Tooro Kingdom monarch Omukama Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I is set to host a mega thanksgiving dinner in Kampala to appreciate members of the Tooro community and friends of the kingdom for their support following his ascension to the throne.
Journalist Andrew Irumba, a close ally of the monarch, announced the planned gathering after returning to Kampala from Tooro, where he said he had spent the past week after the king reportedly summoned him.
Irumba said Nyabongo I intended to personally meet and thank his supporters in Kampala instead of requiring them to travel to Fort Portal to visit him.
In a message announcing his return, Irumba claimed that the monarch had permitted him to resume his work in the capital. Labelling himself the King’s sharpest, double edged spear, Irumba delivered what he described as good news to the Tooro community and friends of the kingdom living in Kampala.
“Tooro community and all friends of Tooro in Kampala, this is the good news I came with,” he announced.
“You don’t have to trek the journey to Tooro to check on him unless it’s your choice.”
According to Irumba, the king intends to travel to Kampala for a thanksgiving dinner at which he will personally appreciate those who have supported him.
“He has told me he, himself will be the one to come and thank all of you for your support, at the biggest dinner, on a date his office will announce soon,” he said.
Irumba said the king’s Principal Private Secretary, Paul Nyakaana, would oversee the arrangements, with the journalist helping coordinate the gathering in Kampala.
“His PPS Mr. Paul Nyakaana will make all the arrangements for this. I will help him in the coordination in Kampala,” he said.
The journalist added that the monarch wanted the visit to mark his first appearance in Kampala as the Omukama of Tooro, rather than as a former television journalist returning from an assignment.
“Agutamba wants to thank all of you on his first day to Kampala as a King of Tooro not as a UBC TV reporter/news anchor returning from the field. I like that,” Irumba wrote.
Nyabongo I, a former Uganda Broadcasting Corporation television news anchor and editor, became the new ruler of Tooro following the death of his predecessor, Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, in August 2026.
From Oyo’s death to Nyabongo’s coronation
Oyo died on August 27, 2026, at the age of 34, ending a reign that began when he was just three years old in September 1995, following the death of his father, Omukama Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III.
His death plunged the kingdom into mourning and triggered a succession process that became contentious as members of the royal family and the Babiito clan differed over who should inherit the throne.
Following Oyo’s death, Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki announced that the late king had left behind a young prince whose identity would be disclosed at an appropriate time.
President Yoweri Museveni also referred to information he had received from Queen Mother Best Kemigisa concerning a possible heir.
However, the head of the Babiito royal clan, Omusuuga Charles Kayondo Kamurasi Akiiki, said the clan had no confirmed knowledge of a biological child of the late king who could succeed him.
The disagreement intensified after questions emerged over a purported will dated September 14, 2022, which reportedly identified Oyo’s preferred successor under specified conditions. Members of the royal family challenged the succession process, arguing that the late king’s wishes and the claims concerning his reported son needed to be considered.
Against that background, the Babiito clan established a 21-member committee to oversee the selection of a successor in accordance with Tooro’s customary traditions.
On September 9, 2026, the clan announced that it had selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a son of the late Prince Christopher Paul Kijanangoma and grandson of former Omukama George David Rukidi III, to succeed Oyo.
The decision was subsequently presented to the Tooro Kingdom Supreme Council, known as the Rukurato, which endorsed Kijanangoma on September 15.
Following the endorsement, he adopted the royal name Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I.
The succession remained controversial, with members of Oyo’s family questioning the selection and raising concerns about the purported will and the reported young heir. The Babiito clan maintained that it had followed the kingdom’s established customary procedures.
The government later announced that the traditional succession process had been completed and that preparations for the coronation could proceed.
On September 29, 2026, President Museveni presided over Nyabongo I’s coronation at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal, formally ushering in a new reign.
Thousands of Batooro and other guests attended the ceremony, which followed a thanksgiving service at St John’s Cathedral. Traditional royal rituals and celebrations at the palace marked the end of the mourning period and the restoration of the kingdom’s ceremonial activities.
In his first address as king, Nyabongo I paid tribute to his predecessor, thanked the Babiito clan for entrusting him with the throne and pledged to serve the people of Tooro.
The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development subsequently gazetted him as Omukama, recognising his succession with effect from September 29, the date of his coronation.
The transition marked the end of a difficult period for the kingdom, although questions raised during the succession process remained part of the public discussion surrounding the royal family’s future.
Nyabongo’s first Kampala visit as king
The planned thanksgiving dinner will offer the new monarch an opportunity to meet supporters and members of the Tooro community living in Kampala following the transition.
Irumba said the king was determined to appreciate those who had stood with him, describing the proposed gathering as an opportunity for the monarch to personally express his gratitude.
The journalist also portrayed Nyabongo as a humorous and approachable person, suggesting that the king’s personality would be evident when he meets his supporters in the capital.
The king’s office is expected to announce the date of the thanksgiving dinner and provide further details about the arrangements.
For members of the Tooro community in Kampala, the gathering will provide an opportunity to welcome Nyabongo I in his capacity as monarch and celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in the kingdom’s history.
