Chief Prince (Musuuga) Charles Kayondo Kamurasi, the traditional head of the Babiito royal clan in Tooro, has praised the late King Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III and the Holy Spirit after receiving a brand-new Toyota Land Cruiser TX valued at Shs180 million.
The white Prado Land Cruiser was handed over to Kamurasi at Karuziika Palace by Tooro’s Coronation Organising Committee chairperson, Isaiah Mayombo, on behalf of subjects, elders and well-wishers who organised a fundraising drive to honour his contribution to the kingdom during the turbulent period that followed the death of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
The organisers said the vehicle was given to Kamurasi in recognition of his steadfast defence of Tooro’s cultural traditions and norms and his contribution to the process leading to the enthronement of the kingdom’s next king.
But in his response, Kamurasi shifted the focus from himself to the late Kaboyo, Oyo’s father, whom he credited with giving him the royal responsibility he has carried for more than three decades.
Kamurasi recalled that Kaboyo entrusted him with the responsibility on August 26, 1995, and said he was grateful to have lived up to the confidence placed in him.
He said he was particularly pleased that he had made Kaboyo proud by looking after Prince Oyo from the time he was entrusted with that responsibility until the former king died aged 34.
Kamurasi also invoked his Christian faith, saying the Holy Spirit gave him the strength to withstand the challenges he encountered while defending what he described as the glory of Tooro.
He said the journey had taken him through difficult periods, which he likened to walking through valleys and mountains, but maintained that he remained steadfast because of the responsibility Kaboyo had given him.
The Musuuga thanked the Batooro for their generosity, saying the vehicle was a gesture from the community he had served.
His remarks came as Tooro continues to mourn Oyo while preparing for the coronation of Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I on September 29.
Kamurasi urged the kingdom to move forward despite the grief surrounding Oyo’s death, saying mourning the late king should not prevent Tooro from continuing with its affairs.
Oyo died in August aged 34 after battling an aggressive brain cancer. His death ended a 31-year reign that began when he ascended the throne as a three-year-old following the death of his father, Kaboyo, in 1995.
The succession that followed Oyo’s death has generated competing positions within the royal establishment, with Kamurasi himself becoming a central figure in the process before Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I emerged as the incoming Omukama.
The Shs180 million vehicle now adds another significant gesture of support for Kamurasi as Tooro prepares for the September 29 coronation.
You can read about the new ‘title’ for Best Kemigisa after she lost the Queen Mother role Here.
A Look at the Kings and History of Tooro: From Olimi I to Oyo
