Toro premier defies Royal Family’s calls to leave Kampala

Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki has rejected calls to return to Fort Portal as tensions grow over the management of King Oyo’s funeral.

Rwomiire said he would remain in Kampala to work with government officials and other authorities on the return and burial of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.

On Monday, Tooro Chief Prince Charles Kamurasi Akiiki questioned why the premier had remained outside the kingdom since the King’s death.

Kamurasi is the Omusuuga and head of the Babiito Royal Clan. He said the premier needed to attend a planned meeting of the kingdom’s supreme council, the Rukurato Orukuru Orw’Ensanju.

“He must be here. Tomorrow, the Rukurato rw’Obukama is supposed to be sitting. Where is the Omuhikirwa?” Kamurasi asked on Monday.

“Since the King passed away, he is not in the kingdom. That Buziga home is not a palace. It is just a residence of the King,” he added.

King Oyo maintained a residence in Buziga, Kampala. However, the main royal palace, Karuziika, is in Fort Portal.

Rwomiire responded on Tuesday by cancelling the Rukurato meeting that had been scheduled for September 1, 2026. He postponed it until further notice.

“A new date will be communicated officially by the Office of the Prime Minister at the appropriate time,” he said.

Rwomiire said returning the King’s body and organising his burial took priority over other kingdom business.

“At this solemn moment, there can be no greater priority for the kingdom than bringing our King home and laying him to rest with the dignity, honour and respect befitting His Majesty,” he said.

He directed the kingdom to suspend meetings, debates and other activities that could distract officials from funeral preparations.

The premier also asked Tooro leaders and subjects to avoid disagreements and speculation during the mourning period.

“There will be an appropriate time to address the other matters before the kingdom. This is not that time,” he said.

“For now, our responsibility is clear: bring our King home, honour him, lay him to rest with dignity and stand together as one Tooro. Everything else can wait.”

The dispute comes as the Babiito Royal Clan takes control of the funeral rites and succession process. Kamurasi chairs a 21-member committee responsible for identifying and announcing King Oyo’s successor.

King Oyo died in the United States on August 27, 2026, aged 34. President Yoweri Museveni granted him an official burial and ordered national flags to fly at half-mast for three days around the burial.