Table-Banging Tooro Politician Demands Changes in Omukama Nyabongo I Cabinet as Four Kingdom Counties Miss Out on Coveted Minister Positions

Rev. Moses Atuhaire, the Tooro politician who made headlines in March after twice snatching the speaker’s mace during a district council meeting in protest against a disputed appointment, has petitioned the kingdom’s principal advisers to push for changes in the cabinet of Omukama Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I.

In a petition dated October 15, 2026, Atuhaire, who is popularly known as Temba Emeeza (Climb on the Table), accused the newly constituted cabinet of regional exclusion, gender imbalance and a failure to fill a key resource mobilisation position.

The petition, addressed to the 11 principal advisers to the Omukama, argues that the distribution of ministerial positions has left several areas of Tooro without adequate representation, raising questions about inclusivity in the administration of the kingdom.

He wants Abahabuzi bo Mukama (Rutooro term for the king’s advisers) to take note of the “critical regional exclusion.”

He listed four areas that, according to his assessment, had received no representation in the cabinet: Kitagwenda District, Kyaka Saza, Kibale Saza and Kamwenge District.

He also questioned the representation of Mwenge County, which he said had only one representative, from Kyegegwa.

“Tooro is 9 Masaza and this violates inclusivity,” the petition states, referring to the kingdom’s nine traditional administrative counties.

Atuhaire argued that the cabinet was heavily concentrated in Kabarole and Bunyangabu, creating an imbalance that he wants the principal advisers to address.

He asked the advisers to “advise His Majesty to review the Cabinet to ensure 1–2 representatives per Saza, including Kitagwenda, Kyaka, Kibale, Kamwenge, and Mwenge.”

The petition does not identify the individual ministers whose appointments it challenges or provide a detailed breakdown of the cabinet’s regional composition. Its central argument is that the kingdom’s administration should reflect the diversity of the communities under the Omukama’s authority.

Atuhaire also raised concerns about the number of women appointed to the cabinet.

“Gender Imbalance: 8 women out of 33 = 24.2%; 0% at PM/DPM [Prime Minister/Deputy Prime Minister] level fails the 1/3 gender rule,” he wrote.

He wants the kingdom to increase women’s representation and appoint them to senior positions.

“Enforce the 40% gender rule and appoint women to strategic dockets to meet constitutional equity requirements,” the petition states.

The figures and the reference to a gender rule are claims made in the petition. Atuhaire did not identify a specific provision of the kingdom’s governing framework that establishes the 40 per cent threshold.

The petition also takes issue with the absence of an appointment to the Diaspora and Resource Mobilisation docket, which Atuhaire describes as essential to the kingdom’s financial sustainability.

“Resource Mobilization Docket Left TBC: the engine docket is left vacant, with no fundraising strategy in place,” he wrote.

He asked the principal advisers to ensure that the position is filled without delay.

“Immediately fill the Diaspora and Resource Mobilization docket with a competent professional to lead sustainable fundraising and diaspora engagement,” he said.

The petition argues that the absence of a resource mobilisation strategy could undermine efforts to secure funding and maintain relationships with people of Tooro origin living abroad.

Beyond appointments, Atuhaire questioned the administrative framework under which the cabinet is expected to operate.

“Governance Gaps: No TORs [Terms of Reference]; No Leadership Framework; No Governance Charter,” he wrote, referring to the alleged absence of terms of reference and formal documents defining the cabinet’s responsibilities and operations.

He wants the kingdom to publish the relevant documents.

“Publish clear Terms of Reference (TORs) and a formal Governance Charter for the Cabinet,” he said.

The petition closes with an appeal for a kingdom in which different communities feel represented and involved in its administration.

“We remain Abantu ba Tooro, including Abatooro, Banyankore, Bakiga, Banyarwanda, Bafumbira and other Friends of Tooro Kingdom, seeking a Kingdom that is inclusive, accountable, and united,” Atuhaire wrote.

He signed the document on behalf of what he described as Concerned Citizens of Tooro Kingdom.

The petition was addressed to the 11 principal advisers on October 15, less than three weeks after the September 29 coronation of Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I, who succeeded the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.

Whether the advisers will take up the demands or recommend changes to the cabinet remains unclear.

THE POLITICIAN WHO MADE HEADLINES BY SNATCHING A SPEAKER’S MACE

Atuhaire’s latest intervention in the affairs of Tooro Kingdom comes months after he became the centre of a dramatic confrontation at the Kyenjojo District Council, where he twice seized the speaker’s mace in protest against the proposed appointment of a chairperson to the District Service Commission.

The incident, which unfolded on March 11, 2026, involved a dispute over the nomination of Fred Bazarrabusa to lead the commission, a position that had become vacant following the death of its former chairperson, Joyce Kwebiiha, the previous month.

District chairperson Gilbert Rubaihayo had presented Bazarrabusa for approval when Atuhaire, the councillor representing Kyarusozi, objected to the nomination.

Atuhaire accused Bazarrabusa of incompetence, corruption and absenteeism during previous commission meetings when he served as a member.

When district council speaker Ronald Karamagi demanded evidence to support the allegations, Atuhaire insisted that the approval process be postponed until the next council sitting, promising to return with proof.

Karamagi rejected the request and directed the councillor to sit down.

Instead, Atuhaire stormed towards the speaker’s position, grabbed the mace and ran out of the council chamber, with the sergeant-at-arms in pursuit.

The mace, a symbol of the authority of the presiding officer, had suddenly become the centre of a confrontation that spilled out of the council chamber and into the streets of Kyenjojo town.

As he ran, Atuhaire turned his protest towards what he described as a broader problem in the district administration: the alleged sale of public jobs.

He claimed that employment opportunities were being sold instead of being awarded on merit, pointing to what he said were stalled promotions for teachers and nurses and unfilled positions in hospitals and schools.

Atuhaire eventually returned the mace, allowing the council meeting to resume.

But the confrontation did not end there.

When Karamagi announced plans to suspend the councillor, Atuhaire seized the mace for a second time, prompting police intervention.

He was arrested amid the ensuing chaos and taken to Kyenjojo Central Police Station.

Even as he was being taken into custody, Atuhaire continued to protest against what he described as corruption in recruitment and promotion processes.

“They are arresting me, but they cannot arrest those who sell jobs. Extortion here is too much,” he said.

His allegations about the sale of jobs were not independently established in the account of the incident.

The confrontation nevertheless gave Atuhaire a public profile as a politician prepared to turn a council dispute into a physical protest over what he considers abuses of public office.

His latest petition takes a different route, directing his demands to the principal advisers of the Tooro monarch rather than confronting a district council speaker.

But the central theme remains similar: a demand that those in positions of authority address what he considers failures of representation, accountability and governance.

In Kyenjojo, the dispute centred on a district appointment and allegations of corruption in public recruitment. In the petition to the kingdom’s principal advisers, he has turned his attention to the distribution of cabinet positions, women’s representation and the absence of a resource mobilisation portfolio.

Whether the petition produces the cabinet changes he seeks remains to be seen.

You can read about the Tooro cabinet, dropped ministers and a lawyer who rejected a king’s appointment to serve as a minister Here, There and Over There.