A fresh row has erupted in Tooro Kingdom following a meeting of clan heads from across the kingdom, who have unanimously resolved to remove Omuhikirwa Calvin Armstrong Rwomire Akiiki as head of the Kingdom’s administrative arm.
The clan heads, meeting on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, placed the decision at the centre of growing disagreements over the handling of the death, funeral arrangements and succession of the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
The meeting was chaired by the Omujwera Musuuga of the Babiito royal clan, Charles Kayondo Kamurasi, the senior cultural figure overseeing the traditional funeral and succession rites.
The clan leaders gave several reasons for their decision, with much of their criticism centred on what they described as Rwomire’s interference in matters they consider purely cultural.
One of the major complaints was Rwomire’s alleged role in blocking a meeting that had been organised by the 21-member committee appointed to handle cultural preparations for the King’s send-off and matters concerning succession.
The meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, September 1, but was reportedly disrupted after police officers were deployed at the palace and stopped the gathering.
The clan heads argue that the Prime Minister had no authority to interfere with the committee’s work, particularly because the arrangements involve cultural matters traditionally handled by the kingdom’s cultural institutions.
They also faulted Rwomire for announcing King Oyo’s death on his social media platforms.
On August 27, Rwomire used his official X account to announce that the King had died after a long illness.
The clan leaders contend that an announcement of such importance should have been made through the cultural leadership of the kingdom rather than by the administrative head.
The controversy deepened when Rwomire also announced that the late King had left behind an heir.
The Prime Minister told the public that the King had a son who would eventually succeed him and that the identity of the child would be disclosed at the appropriate time.
However, the head of the Babiito clan, Charles Kamurasi, subsequently said the clan was not aware of any biological heir to the late King.
The issue has since become one of the most sensitive questions surrounding the transition of the Tooro monarchy.
According to the clan leaders, Rwomire should first have notified the head of the Babiito clan before publicly announcing the existence of an heir.
They argue that under Tooro tradition, the cultural leadership is expected to establish the identity of a prospective heir, verify the child and then communicate the matter to the kingdom’s subjects.
President Yoweri Museveni later appeared to reinforce Rwomire’s claim about the existence of an heir.
In a statement, the President said he had been informed by Queen Mother Best Kemigisa that King Oyo had left an heir.
The conflicting positions have fuelled debate over who has the authority to determine and announce the successor to the Tooro throne. Public reports have confirmed that the succession question remains unsettled and that the Babiito leadership has insisted that traditional procedures must be followed.
The clan heads also accused Rwomire of failing to adequately disclose the seriousness of King Oyo’s health condition while the monarch was still alive.
They argue that, as the head of the Kingdom’s administration, Rwomire knew the King was suffering from a life-threatening illness and should have kept the cultural leaders and subjects informed so that they could prepare for any eventuality.
That position, however, contrasts with President Museveni’s account.
The President has said he was aware of the King’s deteriorating health after being informed that he was suffering from aggressive cancer. Government subsequently supported the monarch’s medical treatment abroad, including treatment in Germany and later the United States, where he died on August 27, 2026, aged 34.
Another argument advanced by the clan heads concerns the Prime Minister’s position itself.
They argue that with the death of the King, the appointment of the Prime Minister automatically comes to an end because the Omuhikirwa is appointed to serve administratively under the reigning monarch.
Rwomire, who became the 10th Prime Minister of the restored Tooro Kingdom, is therefore being challenged on whether he retains authority following the death of the monarch who appointed him.
The clan leaders further maintain that the Prime Minister has no authority to supervise, block or monitor the Omujwera Musuuga in the execution of cultural duties.
They argue that the position of the Omujwera Musuuga, as head of the Babiito royal clan, takes precedence over that of the Prime Minister in matters concerning royal cultural rites, the King’s funeral and succession.
But the biggest flashpoint from Wednesday’s meeting was the clan leaders’ rejection of the Government and Kingdom administration’s plan to transport King Oyo’s body from Kyegegwa to Fort Portal on an open carrier.
Under the announced programme, the King’s remains will arrive at Entebbe International Airport on Friday, September 4, at about 10am.
President Yoweri Museveni is expected to receive the body at Entebbe, pay his respects and convey condolences to the Royal Family and the people of Tooro.
The body will then be airlifted to Kyegegwa.
From Kyegegwa, the casket is expected to be placed on an open carrier for a procession towards Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal City, allowing mourners along the route to see the late monarch and pay their last respects.
It is this arrangement that the clan heads have strongly rejected.
They argue that King Oyo was not an ordinary member of the public whose remains should be displayed on an open vehicle during a long public procession.
According to the cultural leaders, the King should be accorded the highest level of respect due to a Tooro monarch.
They insist that subjects who wish to view the body should do so at Karuziika Palace, the official seat of the Tooro Kingdom, where the royal funeral rites will be conducted.
The position has created a potentially significant clash between the Government-backed funeral programme and the cultural leadership responsible for traditional rites.
The latest Tooro programme, however, maintains that the body will travel from Kyegegwa towards Karuziika Palace on an open carrier to allow people along the route to pay their final respects.
Karuziika Palace will subsequently become the centre of the official cultural mourning period.
The Kingdom has announced a nine-day mourning period, during which the body will remain at the palace before being taken for burial at the royal tombs.
The late King is scheduled to be buried on September 12, 2026, a date that coincides with the 31st anniversary of his coronation.
The disagreement comes at a delicate moment for Tooro.
King Oyo died in the United States on August 27, 2026, ending a reign that began in 1995 when he ascended the throne at only three years old.
He later became one of the world’s most recognised young traditional monarchs and remained on the throne for more than three decades.
Tooro Kingdom is made up of nine counties: Kyaka, Mwenge North, Mwenge South, Bunyangabu, Ntoroko, Kibaale, Kitagwenda, Burahya and Fort Portal.
The King’s death has therefore triggered not only a national period of mourning, but also a major cultural transition, with questions over funeral rites, the authority of the cultural leadership and the identity and succession of the next Omukama now at the centre of attention.
