Prince Patrick Mpuuga and Prince Solomon Nyaika said their father had been influenced by self-interested individuals whom they accused of using him to advance an agenda within the kingdom.

The princes argued that the succession process should be guided by the wishes of the late Omukama, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, rather than by a process they described as an attempt to vote or elect a monarch.

“A king is not voted. The Musuuga was hijacked by certain people,” the princes said in their criticism of the developments surrounding their father.

Their intervention has added another layer to an already bitter dispute that has divided members of the royal family, cultural leaders and sections of the Tooro establishment.

Row Over New King

The controversy erupted following the announcement of Prince Edward Kijanangoma Rukidi as the new King of Tooro, a development that has been disputed by sections of the royal family and kingdom officials.

The sons of Omusuuga Kamurasi said their father had retired during last year’s coronation anniversary and that the process of identifying and installing a new Musuuga was expected to commence thereafter.

They therefore questioned the authority under which their father is now participating in the succession debate.

The princes further argued that the late King Oyo’s will should be respected, maintaining that it provides guidance on the succession question.

Prince Patrick Mpuuga, in particular, said the will of King Oyo concerning succession must prevail over any competing arrangements.

‘Respect Oyo’s Will’

The position of the two princes appears to put them directly at odds with their father at a time when the kingdom is preparing to bury King Oyo.

Their intervention is significant because Omusuuga Kamurasi has been one of the prominent cultural figures involved in the unfolding succession discussions.

The princes’ remarks have also revived questions about who has the legitimate authority to determine the next Omukama and whether the process should be based on traditional succession arrangements, the late king’s wishes or decisions made by cultural institutions.

They rejected the suggestion that the monarch could simply be chosen through voting.

According to them, the institution of kingship is hereditary and rooted in established cultural traditions rather than electoral contests.

Succession Claims Multiply

The comments came as Tooro continued to grapple with competing claims over the identity of King Oyo’s successor.

The dispute intensified after veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda reported that a successor had been identified following a meeting of members of the Royal Succession Committee.

The announcement naming Prince George Desmond Kamurasi as a possible successor triggered confusion, with some cultural officials distancing themselves from the information.

The latest development involving Prince Kijanangoma has further complicated the situation, with different camps appearing to advance competing claims about who should occupy the throne.

Bireete Backs Oyo’s Wishes

The princes’ position has attracted attention beyond the kingdom. Dr Sarah Bireete, who has been commenting on the unfolding developments, said the latest events demonstrated how rapidly information from Tooro was changing.

“It looks like between now and Saturday, every breaking news from Tooro Kingdom will be broken in a matter of hours,” she wrote.

Bireete also highlighted the significance of the princes’ decision to distance themselves from their father’s position.

She said the sons had reminded their father that he retired after last year’s coronation and questioned whether he still possessed the authority he was claiming in the current succession dispute.

She further argued that King Oyo had the right to name his successor and that the late king’s wishes should be respected.

“King Oyo was a very peaceful King with global respect. His family should be protected as they mourn. Their grief is deeper and different,” Bireete said.

“A King had a right to name a successor and King Oyo named his. We hope Obumaka Bwa Tooro will maintain respect for their King.”

Museveni’s Heir Remarks

The intervention by the two princes comes at a particularly sensitive moment for Tooro, with preparations for King Oyo’s burial taking place amid intense disagreements over the kingdom’s future leadership.

The late king died after a prolonged illness, leaving behind a royal family now at the centre of a succession debate.

President Yoweri Museveni has previously said he was informed that King Oyo had a son and heir, a statement that has become an important element in the argument over succession.

Museveni’s remarks have fuelled questions about whether the late king’s wishes and the existence of an heir should take precedence in determining the next monarch.

The position taken by Princes Mpuuga and Nyaika appears to support those calling for greater consideration of the late king’s wishes.

‘Father Was Hijacked’

Their criticism of their father is also likely to deepen scrutiny of the role of cultural leaders in the succession process.

The princes’ assertion that their father was “hijacked” by self-seekers is particularly explosive because it suggests that individuals outside the immediate royal decision-making structures may be influencing the kingdom’s leadership. They did not, however, publicly identify the individuals they accused of hijacking their father.

The succession dispute has already attracted interventions from political, cultural and public figures, many of whom have called for calm and unity.

Calls For Peace

Former Assistant Inspector General of Police Asan Kasingye appealed for prayers for the kingdom, saying: “Let us all pray for Tooro Kingdom. May God restore the dignity, peace and sanctity of the Kingdom.”

Journalist Canary Mugume also drew attention to the extraordinary development, noting that the two sons of Omusuuga had rejected their father’s backing of the newly announced King Kijanangoma.

The disagreement between a father and his sons over such a sensitive cultural matter underscores the depth of the crisis confronting Tooro.

Burial Overshadowed By Succession

For the royal family and cultural institutions, the immediate challenge is how to resolve the competing claims without further damaging the dignity of the kingdom.

With King Oyo’s burial approaching, pressure is mounting on all sides to put aside their differences and ensure that the late monarch is laid to rest with the respect accorded to the institution of Omukama.

However, the public disagreement among members of the royal and cultural establishment means that the question of succession is unlikely to disappear with the burial.

Instead, the debate over who has the authority to determine the next Omukama, what role King Oyo’s alleged will should play, and whether the traditional institutions have followed the correct process is likely to continue.

Tooro Faces Uncertain Future

For now, Princes Mpuuga and Nyaika have made their position clear: they do not support the position attributed to their father and insist that King Oyo’s wishes must be respected.

Their intervention has transformed what was already a bitter institutional dispute into a deeply personal disagreement within the family of one of the kingdom’s senior cultural leaders.

As Tooro mourns its late king, the succession question remains unresolved, with competing camps claiming legitimacy and calling for their interpretation of tradition and the late monarch’s wishes to prevail.

The burial committee said the ceremony will be conducted in accordance with the cultural norms and traditions of the kingdom, with public access to the royal tombs restricted during the final rituals.

The restrictions are intended to protect the sanctity of the royal burial grounds and allow traditional custodians to perform rituals that are reserved for the royal family and authorised cultural officials.

The announcement came as Tooro intensified preparations for the final farewell to the young king, whose death has plunged the kingdom into mourning and triggered intense attention across the country.

Henry Basaliza Araali, the Tooro Kingdom Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs and head of protocol for the burial committee, announced the programme at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal City on Tuesday evening.

Araali said the body will be available for public viewing until Friday at 5:00pm, after which the final preparations for the burial will begin.

He said the funeral service will be conducted on Saturday following a national send-off prayer service at St John’s Cathedral in Fort Portal City.

“According to the norms and traditions of the Tooro Kingdom, King Oyo must be laid to rest no later than 2:00pm on Saturday,” Araali said.

Public Viewing To End Friday

The announcement means mourners wishing to pay their final respects to the late king will have until 5:00pm on Friday to view his body.

After the closure of public viewing, preparations will shift to the final royal rites ahead of the burial at Karambi.

The burial committee has urged the public to respect the restrictions around the royal tombs, saying the measures are necessary to ensure that the cultural rituals are performed without interruption.

The Karambi Royal Tombs hold deep historical and cultural significance to the people of Tooro and are the traditional resting place of Tooro kings and members of the royal family.

The burial of Omukama Oyo is therefore expected to combine a national mourning ceremony with strictly guarded cultural rites that will be conducted according to the traditions of the kingdom.

Four-Hour Funeral Service

The burial committee also disclosed that the funeral service for Oyo will last four hours.

Only four people have been selected to eulogise the late Omukama during the service, a decision that is expected to give the ceremony a tightly structured and solemn character.

The speakers will include Oyo’s sister, Princess Ruth Nsemere Komuntale; Queen Mother Best Kemigisa; Omusuuga Charles Kamurasi; and a representative of President Yoweri Museveni.

Their selection brings together representatives of the royal family, the Tooro Kingdom leadership and the national government.

The eulogies are expected to reflect on different aspects of Oyo’s life, including his role as Omukama, his relationship with the people of Tooro and his contribution to the kingdom during his reign.

The presence of a representative of President Museveni will also underline the national significance attached to the burial of the king.

National Send-Off

Before the final burial rites, mourners will gather for a national send-off prayer service at St John’s Cathedral in Fort Portal City. The service is expected to attract members of the royal family, cultural leaders, government officials, political leaders, religious leaders, diplomats and thousands of ordinary mourners.

Oyo’s death has generated widespread mourning, with messages of condolence coming from across Uganda and beyond.

The young king’s reign had made him one of the most recognisable cultural leaders in the country, while his age at the time of his death drew particular attention to his life and legacy.

The national prayer service will provide an opportunity for the public to participate in the farewell before the proceedings move to Karambi for the final royal burial rituals.

Royal Tombs Closed To Public

One of the most significant aspects of the programme is the decision to restrict public access to the royal tombs during the burial.

The burial committee said the restrictions are not intended to exclude mourners from the funeral but rather to preserve the sacredness of the traditional rites.

This means that while thousands of mourners are expected to participate in the public aspects of the funeral, access to the actual burial site will be limited.

The distinction reflects the dual nature of a royal burial in Tooro, where public mourning is accompanied by cultural rituals whose conduct is guided by traditional norms.

The committee has consequently urged mourners to respect the arrangements and follow instructions from officials and cultural custodians.

Muhoozi Mourns Oyo

The announcement of the burial programme came amid continued messages of grief from national leaders and prominent figures.

Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba expressed his deep sorrow over the death of the Tooro monarch.

In a message posted on social media, Muhoozi said he was mourning his “beloved King Oyo” and described the death as deeply painful.

“I mourn for my beloved King Oyo. My heart is broken. I have wept since he passed. May our God Jesus Christ help me,” Muhoozi said.

The message added to a growing stream of tributes to Oyo from political, religious, cultural and military leaders.

Tooro Prepares For Final Farewell

With the burial date now firmly set, attention in Tooro has shifted to ensuring that the final ceremonies proceed smoothly and according to the kingdom’s established cultural practices.

The burial committee is coordinating the public programme, protocol and access arrangements, while cultural custodians are expected to oversee the traditional rites at Karambi.

The committee’s decision to end public viewing on Friday evening will also allow the royal family and authorised cultural officials to prepare for the final stage of the funeral.

For the people of Tooro, Saturday’s ceremony will mark the end of a period of mourning that has brought the kingdom together in grief.

The late Omukama will then be laid to rest among his royal predecessors at Karambi, in keeping with the traditions of the kingdom he led.

Araali said the programme had been designed to balance the public’s desire to mourn their king with the need to protect the cultural and traditional requirements surrounding a royal burial.

The key deadline remains 2:00pm on Saturday.

By that time, according to Tooro tradition, Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV must have been laid to rest at the Karambi Royal Tombs, bringing to a close the public ceremonies for the late monarch and beginning a new chapter for the Tooro Kingdom.

The side-dish saw her new elevated position and luck with the military General as an opportunity for her to erase the official wife from the minds of the otherwise known savedee General. She went about her plan by exploiting her thigh power (Kitone) to charm the rather battle-hardened General from beyond Jinja City. She would find it easier to have the whole man for herself since his wife was, and still lives in the US with the children who were, and still, going to school there. With the fashionista now treating him to a good serving of tastiest, romantic bouts than never before, the soldier ended up forgetting wholly about visiting the family in the US.

The soldierly guy would now, further delegate his newfound love as a financial controller charged with even wiring upkeep funds to the family in the US. Starved of conjugal rights for months and not knowing what was going on in Uganda with her man, the wife decided to board a flight back home to establish what exactly was going on. Before shooting into the skies for Uganda, the woman had contacted her man to alert him of her homecoming.

The man panicked, not knowing how to handle the impromptu visit now that he had to take care of the extraencroacher as well. Lost for what to do, the soldier contacted the side-show who promptly organized funds and booked the wife into an hotel facility! The soldier truly explained to the wife how the residence located some place along Kampala-Jinja road, was undergoing renovation!

Indeed, the fashionista had contracted a company to renovate the residence of the hitherto low profile, and style-deficient General. The wife was unusually picked by military vehicles and escorted to the Hotel along Kafu Road into which, she had been booked. All this, without even a call from her previously lovely and caring husband. Curious to know what was going on, the wife contacted friendly wives of other Generals in her husband`s docket, including that of his top boss. These, broke the ugly news to her, how the fashionista had for sometime now, been acting lovey-dovey with her man.

This, coupled with the fact that the man had not joined her in the hotel as would be expected of lovers who hadn’t met for a while, convinced the woman beyond any reasonable doubt, that the fashionista had grabbed her man. After spending three days in the hotel cold and lonely, the dejected female soul returned to the US,heartbroken. She left throwing all sorts of curses. On our return, expect to read us of, what befell the general and what is gradually befalling the heavily military-guarded fashionista. Much appreciated for keeping hooked up here.

Sadolin Wallguard ® is unlike other paint brands in that it not only offers the smooth finish and colour expected from high quality paint but also features unique MouldexMoisture Resist technology.

Developed by an international task team to meet the harsh local climatic requirements, Sadolin Wallguard’s MouldexMoisture Resist has a dual purpose.  It allows harmful trapped moisture to escape while creating an impermeable barrier that stops outside moisture from getting in.  This breakthrough technology makes Sadolin Wallguard’sperformance superior to other paints and provides the assurance that paint work will resist mould attack for longer.

Commenting on the new product, Nathalie Sweeney, Marketing Director AkzoNobel Sub-Sahara Africa said; “We are thrilled to launch Sadolin Wallguard ®, leading a comprehensive range of protective paints for walls, roofs and exterior surface preparation to address the damaging effects of humidity.”

“Humidity and mould can really make a house look old before it’s time but now with the new Sadolin Wallguard® with Mouldex Moisture Resist, walls will look cleaner and mould-free for longer,” Sweeney added.

Deon Nieuwoudt, the Commercial Director East Africa at AkzoNobel said that as Grand Masters of Protection since 1907, Sadolin does not only provide exceptional colour and finish to customers but also meets the modern exterior protection needs required from premium paint products.

“The new Sadolin Wallguard ® with Mouldex moisture resist specially made for Uganda offers ultimate protection and it gives longer lasting protection in extreme humidity,” said Mr. Nieuwoudt.

The new range of exterior paint products also boasts Sadolin Roofguard®, a pure acrylic paint that offers roof tops excellent protection and durability; Sadolin Rainsheild®, a flexible, fibre-reinforced water and crack resistant surface preparation waterproofing product for areas prone to water leaks and Dampshield®, a low-odour, quick drying water based preparation product that stops the destructive effect of rising and penetrating damp.

These 4 new specialist exterior products together with well-known Sadolin Weatherguard® take exterior protection in harsh and humid climates to a whole new level.

Some of the new features added include contributions payments for voluntary savers and employers whose payments are less than shs4m monthly, member contacts update, retirement benefits projections, employment history, e-statement and direct contact to Relationship Manager.

Addressing media and selected members at Café Javas, Patrick Ayota, the Deputy Managing Director, said that the app was an affirmation of the Fund’s commitment to transparency to its members by giving them access to monitor their NSSF accounts anytime, anywhere.

“Our plan is to improve our business processes to make them more efficient & convenient to members through innovations by 2025.The new app not only increases efficiency and service delivery to our customers, but also puts the power and control of their money in their hands” he said.

The upgraded app also gives members an opportunity to track their savings in a more detailed way and hold their employers accountable regarding their contributions.

“We expect to increase the compliance levels now that members are able to access more details of their account statement easily, like when last contributions were made, how much they received in a particular month, total contributions made by each of their employers including the first and current ones.” Ayota said.

In future, more features will be added to the app to include both member and employer registrations without having to NSSF offices. This will be through partnerships with the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) and Uganda Registration Services Bureau. I

n addition, eligible members will be able to initiate their benefits claims and track progress using the NSSF Go app.

The NSSF Go App is part of a variety of electronic channels the Fund introduced to improve its service delivery.

Other e- services channels include; The E-collections portal that allows employers to remit their employees’ contributions directly to their NSSF accounts through the Bank, within 24 hours, Mobile money payment platform, NSSF Payway and SMS alerts.

“When I moved on to Kampala, I planned to come and continue with my education, get empowered with life skill that would help me sustain my life even when not behind the mic” Said Jenneth Prischa, the Pe-Apore gospel hit marker and co-founder of Rockstar Edutainment.

According to Prischa she has enrolled for a two-year training in fashion and design at COWA centenary vocational training school, located in the premise of Nsambya catholic parish, a school dedicated to skilling the next generation of entrepreneurship with basic life skill for improved livelihood.

She further noted that, in between she will be seating for her Directorate of industrial training (DIT) craft exam soon a move which will see her join YWCA for further studies.

Prischa who had initially studied garment cutting and making from Northern Uganda Youth Development centre in Labora, Koro sub-county, Omoro county in Gulu district urged that she realized whatever she studied was insufficient. “The fashion and designed world keep on getting new trends every day, so one needs to be creative to remain relevant in this business, being passionate about fashion I did the obvious by returning to class to find a befitting skill for a better future”

And your music? I am still in game and not about to give up soon, I am just busy but slowly releasing great songs like my latest on corruption dubbed, Corruption anthem, Gang Myel, Tim Pa kongo and Simple Gyal which just need on air promotions. Meanwhile, “I wanna be Jesus’s follower, Mony Polo and Take me home under my gospel collection have been recorded pending mastering and release soon they too will be dropping out”

Prischa noted it was her prayers to go back to school because there is no future without a firm foundation and self-realization.

Whereas music fetches money at any given time its occasional but with a permanent job you will always be sure of bread in your house than anticipating gigs and surviving on hands out. I think a permanent job regardless of home small is an opportunity for a sustained life than being unemployed.

“as a musician you don’t know when you get a gig most of the gigs are on the peak time of the year based on calendar of events so its equally hard to know when you will get one or not.

This for me as a woman is petty survival that does not define my true meaning of being a celebrated. She appealed to her true fans and those who love her music to continuing enjoying the few she has to offer with a promise to make a mega return when the right time comes.