LOWER THE TEMPERATURE! Tooro Prime Minister Omuhikirwa Rwomiire Tells Museveni Government: Don’t Choose a King for Us

Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Omuhikirwa Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki has appealed to the Government of Uganda, led by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, to help maintain peace and order in Tooro but stop short of determining who should inherit the Crown, as a succession dispute threatens to deepen while the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV is yet to be buried.

In a statement issued on Thursday, September 10, Rwomiire described the moment as one of the most painful and delicate periods in the history of the Kingdom, warning that competing positions over the succession had emerged before the Kingdom had laid its late King to rest.

“We are living through one of the most painful and delicate moments in the history of our Kingdom,” Rwomiire said.

“His Majesty Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV has passed away, and even before we have laid our King to rest, sharply differing positions have emerged regarding succession to the Crown of Tooro.”

The Prime Minister’s statement was issued amid competing claims over who should succeed Oyo, who died aged 34 after a battle with cancer.

Rwomiire acknowledged that one group has already announced a new King, while the late Omukama’s Will contains what he described as the King’s “expressed wishes regarding succession.”

“On one hand, a group has announced a new King. On the other, there is a Will left by the late Omukama containing his expressed wishes regarding succession,” he said.

“These are serious matters that must ultimately be addressed.”

But the Prime Minister questioned whether the succession battle should be taking place before Oyo’s burial, arguing that the timing risks overshadowing the mourning of the King.

“As Batooro, we must ask whether this is the right moment, and whether the manner in which this is unfolding honours the King whose body we have not yet laid to rest,” he said.

“Whatever our positions or interpretations of Tooro’s customs and institutions, there must remain a minimum standard of moral decency.”

‘Let us first bury our King’

Rwomiire made burial of Oyo the immediate priority, urging the competing sides to suspend their confrontation and allow the Royal Family and the Kingdom to mourn.

“Let us first bury our King,” he said.

He argued that the institution of the Omukama is bigger than the individuals currently involved in the succession dispute and warned against rushing to settle the Crown while the Kingdom remains in mourning.

“The Crown of Tooro has existed for generations and will endure long after all of us,” Rwomiire said.

“Nothing is so urgent that we must sacrifice the dignity of His Majesty’s final journey, the grief of the Royal Family, the unity of our people or the peace of our Kingdom to settle it now.”

The Prime Minister said the succession question could be addressed after the burial through a process that examines the late King’s Will alongside Tooro customs, applicable law and the institutions responsible for determining succession.

“There will be time to examine the Will, to hear those advancing a different position, and to consider our customs, the applicable law and the proper institutions through which succession should be determined,” he said.

“That process should take place calmly and credibly, not through competing announcements, confrontation, or attempts to establish facts on the ground while our King still awaits burial.”

His remarks appear aimed at cooling tensions following competing announcements surrounding Oyo’s successor.

‘This is not a request for Government to choose a King’

Rwomiire also directly addressed the Government of President Yoweri Museveni, asking it to support peace and order without becoming the institution that determines Tooro’s next monarch.

“I also respectfully appeal to the Government of Uganda to provide appropriate guidance and support to ensure that peace, order and sanity prevail during this sensitive period,” he said.

He then drew a clear line on what he expects from the Government.

“This is not a request for Government to choose a King for Tooro,” Rwomiire said.

“It is an appeal to help protect the conditions within which the relevant cultural, legal and institutional processes can take place peacefully, fairly and without intimidation or disorder.”

He further proposed the involvement of respected elders, cultural leaders and other credible figures if necessary to help the Kingdom navigate the dispute.

“Where necessary, respected elders, cultural leaders and other credible persons should also help guide an orderly way forward,” he said.

‘The Crown is too important to become the prize’

The Prime Minister appealed to all factions to exercise restraint, regardless of which candidate or interpretation of succession they support.

“Tooro is bigger than any one of us, and the Crown is too important to become the prize in a contest conducted in the middle of our mourning,” he said.

Rwomiire warned against confrontational language and behaviour, saying disagreements over the Crown should not destroy relationships among the people of Tooro.

“My appeal is simple: lower the temperature,” he said.

“We can disagree without destroying one another. We can defend our positions without insensitive language. We can seek the truth without abandoning our culture, dignity and humanity.”

The Prime Minister also framed the current dispute as a moment that would ultimately be judged by history—not only according to who becomes Omukama, but according to how the Kingdom handled itself following Oyo’s death.

“History will remember not only how the succession question was resolved, but also how we behaved when our King died,” he said.

‘Let us mourn together’

Rwomiire equally called for the burial of Oyo to take precedence over the succession contest, before the Kingdom turns to the question of the Crown through what he described as a dignified and fair process.

“Let it record that, in a moment of grief and disagreement, the people of Tooro chose restraint, our leaders chose wisdom over confrontation, and we gave His Majesty the dignity of resting in peace before turning to the future of his Crown,” he said.

“For now, let us mourn together. Let us bury our King with honour.”

“Then, with dignity, fairness and respect, let the truth and the proper process guide what comes next.”

“In whatever we do, Tooro must come first.”

You can see the Three Men who Oyo had chosen to succeed him, according to his Will written four years before his death HERE.

Meanwhile, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa says that Gen Kayanja Muhanga has placed her and other Royals Under House Arrest and withdrawn their royal guards, even as Princess Komuntale accused ‘evil vultures’ of engaging in stupid drama of choosing Edward Kijanangoma as new Tooro Omukama, as reported Here and There.