Queen Mother says royal family under house arrest at Tooro palace

• Queen Mother Best Kemigisa says troops have surrounded the Tooro palace and restricted the royal family’s movement.

• She accuses Maj Gen Kayanja Muhanga of removing the royal guards and deploying soldiers around the palace.

• Kemigisa says clan members ignored King Oyo’s will when they selected and announced a new king.

• She has asked the government and succession contenders to allow the family to mourn and bury King Oyo in peace.

Tooro Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has accused the army of placing the royal family under house arrest at the palace as a dispute over the kingdom’s succession deepens.

In a statement dated September 10, 2026, Kemigisa said troops had surrounded the palace and restricted the family’s movement and access to visitors.

“We cannot leave or receive people freely. We are under house arrest,” Kemigisa said.

She appealed to Maj Gen Kayanja Muhanga, the UPDF leadership and President Yoweri Museveni to allow the family to mourn and bury King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV in peace.

The army had not responded to the allegations by the time of publication.

Kemigisa said Muhanga went to the palace three days before King Oyo’s burial and removed the royal guards without warning. She claimed troops then deployed around the palace and took the Omusuuga, the head of the Babiito royal clan, to an undisclosed location.

The Queen Mother made the claims amid a dispute over the selection of King Oyo’s successor.

She accused a group of Babiito clan members of selecting a new king without consulting the royal family or considering King Oyo’s will.

Kemigisa said the group announced its choice before the late king’s body reached Fort Portal. The body was still in Kyenjojo when journalist Andrew Mwenda announced that clan members had selected a successor, she added.

She said none of the clan members had contacted her to offer condolences, inquire about the late king’s will or discuss his succession plans.

According to Kemigisa, representatives of the royal family and the government later attended the reading of King Oyo’s will at 4 p.m.

Those present included Princess Ruth Komuntale, Margaret Komubaizi Kajoyo, the Omusuuga, Monsignor Mayombo and Gender minister Maj Gen Henry Tumukunde, who represented Museveni.

“The will clearly set out the order of succession to the Tooro throne,” Kemigisa said.

She said those at the meeting agreed to hold further talks under Tumukunde’s leadership the following day. However, some clan members held a press conference that evening and declared their preferred king.

“They chose to jubilate while my son was still lying in his casket next to them. That is what has hurt us most,” she said.

Kemigisa appealed to those involved in the succession dispute to suspend the contest until after King Oyo’s burial.

“There will be time for all of that. Let us grieve and bury my son, King Oyo,” she said.

The Queen Mother also recalled the succession dispute that followed the death of her husband, Omukama Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III.

She said some Babiito clan members opposed Oyo’s accession because he was three years old. The dispute went to court, where Oyo’s claim to the throne prevailed.

King Oyo ruled Tooro for 31 years. He died of cancer on August 27, 2026.

Kemigisa thanked Museveni for supporting the return of her son’s body to Tooro. She also praised the UPDF engineering brigade for constructing the royal grave and improving roads leading to the royal tombs.

“He was a good son. He was a good king. He loved Tooro and served his people for 31 years,” she said.