Attorney General Sam Mayanja has advised President Yoweri Museveni to consider the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV’s will in determining who should succeed him as the next King of Tooro.Mayanja made the recommendation in a three-page legal opinion submitted to Museveni amid the ongoing dispute over the Tooro succession.
His advice comes after Edward Rukiidi Nyabongo I was enthroned as Omukama and began some of the traditional rituals associated with the throne.According to Mayanja, Uganda’s Constitution, the Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act, and the customs and traditions of the Batooro provide the legal basis for determining succession.
He specifically referred to a will dated September 14, 2022, in which Oyo reportedly stated that if he died leaving a legally recognised biological son, that son would become his heir and successor.The will reportedly names Prince Komwiswa Omukama of Tooro, Yomeri, son of Omusunga Charles, as the alternative successor if Oyo had no son capable of taking over the throne.Mayanja said the will should be respected unless its validity is successfully challenged in court. He also noted that the Tooro Kingdom Constitution, promulgated in 1999 and suspended by Oyo in 2013, cannot currently be relied upon as the primary basis for resolving the dispute.
The Attorney General further advised that a key succession ritual involving the throwing of nine coffee beans into the late king’s grave should be suspended until the dispute is resolved, since the ritual is traditionally performed by the recognised successor.Mayanja said the burial of King Oyo could proceed without legal obstruction, but warned that if the competing claims cannot be resolved through traditional mechanisms, the matter could ultimately be taken to court for a legal determination.
