The Tooro Kingdom Premier Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki, has called on the Kingdom subjects, leaders, friends and all Ugandans in general to remain calm and desist from divisive succession talks about the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV’s heir, as the Kingdom observes the mourning period.
In a statement issued on his x account, Premier Rwomiire, expresses dismay at the sharp differing positions have emerged regarding succession to the Crown of Tooro, before King Oyo is even laid to rest.
“On one hand, a group has announced a new King. On the other, there is a Will left by the late Omukama containing his expressed wishes regarding succession” he said.
He added, “These are serious matters that must ultimately be addressed. But as Batooro, we must ask whether this is the right moment, and whether the manner in which this is unfolding honours the King whose body we have not yet laid to rest”.
Premier Rwomiire further calls for a minimum standard of moral decency amongst the Kingdoms subjects, regardless of their positions or interpretations of Tooro’s customs and institutions.
“Let us first bury our King. The Crown of Tooro has existed for generations and will endure long after all of us. Nothing is so urgent that we must sacrifice the dignity of His Majesty’s final journey, the grief of the Royal Family, the unity of our people or the peace of our Kingdom to settle it now” he said.
Rwomiire remind the people of Tooro, that there will be time to examine the Will, hear those advancing a different position, and to consider the Kingdom’s customs, the applicable law and the proper institutions through which succession should be determined.
He urged that the process should take place calmly and credibly, not through competing announcements, confrontation, or attempts to establish facts on the ground while our King still awaits burial.
“I therefore appeal to everyone involved, regardless of the position they support, to exercise restraint. Tooro is bigger than any one of us, and the Crown is too important to become the prize in a contest conducted in the middle of our mourning” he said.
Rwomiire has called on government to provide appropriate guidance and support to ensure that peace, order and sanity prevail during this sensitive period, noting that the request isn’t for government to choose a King for Tooro, but rather to help protect the conditions within which the relevant cultural, legal and institutional processes can take place peacefully, fairly and without intimidation or disorder.
“Where necessary, respected elders, cultural leaders and other credible persons should also help guide an orderly way forward” he said.
He added, “My appeal is simple: lower the temperature. We can disagree without destroying one another. We can defend our positions without insensitive language. We can seek the truth without abandoning our culture, dignity and humanity. History will remember not only how the succession question was resolved, but also how we behaved when our King died”.
He also urged the subjects to always put the Kingdom first in whatever they do, to ensure the late monarch receives a befitting burial, after which the succession talks can continue.
“Let it record that, in a moment of grief and disagreement, the people of Tooro chose restraint, our leaders chose wisdom over confrontation, and we gave His Majesty the dignity of resting in peace before turning to the future of his Crown” he said.
He added, “For now, let us mourn together. Let us bury our King with honour. Then, with dignity, fairness and respect, let the truth and the proper process guide what comes next”
Rwomiire’s advise comes hours after the royal family rejected the of announcement Prince Edward Kijanangoma as successor to the late King Oyo.
There’s has also been online attacks by veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda towards Queen Mother, Her Majesty Best Kemigisa, who earlier revealed that the palace was under siege by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), who withdrew the royal guards around the premises under the command of Gen. Kayanja Muhanga.
“Now, three days to my son’s burial, Gen. Kayanja Muhanga came to the Palace and removed the royal guards without notice, and troops were deployed around the Palace. They took the Musuuga away to a location we were not told,” she said.
The late King Oyo, passed away on August 27, 2026, at the age of 34 while receiving cancer treatment in the United States.
