Gen Sejusa calls for ‘spiritual cleansing’ at Karuzika

Former intelligence chief Gen David Sejusa has called for traditional “spiritual cleansing” of Tooro Queen Mother Best Kemigisa following the death of her son, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.

Sejusa claims the deaths of both Kemigisa’s husband and son while still relatively young should be viewed through the lens of traditional African beliefs.

Writing about the situation in Tooro, Sejusa said the kingdom was facing more than the ordinary death of a monarch.

“The situation in Tooro is not the ordinary misfortune of a passing King, which happens all the time on Earth,” Sejusa wrote.

He described the deaths as a “shadow of death” over the royal court, pointing to Kemigisa having lost both her husband, King Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, and her son, King Oyo.

Sejusa said that under ancient Batembuzi-Chwezi traditions, such circumstances would have been interpreted as “spiritual pollution” requiring purification rituals.

He cited the traditional account of Nyinamwiru, mother of Omuchwezi Ndahura, who he said underwent cleansing rituals before her son assumed royal authority.

“In this case of Tooro, when a queen buries both her husband-king and son-king, Traditional African cosmology provides us with specific spiritual protocols known as purification rites,” Sejusa said.

According to him, the rituals would be intended to remove what he described as a bad omen from the royal court and protect the next king.

Kemigisa has now lost two Tooro kings in a period spanning 31 years.

Her husband, King Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, died on August 26, 1995, aged 49. His death came only two years after Uganda restored traditional kingdoms, although Kaboyo had first ascended the Tooro throne in the 1960s.

His death paved the way for his three-year-old son, Oyo, to become king on September 12, 1995. Oyo's age at his accession attracted international attention and made him one of the world's youngest monarchs.

King Oyo would remain on the throne for nearly 31 years.

He died in the United States on August 27, 2026, aged 34, while undergoing treatment for cancer. His death came a day after the 31st anniversary of his father's death.

Oyo's death has also opened a debate over succession.

Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki initially announced that the late monarch had left a prince who would be presented according to Tooro tradition. However, Babiito royal clan leaders later said they were unaware of a biological son of the late king.

The royal clan has since been considering the succession as Tooro prepares for life under a new monarch.