Truth About the New King of Tooro

Veteran Ugandan journalist and commentator Andrew Mwenda has revealed that the Royal Succession Committee of the Tooro Kingdom has selected George Desmond Kamurasi as the proposed successor to the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. Mwenda disclosed the development in a recent social-media post, saying the 21-member succession committee met in Fort Portal on Friday, September 4, 2026, and chose Kamurasi after several days of deliberations. According to his account, 18 members attended the decisive meeting, with 15 voting in favour of Kamurasi. Kamurasi, 36, is a member of the Tooro royal family. He is the son of the late Prince George Desmond “Jimmy” Mugenyi, who was a younger brother of King Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III. This makes Kamurasi a first cousin of the late King Oyo. Mwenda said the committee's decision has the backing of key stakeholders and claimed that Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba endorsed the choice as being consistent with Tooro customs, precedents and succession laws. He also said President Yoweri Museveni supports the decision and had sent a delegation to Fort Portal to consult stakeholders. However, the development does not yet amount to a formal public enthronement. Mwenda said he spoke to Omusuuga Charles Akiiki Kamurasi, chairman of the succession committee, who told him that Tooro custom requires the public announcement of a new monarch to take place after the burial of the deceased king. The timing of the announcement is particularly significant because Tooro is still mourning King Oyo, who died on August 26, 2026, at the age of 34. Oyo became king in 1995 at just three years old and went on to reign for more than three decades. The succession process has attracted considerable public interest, especially after the Tooro Kingdom's prime minister confirmed that King Oyo had left behind a son who could potentially have a claim to the throne. The succession question has therefore been closely watched by members of the royal family and the wider public. For now, George Desmond Kamurasi is the reported choice of the Royal Succession Committee, while Tooro awaits the customary formal announcement following King Oyo's burial. Until that announcement is made, descriptions of Kamurasi as the “new King of Tooro” should be understood as referring to the committee's selection rather than a completed formal installation.