Veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda has broken his silence on the unfolding succession dispute in the Tooro Kingdom, defending the process through which the royal clan began selecting a successor to the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Mwenda said he was compelled to issue the clarification following remarks by Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, who reportedly described the group involved in selecting Oyo’s successor as “self-appointed”.
“I have been compelled by the statement of the Queen Mother (QM), Best Kemigisa, to clarify on succession in Toro. The QM says that I announced a decision of a ‘self appointed group of clan members’. This is a gross insult to our kingdom and its cultural institutions,” Mwenda said.
King Oyo died on August 26, 2026. Mwenda said that two days later, more than 100 members of the Babiito, the royal clan of Tooro, gathered at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal City to deliberate on the future of the kingdom.
“More than 100 Babiito (princes and princesses) attended. These selected a team of 21 members to form the Royal Succession Committee headed by Musuuga (Prince Regent or caretaker),” he said.
According to Mwenda, the committee commenced its work on August 31 with the mandate of identifying a new king. Four names were presented for consideration, including George Desmond Kamurasi, George David Kamurasi, Edward Rukiidi Kijanangoma and a purported son of King Oyo.
Mwenda said the purported son was presented by Patrick Kawamara, the brother of the Queen Mother, who had been appointed to the committee to represent her interests.
He claimed that questions surrounding the child's identity emerged during the deliberations after Kawamara allegedly failed to provide a photograph and could not disclose the mother's family in Tooro.
“The committee found this dubious and decided to remove Oyo’s purported son from the list of considerations,” Mwenda said.
After four days of deliberations, the committee reportedly conducted a secret ballot. Mwenda said George Kamurasi secured 15 votes, while the other candidates each received one vote.
He also disputed claims that Kamurasi had rejected the throne, saying the prince instead asked for time to consult his wife and business partners in London.
The controversy deepened after Oyo’s will was read to members of the royal family. Mwenda said the document, dated September 14, 2022, contains a provision identifying Oyo’s biological son as a potential heir, subject to legal and customary recognition.
He, however, argued that the existence of a biological son alone does not automatically confer succession rights under Tooro customs.
“In Toro, it is not automatic that a king’s son becomes heir to the throne. He would have to have been born to a Mutoro queen officially married to the king (omugowekitebe),” Mwenda said.
He added that the kingdom must establish the identity and background of the child's mother before determining whether the purported heir meets the customary requirements for succession.
“This is not to suggest that Oyo did any of this. It is simply to say that he was not officially married, and if he left a son, Toro needs to know the mother and her background,” he said.