Mwenda barred by Gen Muhoozi from addressing Tooro affairs again

Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has ordered journalist Andrew Mwenda to stop commenting on Tooro affairs, ending days of bitter public attacks on Queen Mother Best Kemigisa and interventions in the kingdom’s disputed succession.

Kainerugaba issued the directive early on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, after Mwenda faced growing criticism over his commentary following the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.

“I have instructed comrade (Mwenda) not to speak about the issues of Tooro again. He will stop it immediately,” Kainerugaba wrote on X.

“Once again, as PLU we commiserate with the great Batooro people on the tragedy that befell all of us. May the soul of the late King Oyo rest in peace.”

The intervention follows days in which Mwenda came out as one of the most outspoken figures in the dispute over who should succeed King Oyo.

Mwenda, who belongs to the Babiito royal clan, defended the process that produced Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the elders’ choice. 

He also questioned reports by Kemigisa and Princess Ruth Komuntale that King Oyo left a son entitled to succeed him.

His language, however, drew criticism.

On September 14, Mwenda accused Kemigisa of mourning the loss of power rather than her son. He alleged that she had spent the mourning period trying to control the succession process and challenged the royal family to produce King Oyo’s purported son. 

Days earlier, Mwenda had questioned the identity and background of the purported heir’s mother. In one post, he argued that Tooro needed to know the woman’s identity and family background before accepting her son as a possible successor. 

Those remarks prompted criticism from Ugandans who accused Mwenda of using sexist and derogatory language against women while debating the succession.

Agriculture minister Frank Tumwebaze publicly asked Mwenda to back off.

Tumwebaze appealed to him to stop attacking Kemigisa and allow the royal family to mourn King Oyo before continuing arguments over the throne. He urged the protagonists to observe a ceasefire until after the burial. 

Kemigisa herself had earlier singled out Mwenda while protesting the manner in which the succession process was unfolding.

She accused a group of Babiito members of rushing to select a successor before her son had been buried. She said Mwenda announced an initial choice while King Oyo’s body was still in Kyenjojo on its way to Fort Portal.

Kemigisa said the royal family should have been given time to mourn and allow King Oyo’s will to be considered before a successor was announced.