FORT PORTAL — The succession question in Tooro Kingdom has taken a dramatic new turn after the Omusuuga of Tooro, Charles Akiiki Kamurasi, publicly distanced himself from reports that George Desmond Kamurasi had already been selected to replace the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Speaking on September 05, the Omusuuga said he was not aware of any successor having been formally chosen, throwing fresh uncertainty over reports that the 36-year-old royal had secured the backing of the kingdom’s Royal Succession Committee.
The intervention came less than 24 hours after journalist Andrew Mwenda announced that the 21-member Royal Succession Committee had selected George Desmond Kamurasi as Oyo’s successor.
Mwenda reported that 18 members attended a meeting held in Fort Portal on Friday, September 4, with 15 voting in favour of Kamurasi. He further said the formal announcement would come after Oyo’s burial, in accordance with Tooro custom.
But the Omusuuga’s subsequent public remarks have created a striking contradiction: the man reported to be chairing the succession committee says he has no knowledge of a successor having been formally selected.
The development has now transformed what initially appeared to be a straightforward royal succession into a contest over what has actually been decided, who has authority to announce it and, potentially, whether all questions surrounding Oyo’s reported heir have been resolved.
THE MYSTERY OF OYO’S PURPORTED SON
One of the most sensitive questions hanging over the succession is the reported existence of a biological son of the late King Oyo.
The issue gained prominence after Tooro’s Omuhikirwa or prime minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire told the kingdom that the late monarch had left behind a son and heir to the throne, in the official announcement confirming Oyo’s demise. That statement was significant because a recognised biological son of a deceased Omukama could occupy a particularly important position in the traditional succession process, as as the Omuhikirwa put it, ensure continuity.
The issue was further elevated when President Museveni referred to the existence of Oyo’s son in discussions following the monarch’s death. Queen Mother Best Kemigisa also reportedly told the President that her late son had been survived by a son, adding another high-level reference to the purported heir.
Those statements have raised an obvious question: if Oyo left behind a biological son, what position does that child occupy in the succession process, and how does that claim fit with the reported selection of George Desmond Kamurasi?
The question has become even more important because Kamurasi is reportedly a first cousin of the late king and comes from another branch of the Babiito royal family. His reported selection therefore immediately raises questions about the status, recognition and eligibility of Oyo’s purported son.
The available reporting does not establish publicly that the child has been formally recognised by the Babiito clan as the successor, nor does it provide a definitive public explanation from the kingdom reconciling the earlier references to Oyo’s son with the reported selection of Kamurasi.
There are reports that Oyo’s son got only one vote during the selection exercise.
That unresolved issue now sits at the centre of the wider succession mystery.
MWENDA’S SUCCESSION BOMBSHELL
The latest controversy began when Mwenda announced on Friday that the Royal Succession Committee had settled on George Desmond Kamurasi.
The committee was constituted by the Babiito royal clan after Oyo’s death and comprises 21 members.
Mwenda said 18 members attended Friday’s meeting, with 15 voting for Kamurasi. He identified the proposed successor as a first cousin of Oyo and the son of George Desmond “Jimmy” Mugenyi.
Mwenda also said he had spoken with the Omusuuga, who told him that Tooro custom requires the public announcement of a new king to be made after the burial of the deceased monarch.
But the Omusuuga’s Saturday clarification has now complicated that narrative.
OMUSUUGA’S DENIAL
Charles Akiiki Kamurasi’s intervention is particularly significant because he has been identified as chairman of the Royal Succession Committee.
By publicly saying he was unaware of any successor having been formally selected, the Omusuuga effectively challenged the impression that the succession process had already reached a settled conclusion.
The contradiction has prompted renewed scrutiny of the difference between an internal committee vote, a recommendation to the Babiito clan and the formal customary proclamation of a new Omukama.
The distinction matters.
Even reports supporting Kamurasi’s selection have acknowledged that the formal public announcement has not yet taken place.
That means George Desmond Kamurasi may have emerged as the reported choice of the succession committee without yet becoming the formally proclaimed Omukama of Tooro.
WHO IS GEORGE DESMOND KAMURASI?
Kamurasi is a member of the Babiito royal family and has been identified as a first cousin of the late King Oyo.
He is the son of George Desmond “Jimmy” Mugenyi, who was a younger brother of Oyo’s father, former Omukama Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III.
His family connection to the throne therefore runs deep.
Reports surrounding his selection have also highlighted the historical position of his father within the royal succession structure. According to accounts cited in recent reporting, Mugenyi was identified in the will of his father, former Omukama George Rukidi III, as second in line to succeed his elder brother, King Olimi Kaboyo II.
That lineage has become an important part of the explanation for why Kamurasi emerged as a candidate after Oyo’s death.
THE SUCCESSION QUESTION
The controversy ultimately comes down to a fundamental question: who has the strongest traditional claim to succeed Oyo?
Tooro’s succession process is rooted in the Babiito royal clan, whose elders and designated structures play a central role in identifying the next monarch.
A biological son of the deceased king, where recognised as an eligible heir, would naturally be a highly consequential factor.
But if no biological son is formally recognised through the appropriate traditional process, the succession machinery can turn to other eligible members of the royal lineage.
That is where George Desmond Kamurasi’s reported selection becomes significant.
The committee appears to have considered him an eligible member of the royal family and, according to Mwenda’s account, secured a substantial majority among those who attended the September 4 meeting.
Yet the public has not been given a comprehensive explanation of how the reported selection relates to the earlier statements about Oyo’s son.
MOURNING BEFORE THE CROWN
The succession drama is unfolding while Tooro remains in mourning.
Oyo’s remains were returned to Uganda on Friday, September 4, and the kingdom has been preparing for his final burial. The late king is expected to be buried at the Karambi Royal Tombs on September 12.
The timing is important because the reported succession decision itself has been tied to the burial.
Under the account given by Mwenda, the committee could identify its preferred candidate before the funeral, but the formal public proclamation would wait until after Oyo has been laid to rest.
That customary sequence means Tooro could remain in a period of uncertainty for several more days.
A KINGDOM WAITING FOR ANSWERS
The conflicting accounts have sent social media into a frenzy, with users comparing Mwenda’s announcement with the Omusuuga’s subsequent clarification.
At the centre of the debate are three unresolved questions.
Was George Desmond Kamurasi actually selected by the Royal Succession Committee?
If so, why did the chairman publicly say he was unaware of the selection?
And perhaps most importantly:
What is the status of the son whom the Omuhikirwa hinted on in his announcement confirming Oyo’s death, and one that Queen Mother Best Kemigisa reportedly identified to President Museveni as having been left behind by King Oyo?
Until those questions are answered by the authorised traditional institutions, the succession remains clouded by competing accounts.
George Desmond Kamurasi may indeed be the man who eventually ascends the Tooro throne. Recent reporting indicates that he has emerged as the committee’s reported choice.
But the Omusuuga’s latest intervention makes one thing clear: the succession story is not yet as settled publicly as earlier reports suggested.
For now, the kingdom remains focused on burying its fallen king.
The next chapter of Tooro’s monarchy will come only after the mourning rites, the traditional process and the Babiito leadership have spoken with one voice.
You can see George Desmond Kamurasi’s photos, his Mzungu wife and interesting facts about the reported new Tooro king Here and There.
Read about the backlash that Andrew Mwenda is facing for Prematurely Revealing Newly Selected Tooro King Here.
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