.
The announcement immediately sent shockwaves through Tooro, with questions being raised about who had authorised the vote, who participated in it and whether the procedures governing the selection of an Omukama had actually been followed.
Instead of bringing clarity to the succession, Mwenda’s announcement appears to have opened a new front in the long-running disagreements over the administration of the kingdom and the process through which Oyo’s successor should be identified.
The announcement has also placed the spotlight on the Royal Succession Committee, whose members are now under pressure to explain whether such a vote took place. Omusuuga Charles Kamurasi has since distanced himself from the announcement, saying he was not aware of the source of Mwenda’s information regarding the alleged election.
In a strongly worded reaction, the Omusuuga reportedly described Mwenda as a “misguided missile” whose mission was known only to him. His response has effectively undermined the claim that the kingdom had formally chosen a successor and exposed the widening gulf between some of the kingdom’s cultural leaders and individuals purporting to speak on its succession affairs.
Succession battle threatens royal unity
The controversy has exposed what appears to be a deeper disagreement over the future leadership of Tooro following Oyo’s death. For more than three decades, Oyo served as the symbolic head of Tooro, ascending the throne as a child and later growing into one of Uganda’s most prominent traditional leaders.
His death has therefore created an emotionally charged transition for a kingdom already dealing with questions surrounding the future of the monarchy. At the centre of the dispute is the question of whether the succession should immediately focus on Oyo’s biological heir or whether the traditional mechanisms of identifying and selecting the next Omukama should first be completed.
The competing positions have generated anxiety among Batooro, particularly because the succession controversy has erupted before the late king has even been buried. The involvement of senior royal officials on different sides of the controversy has further complicated the situation.
Sources at Karuziika said the meeting with Alupo was therefore intended to encourage dialogue and prevent the succession dispute from spilling into open confrontation. The presence of Omusuuga, Queen Mother Best Kemigisha and Prime Minister Rwomiire at the palace, and their subsequent consultations, highlighted the urgency of the situation.
Desmond Kamurasi caught in the middle
Ironically, Prince George Desmond Kamurasi, whose name was thrust into the centre of the succession storm by Mwenda’s announcement, is reportedly uncomfortable with the manner in which he has been presented as the next Omukama.
Sources close to the royal family said Kamurasi, who enjoyed a close relationship with his nephew Oyo, has asked for privacy and respect as he mourns the fallen king. According to one source, Kamurasi has reportedly rejected attempts by individuals to use his name in the succession battle.
“Kamurasi has labelled as enemies to the kingdom those trying to pronounce him king yet all the Batooro clearly know how a new king is selected,” the source said. The reported position could further complicate the controversy because Mwenda’s announcement effectively placed Kamurasi at the centre of a battle he may not have sought.
It also raises questions about whether the alleged vote was genuinely intended to select a king or whether individuals were attempting to influence the succession process before the traditional structures had completed their work.
It remains unclear whether Kamurasi will travel to Tooro to attend the final ceremonies for his nephew, although his reported desire for privacy suggests that he may be reluctant to become publicly involved in the succession contest at this stage.
Burial now takes centre stage
With Oyo’s burial scheduled for September 12, senior officials are increasingly concerned that the succession dispute could overshadow the solemn ceremonies planned to honour the late king. Alupo’s intervention is therefore being viewed as an attempt to restore calm within the royal establishment and create space for the kingdom to mourn before embarking on the difficult process of identifying Oyo’s successor.
The Vice-President’s visit also carried a symbolic message: that the government expects Tooro’s cultural leaders to resolve their differences peacefully and protect the unity of the kingdom. During her visit, Alupo paid her respects to Oyo and laid a wreath at his casket, joining thousands of Batooro and other mourners who have been paying tribute to the monarch.
The immediate challenge for the kingdom is now to prevent the succession dispute from becoming a permanent rupture within the royal institution. For now, the alleged 15-to-one vote remains at the centre of the storm, but the most important question remains unanswered: who, under the recognised traditions and procedures of Tooro, has the authority to choose the next Omukama? Until that question is settled, Mwenda’s announcement will continue to hang over Tooro as the kingdom prepares to bury its longest-serving monarch.
Author Profile
- Mr. Stephen Kasozi Muwambi is a seasoned crime investigative writer, majoring in judicial-based stories. His two decades’ experience as a senior investigative journalist has made him one of the best to reckon on in Uganda. He can also be reached via [email protected]
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