TAKEAWAYS

• Princess Ruth Nsemere Komuntale says Oyo’s will clearly provides for his biological son to succeed him.
• Princess Elizabeth Bagaya has publicly backed Komuntale, saying she has her full authority and support.
• A copy of Oyo’s 2022 will seen by this website provides for his son to inherit the throne, with named alternatives if he is unable to succeed.

The unfolding succession question in the Tooro Kingdom has taken another dramatic turn, with members of the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV’s family rejecting Wednesday’s announcement of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the next Omukama.

Hours after the Babiito royal clan announced Kijanangoma as the successor to the late king, Princess Ruth Nsemere Komuntale, a sister of the deceased monarch, came out to challenge the account of how the succession decision was reached.

Komuntale said the royal family had been involved in discussions over Oyo’s will and that another meeting involving lawyers was expected before a successor was formally proclaimed.

She said the announcement of Kijanangoma therefore came as a surprise to the family.

“What happened today honestly really took us by surprise. We have no idea that it was going to happen. We’re very confused.”

According to Komuntale, the family’s position is that Oyo’s wishes regarding the succession were clearly stated and should be respected.

At the centre of the dispute is the late king’s Last Will and Testament, a copy of which has been seen by this website.

The document, dated September 14, 2022, was made and executed at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal.

In Article X, titled “Appointment of My Heir and Successor to the Crown,” Oyo appears to specifically address what should happen to the throne after his death.

Clause 10.1 states that if, at the time of his death, he is survived by a son “lawfully recognized as my biological Son,” he appoints that son as his heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Tooro, subject to the Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act, 2011, and the customs and traditions of Tooro.

Komuntale was unequivocal in her interpretation of the document.

“Clearly that the next person in line is his son. That’s the next heir to the throne. And he also left very strict instructions on any other successors who might take over just in case of, you know, of a plan B.”

The will also appears to provide for a succession hierarchy in the event that Oyo’s son cannot assume the throne.

Clause 10.2 states that if Oyo had no son able to succeed him, or if his son died before assuming the throne, became permanently incapacitated or was otherwise unable to assume the duties and responsibilities of the throne, succession would pass to his cousin Prince Komwiswa Yoweri, son of Musuga Charles Kamurasi Akiiki.

The same clause provides another alternative if Komwiswa Yoweri is unable to succeed, naming Prince Nyaika Solomon, son of Musuga Charles Kamurasi Akiiki, as the next person in the stated line.

The document further states that the succession should be recognised and implemented peacefully and with dignity, in accordance with the law and Tooro customs and traditions.

Oyo also wrote that the installation of his successor should be conducted according to the kingdom’s customs and traditions and the applicable law.

Perhaps most significantly, he concluded the succession section by giving his successor a message of leadership.

“May he reign with wisdom, humility, Justice, courage and compassion; may he protect the dignity and unity of the Kingdom.”

He further described leadership as stewardship and said the Crown exists in service to the people.

Komuntale says the family had not reached the point at which a new Omukama should have been proclaimed.

She revealed that the family had earlier met General David Sejusa Tumukunde, with Musuga Charles Kamurasi and other Babiito also present.

According to her, discussions had centred on the late king’s will, with plans to meet again with lawyers to examine the document before a successor was announced.

“The plan was actually to meet again tomorrow with some lawyers to go over the will one more time before the next successor is actually proclaimed and is mentioned.”

She described the subsequent announcement as unexpected and urged the people of Tooro to remain calm.

The timing has also become particularly sensitive because King Oyo has not yet been buried.

Komuntale appealed for restraint, saying the royal family should be allowed to mourn before the succession dispute escalates further.

“We can’t even mourn my brother in peace.”

Komuntale’s position has also received strong backing from Princess Elizabeth Bagaya, another prominent member of the Tooro royal family.

In a message of support, Bagaya said Komuntale had her full authority and backing during what she described as a tragic period.

“She has all my authority, all my support. This is a tragic time but you have my support, you have all my love.”

Bagaya further urged those involved to listen to Komuntale, saying:

“Nobody else has the authority of her brother.”

Her intervention adds another significant royal voice to a succession debate that had appeared to have been settled following the announcement of Kijanangoma.

The immediate question is whether Wednesday’s proclamation will stand or whether the contents of Oyo’s will will trigger another round of consultations within the Babiito royal clan.

There is also an important distinction between a deceased monarch expressing his wishes in a will and the legal and customary process through which a cultural leader is actually recognised and installed.

Indeed, Oyo’s own will acknowledges this distinction by repeatedly referring to the Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act and the customs and traditions of Tooro.

That means the coming days could be crucial.

With Oyo’s burial still ahead, the royal family is facing the difficult task of mourning the 34-year-old monarch while simultaneously confronting a potentially consequential disagreement over who should inherit the crown.

For now, Prince Edward Kijanangoma has been announced as the next Omukama by the Babiito succession process.

But Oyo’s family is saying the succession question is not settled.

And with the late king’s own written succession provisions now entering the public debate, the Tooro Kingdom may have entered a new and highly sensitive phase of its royal transition.