I will be honest. In the beginning, I was firmly in the support of Baby Oyo. Like many others, I assumed that if there was indeed a son of the late King, then the matter was settled. But as time passed, the position became increasingly difficult to defend because the most basic questions remained unanswered.
At the meeting that selected Kijanangoma, no details whatsoever were presented about this alleged Prince.
No birth certificate.
No identification of the mother.
No photograph.
No documentary evidence.
Nothing.
This was not a routine meeting. It took place on the eve of the burial of the fallen King. If there was ever a time to place the facts before the elders of Tooro, that was the moment. Yet the elders were asked to consider the existence of a future King on the basis of word of mouth only.
After the burial, after all the traditional ceremonies, after the church service, after the reading of Psalm 27 at the request of the Queen Mother, I waited keenly to see what would happen especially given that Omusuuga announced the new King in church.
Nothing happened.
No evidence was produced that had not been produced in the meeting to clarify the existence of a Prince born of King Oyo, because now the Babiito elders had made clear what evidence they needed. No effort was undertaken to dispel the growing doubts.
Then came the Attorney General's advice. The central argument was if King Oyo's Will is authentic, then it should be followed.
Fair enough.
No one went to court to establish its validity?
No one sought a declaration from a competent court?
No one obtained an injunction to halt the coronation process pending determination of the dispute?
Nobody.
Not a single injunction was secured.
Not a single court order was obtained.
Not a single case was successfully pursued to establish the authenticity of the Will upon which so much was supposedly resting.
That is what made the entire argument begin to collapse under its own weight. If there really was a son of the late King and if the Will genuinely protected his interests, why was the High Court not immediately engaged?
Why leave such a monumental matter to public speculation? Why stand aside while preparations for another King's coronation proceeded day after day? Why allow events to move forward uninterrupted if the legal position was supposedly so obvious?
The courts exist precisely for situations like these.
Yet those claiming legitimacy for the alleged Prince avoided the very institution empowered to establish it conclusively.
At some point, supporting a Prince who exists only in statements and rumours stopped making sense. You cannot demand belief indefinitely while refusing verification indefinitely.
A kingdom is not governed by whispers. A throne is not inherited through assumptions. Legitimacy is not established by repeated declarations. It is established by evidence. And to this day, the public evidence remains conspicuously absent.
Now matters have moved even further. The President, to whom the Attorney General's advice was addressed, has confirmed his attendance at the coronation of King Nyabongo. Does anyone seriously believe such a decision was made in a vacuum?
The President has access to state institutions, intelligence structures, legal advisers and every arm of government capable of assessing the situation. He is certainly better placed than the rest of us to evaluate competing claims.
Yet some continue to insist that Tooro must suspend reality and accept an unseen, unnamed and unverified heir without a single piece of publicly tested evidence.
That is not how institutions survive. That is not how legitimacy is established.
And that is certainly not how a Kingdom as old and respected as Tooro should determine who sits on its throne.
A MESSAGE OF GRATITUDE, REFLECTION AND HEALING
People of Tooro, friends of Tooro, and all those who stood with us,
As we come to the end of one of the most painful chapters in the recent history of our Kingdom, I wish, on behalf of the Tooro Kingdom administration and on my own behalf, to express our profound gratitude to everyone who stood with us and supported the final journey and dignified send-off of our beloved King, His Majesty Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Our responsibility during these difficult days was clear: whatever else was happening around us, we had to see this journey through with the dignity, respect and honour befitting our King. We had to put aside our differences, manage our grief and work together to ensure that His Majesty was laid to rest in a manner worthy of the Crown he carried and the people he served.
In a special way, I wish to recognise and thank Prince Jonathan Bala, His Majesty’s Principal Private Secretary, for his loyalty, dedication and service to our King. Throughout this extraordinarily difficult period, his commitment to His Majesty remained steadfast. He carried an enormous personal and official responsibility, often under very difficult circumstances, and continued to serve with dedication until the very end. He deserves our sincere acknowledgement and gratitude.
I thank His Excellency the President, General Muhoozi, the Royal Family, the Government of Uganda, religious and cultural leaders, the organising committees, the media, our Kingdom leadership, clans and Masaza, volunteers, businesses and partners, the people of Tooro, Ugandans across the country, the diaspora and friends from beyond our borders. Whether you contributed your time, resources, professional expertise, food, transport, prayers, presence or simply stood with us in solidarity, you became part of His Majesty’s final journey. We are deeply grateful.
We recognise that everything may not have been done perfectly. This was an unprecedented moment for our generation. We were mourning our King while simultaneously carrying the enormous responsibility of organising his final journey. Emotions were understandably high, decisions sometimes had to be made under extraordinary pressure, and grief affected us all in different ways.
Where we fell short of expectations, where communication could have been better, or where anyone felt disappointed by our actions or omissions, I offer my sincere apologies. These shortcomings should never be mistaken for a lack of respect or commitment. We were a people grieving an immense loss while doing everything within our ability to honour our King.
Now that we have laid His Majesty to rest, another journey begins.
This must be a period of learning, refocusing, rebuilding and healing.
We must learn from what these difficult weeks revealed about our institutions and ourselves. We must strengthen what worked, honestly address what did not, rebuild trust where it has been strained and allow ourselves, individually and collectively, the space to heal.
There will be difficult conversations ahead. There will be institutional questions that require wisdom and clarity. There may be different opinions about the way forward. But our differences must never become greater than the Kingdom we all belong to.
This is not the time for winners and losers. It is the time for responsible leadership, humility and reconciliation.
His Majesty’s passing should remind us that positions are temporary, but Tooro remains. Personal ambitions pass, disagreements pass and generations pass, but the responsibility of preserving this Kingdom for those who come after us endures.
Our guiding principle in the days ahead must therefore remain simple:
Tooro comes first.
Above personalities. Above positions. Above disagreements. Above individual interests.
May we find the wisdom to learn, the humility to reconcile, the courage to rebuild and the strength to move forward together.
@ObukamaBwaTooro
As of this morning, a court case challenging the new Omukama Edward Kijanangoma has not been formally filed. The Royal family however intimated to the press that if the meetings being held, don’t yield anything, they’ll ask their lawyers to proceed to court, amongst other options they are considering.
UPDATE: Omusuuga of Tooro has just reiterated his decision regarding their choice of a new King. He says their decision has been welcomed by Gen. Museveni and it can never be changed.