Mwenda reveals why Oyo’s reported son, Desmond missed Tooro throne in response to Queen Mother

• Mwenda says Patrick Kawamara failed to produce a photograph of King Oyo’s reported son.

• The committee also received two different names for the boy and no details about his maternal family.

• Prince George Desmond Kamurasi secured 15 votes but requested time to consult his wife and business partners.

• The committee cited a traditional deadline before selecting Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma.

The Babiito Royal Succession Committee dropped King Oyo’s reported son after his representative failed to produce the boy’s photograph, while Prince George Desmond Kamurasi lost the throne after asking for time to consult his wife and business partners in London, journalist Andrew Mwenda has said.

Mwenda made the claims in a statement posted on X in response to Queen Mother Best Kemigisa. Kemigisa had described the people who selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as a “self-appointed group of clan members.”

Mwenda called the description “a gross insult” to the kingdom and its cultural institutions. He said more than 100 Babiito princes and princesses met at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal City on August 28, 2026, two days after King Oyo’s death.

The meeting appointed a 21-member Royal Succession Committee headed by Charles Kamurasi, the Omusuuga, who serves as prince regent and caretaker.

The committee began its work on August 31 and considered four candidates. These were Prince George Desmond Kamurasi, a reported son of King Oyo, Prince George David Kamurasi and Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma.

According to Mwenda, Patrick Kawamara, the Queen Mother’s brother, presented the reported son to the committee. Kawamara represented Kemigisa’s interests on the committee.

Mwenda said Kawamara first identified the boy as Jacob Oyo before changing the name to Jackson Oyo. The committee then asked him to provide the boy’s photograph.

“Kawamara was asked to produce a photo of the purported son of Oyo and he could not,” Mwenda said.

He added that Kawamara identified the boy’s mother as a Muhinda but declined to reveal her family in Tooro. Mwenda also claimed that King Oyo’s paternal relatives had never heard about the child.

The committee considered the conflicting names and lack of a photograph suspicious. It then removed the reported son from consideration.

Mwenda said Prince George Desmond Kamurasi later secured 15 votes in a secret ballot after four days of deliberations. Each of the other candidates received one vote.

He rejected reports that Kamurasi had turned down the throne.

“He did not decline the throne as alleged on social media. He asked for time to consult his wife and business partners in London,” Mwenda said.

However, the committee said the kingdom could not wait because it faced a traditional deadline. It therefore moved to another candidate and announced Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as King Oyo’s successor.

Mwenda said the Queen Mother met Babiito representatives at the palace on September 8. The meeting included Charles Kamurasi, Patrick Kawamara, Misaki Kawamara, Monsignor Mayombo and Father Charles Oyo.

Kemigisa reportedly told the meeting that she would not disclose information about King Oyo’s reported son until the reading of his will.

According to Mwenda, a lawyer read the will on September 9 before a group that included Princess Ruth Komuntale and Princess Margaret Komubaizi Kajoyo. He claimed the will, dated September 14, 2022, referred only to a hypothetical heir.

Mwenda also argued that a king’s biological son does not inherit the Tooro throne automatically. He said the kingdom’s customs require consideration of the mother’s identity, background and recognised relationship with the king.

The royal family has rejected Kijanangoma’s selection and insists that King Oyo left a will identifying his son. The dispute now threatens to move to court as both sides claim authority over the succession process.