The Babiito royal clan of Tooro has distanced itself from the Attorney General’s legal opinion on the succession of the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, saying the advice was given to President Yoweri Museveni and was not directed to the clan.
The three-page opinion, issued by Attorney General Dr Sam Mayanja on September 12, reportedly advised that a purported will attributed to the late king should be respected. It also stated that any challenge to the validity of the document would have to be determined by a court of law.
King Oyo died on August 27 at the age of 34 while undergoing treatment in the United States. He was laid to rest on September 12 at the Karambi Royal Tombs in Fort Portal.
However, Fr Charles Oyo, the spokesperson for the Babiito royal clan, said the clan does not consider the Attorney General’s opinion binding on its succession process because it was addressed to the President.
“Since it was written to the President and he is the one who sought that opinion, it’s incumbent upon him to administer that legal opinion,” Fr Oyo said.
He explained that the President could choose to implement the recommendations or rely on the advice when determining how to handle the succession question.
The legal opinion also reportedly raised questions about the mandate of the 21-member committee appointed by the Babiito to oversee the succession process.
According to the opinion, the committee did not have the legal authority to appoint a traditional or cultural leader.
The Attorney General referred to Article 246 of the Constitution, which provides for traditional and cultural leaders established in accordance with the customs, traditions, culture, or wishes of the communities they represent.
Despite the concerns raised in the opinion, Fr Oyo said the Babiito do not believe they are involved in a dispute.
“As the Babiito clan, we have no dispute. We are not disputing anything. So whoever is disputing us and the committee’s decision is the one who that guidance should address,” he said.
The clan maintains that the 21-member committee was formed in accordance with Tooro customs and was responsible for guiding the succession process.
The committee later selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the successor to King Oyo.
That decision has, however, faced opposition from members of the royal family, including Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, Princess Ruth Komuntale Nsemere and Princess Elizabeth Bagaya.
A major point of disagreement is the purported will said to have been left by King Oyo.
Members of the royal family have maintained that the document provides for Oyo’s son to succeed him, provided the child is legally recognised.
The alleged will is also said to identify Yoweri Komwiswa and Solomon Nyaika, both sons of Musuuga Charles Kamurasi, as alternative heirs if Oyo’s son is unable to take up the throne.
Fr Oyo said the Babiito were informed during the early stages of the succession discussions that King Oyo had left a will. However, he said the clan was not presented with the child allegedly identified in the document or given information concerning his whereabouts.
According to him, this raised questions among the clan about the existence of the child and whether he was available to take over the kingdom.
Fr Oyo further said the Babiito considered the alternative names mentioned in the alleged will but rejected them on cultural grounds because their father, Musuuga Charles Kamurasi, is still alive.
“In the Tooro culture, a king can’t have a living father,” he said.
He added that the Babiito had expected the alleged son to be presented during King Oyo’s burial at Karambi on September 12, but that did not happen.
Meanwhile, Fr Oyo confirmed that traditional rituals associated with the burial of a Tooro king were carried out at the Karambi Royal Tombs.
One of the rituals involved placing nine coffee beans into the king’s grave. Fr Oyo said the practice is traditionally performed by the successor and forms part of the cultural process of affirming succession.
The disagreement over the Attorney General’s opinion, the purported will and the Babiito committee’s selection of Kijanangoma has left the question of who should succeed King Oyo unresolved.
The matter now involves competing interpretations of Tooro customs, the alleged will and the constitutional framework governing traditional and cultural leadership.
