FORT PORTAL, Uganda — September 4, 2026: The Royal Succession Committee of the Tooro Kingdom has selected George Desmond Kamurasi, 36, as the next King of Tooro, setting the stage for a transition of leadership following the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Kamurasi was selected on Friday during a meeting of the 21-member Royal Succession Committee held at Fort Motel in Fort Portal City.
Of the 21 committee members, 18 attended the meeting, with 15 voting in favour of Kamurasi, according to information released following the meeting.
The committee is chaired by Omusuuga Charles Akiiki Kamurasi and was constituted by the Royal Clan of Tooro, the Ababiito, on August 28.
The committee has been holding consultations on the succession question since the beginning of the week, in a process that has brought together members of the royal family and other key stakeholders.
The selection of Kamurasi now places Tooro on a path towards a new reign, although the formal public announcement of the successor will come later in accordance with Tooro customs.
Government Backs Succession Decision
The development has also received backing from Uganda’s top political and military leadership.
According to the statement announcing Kamurasi’s selection, discussions were held on Friday evening with Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces and Chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda, as well as Gen. Kayanja Muhanga, the Commander of Land Forces.
Gen. Muhoozi reportedly endorsed the committee’s choice, saying it was consistent with Tooro’s customs, historical precedents and succession laws.
The CDF further conveyed that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni supports the decision of the Royal Succession Committee.
The President had also dispatched a team led by a senior Cabinet minister to Fort Portal to engage with key stakeholders over the succession question.
“After extensive consultations with all the key stakeholders, the committee was convinced that there is a wide consensus around the succession of Kamurasi,” the statement said.
The government’s involvement is significant given the sensitive relationship between Uganda’s republican state structure and the country’s traditional institutions.
Although traditional kingdoms do not exercise political power under Uganda’s constitutional system, they retain considerable cultural influence and remain important institutions for identity, heritage and social mobilisation.
For Tooro, the succession therefore carries significance beyond the royal household, with an orderly transition expected to be closely watched by government, cultural leaders and the wider public.
Who Is George Kamurasi?
George Desmond Kamurasi is the son of George Desmond “Jimmy” Mugenyi, the younger brother of the late King Patrick David Mathew Olimi Kaboyo II.
According to the succession statement, Kamurasi was identified as the second in line to succeed his uncle, Olimi Kaboyo II, under the will of their late father, King George Rukidi III.
His selection therefore draws on an established royal lineage and succession precedent within the Ababiito clan.
The committee’s decision comes shortly after the death of King Oyo, who had occupied the Tooro throne since 1995 after succeeding his father at the age of three.
Oyo died in the United States after a period of illness, prompting an outpouring of grief across Tooro and Uganda.
Formal Announcement Still Pending
Despite the committee’s decision, Kamurasi has not yet been formally proclaimed king before the Ababiito clan leaders and the wider public.
The Omusuuga, who chairs the succession process, reportedly informed the committee that Tooro custom requires the public announcement of the new king to take place after the burial of the late monarch.
King Oyo’s burial preparations are therefore expected to precede the formal proclamation of his successor.
The decision to disclose the committee’s vote before the official announcement was explained as an effort to prevent misinformation and social media speculation from creating confusion during the sensitive transition.
“I have made this announcement to avoid social media speculation that may cause unnecessary confusion,” the statement said.
The move effectively gives the public an early indication of the direction of the succession process while leaving the formal cultural rites intact.
Stability at the Centre of Transition
The selection of Kamurasi also comes at a politically delicate moment for Tooro.
With the kingdom mourning the death of a popular monarch, the emphasis from both cultural and government actors has increasingly been on unity, continuity and an orderly succession.
President Museveni, who received King Oyo’s body at Entebbe International Airport earlier Friday, separately urged the people of Tooro to remain calm and avoid disorganisation during the mourning period.
“Oyo was a good person and a good leader,” Museveni said, describing his death as “a great loss to the people of Tooro and Uganda.”
The President also disclosed that the government had supported efforts to secure specialised medical treatment for Oyo in Germany and later in the United States after the Queen Mother informed him of the monarch’s illness in November 2025.
The parallel developments—the President receiving Oyo’s remains and the Royal Succession Committee selecting his successor—mark the beginning of a significant transition for one of Uganda’s most prominent traditional institutions.
For now, the kingdom awaits the completion of Oyo’s burial rites.
After that, the Ababiito are expected to formally announce George Desmond Kamurasi as the new Omukama of Tooro, ushering in a new chapter for the kingdom.
