Veteran journalist Charles Onyango-Obbo has questioned traditional succession rules in the Tooro Kingdom, arguing that the ongoing dispute over the late King Oyo’s possible heir presents an opportunity to reconsider who should be eligible to occupy the throne.
Onyango-Obbo was responding to fellow veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda, who recently explained the process used by the Babiito, the royal clan of Tooro, to identify a successor following the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Mwenda had argued that having a biological son does not automatically make someone eligible to inherit the Tooro throne, saying customary requirements concerning the child's mother and her relationship with the king must also be considered.
Responding to Mwenda, Onyango-Obbo said the debate should go beyond the circumstances surrounding Oyo’s purported son and examine whether traditional kingdoms should broaden their succession rules.
“Andrew Mwenda fascinating, and I love it that you have gone truly Bad Native,” Onyango-Obbo wrote.
He directly challenged Mwenda’s reference to the circumstances under which a potential heir could be born, asking whether traditional institutions should consider allowing women to inherit royal thrones.
“I ask, might it not be time for Tooro and other kingdoms to amend their succession rules so that princesses can inherit the throne?” he said.
Onyango-Obbo argued that expanding the pool of eligible successors could give traditional kingdoms greater flexibility in choosing capable leaders.
“Surely, expanding the pool of candidates, and making it possible for a kingdom to have a good queen, rather than a mediocre king, is a smarter thing, no?” he asked.
His comments come as questions surrounding Oyo’s purported son have emerged at the centre of the Tooro succession debate.
According to Mwenda, the child was presented to the Royal Succession Committee during its deliberations after Oyo’s death. However, the committee reportedly raised questions over the child's identity and the background of his mother before excluding him from consideration.
Oyo’s 2022 will has since added another dimension to the dispute, with the document reportedly identifying his biological son as a potential heir, subject to recognition under applicable law and Tooro customs.
Onyango-Obbo also raised a broader question about whether succession rules would apply equally if the circumstances surrounding the birth were reversed.
“I am also curious whether if an unhappy queen slept with a commoner or street hustler, and had a brilliant son, would he be denied the throne upon the king’s death?” he asked.
He concluded his response by recalling historical accounts of royal privileges in Uganda, including traditions in which women were regarded as belonging to the king.
“A final curious fact. In the good old days, in one of the great Ugandans kingdoms, when the king visited an area, all the men would sleep on the floor, and leave the beds to their wives, girlfriends, mistresses, and presumably prostitutes, because ‘all women belonged to the king’,” he wrote.
“You have to hand it to the ancients,” Onyango-Obbo added.