MUSUUGA POWERS! Energized by His Tooro Counterpart, Bunyoro’s Chief Prince (Okwir) Shakes Kingdom Leadership As Power Struggle Intensifies Amidst Omukama Gafabusa Sickness

1. BUNYORO — A fresh leadership shake-up is looming in Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom after Chief Prince (Okwiri) Eng. Fred Mugenyi Rucunya confirmed that the tenure of Prime Minister Andrew Byakutaga Ateenyi expired months ago, signalling possible changes at the top of the kingdom administration.

Rucunya, speaking amid a deepening dispute over the kingdom’s leadership, said the administration is preparing to make changes following the expiry of Byakutaga’s tenure.

The Okwiri’s declaration comes at a particularly sensitive moment for the kingdom, with the health of Omukama Solomon Iguru Gafabusa I emerging as another factor in the contest over who should exercise executive authority on behalf of the institution.

Rucunya confirmed that the Omukama is currently not doing well healthwise, but maintained that the kingdom’s constitutional framework provides for the Chief Prince to take charge of kingdom duties when the monarch is unable to perform them.

According to Rucunya, his intervention is therefore not an attempt to assume the powers of the Omukama but an exercise of responsibilities attached to the office of Okwiri under the kingdom’s constitution.

The development could further intensify the long-running confrontation between Rucunya and Byakutaga, whose continued occupation of the premiership has been challenged by the Babiito clan.

Byakutaga was appointed Omuhikirwa, or Prime Minister, by Omukama Solomon Iguru Gafabusa I in January 2018. His initial tenure expired in October 2023 and was subsequently extended to June 2024.

Rucunya and the Babiito leadership have disputed the validity of that extension and have maintained that Byakutaga’s tenure ended in June 2024.

Byakutaga, however, has maintained that his appointment does not carry a fixed expiry date and that only the Omukama has the authority to remove him.

The disagreement has persisted for more than two years and has previously resulted in efforts by the Babiito clan to establish an interim administration after Byakutaga declined to leave office.

Okwiri invokes constitutional mandate

Rucunya’s latest intervention places the office of Okwiri at the heart of the dispute.

He said the health condition of the Omukama makes it necessary for the Chief Prince to champion the affairs of the kingdom in accordance with the constitution.

The Okwiri also pointed to developments in neighbouring Tooro Kingdom, where the office of Omusuuga, the equivalent of Chief Prince, became highly visible during the mourning and burial of the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.

Rucunya said the Tooro experience has helped subjects in Bunyoro better understand the authority and responsibilities attached to the position of Chief Prince.

“Following what Omusuuga Charles Kamurasi did during the burial of Omukama Oyo, people in Bunyoro have now come to understand the powers that lie in the office of the chief prince.”

His remarks suggest that the current changes are being presented as part of a constitutional responsibility rather than simply an administrative disagreement with the Prime Minister.

Byakutaga tenure remains contested

The dispute over Byakutaga’s position has continued since 2024, when the Babiito clan ordered him to vacate the premiership after his extended tenure expired.

When he remained in office, the clan moved to establish an interim Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Rucunya has now confirmed that further changes are being prepared, potentially setting the stage for another major confrontation over control of the kingdom’s administration.

At the centre of the dispute is a fundamental question: who exercises the authority to manage Bunyoro’s affairs when the Omukama is unable to personally perform his duties?

Rucunya says the kingdom’s constitutional provisions empower the Okwiri to champion those duties, while the unresolved disagreement over the Prime Minister’s tenure continues to shape the kingdom’s leadership landscape.