Tooro Kingdom has stepped up preparations for the September 29 coronation of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, who will be enthroned as Omukama Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I, with clans, counties, businesses and well-wishers being mobilised to contribute cash, cattle and food towards the ceremony.
The coronation will take place at Karuziika Royal Palace in Fort Portal City, marking the formal beginning of Nyabongo I’s reign following the death of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV on August 27.
The central organising committee has set a budget of Shs925 million for the ceremony and launched a fundraising drive to meet the cost of the one-day event.
According to the committee, contributions are being received from Tooro subjects, friends of the kingdom and other well-wishers, with the fundraising effort expected to support preparations for the royal, religious and traditional ceremonies associated with the enthronement.
Clans asked to contribute
On Monday, September 21, representatives of Tooro clans met at Karuziika Palace to discuss preparations and mobilisation of resources.
According to Pulse Uganda, each clan agreed to raise at least Shs1 million, while counties were also asked to mobilise resources for the ceremony.
Babiito clan spokesperson Moses Musinguzi Amooti said some contributions had already started reaching the kingdom, with people providing cash as well as materials, cattle and drinking water.
One company, he said, had offered 10,000 bottles of water, while organisers are seeking at least 40 cows and other food supplies for the expected guests.
The mobilisation reflects the traditional role of clans and counties in supporting major kingdom ceremonies and comes as organisers race to complete preparations less than a week before the coronation.
Traditional food restrictions
The kingdom has also issued guidelines on the type of food and livestock that may be taken to Karuziika Palace.
Organisers have warned contributors against delivering food items that are restricted under Tooro cultural practices.
Among the items listed as prohibited are pigs, chickens, goats, sweet potatoes, cassava and beans.
Musinguzi said the restrictions are rooted in Tooro customs governing activities at the palace during the traditional ceremony.
Organisers have instead asked the nine counties of Tooro Kingdom to coordinate their contributions and provide food and livestock that are acceptable under the cultural requirements of the coronation.
Museveni expected at ceremony
President Yoweri Museveni is expected to attend the coronation as chief guest.
The President’s attendance would place the ceremony within the broader relationship between Uganda’s central government and traditional institutions.
According to Daily Monitor, Museveni will return to Karuziika Palace for a major Tooro royal ceremony for the first time in 16 years. He last attended a coronation anniversary ceremony there in 2010, when the late King Oyo turned 18 and assumed full administrative responsibility for the kingdom.
Traditional leaders from Uganda and other countries, government and political leaders, members of the business community, academics and other guests have also been invited.
Coronation rituals begin on September 28
The ceremony will not begin on September 29 alone.
According to the organising committee, some of the traditional rituals will start on the evening of September 28, when the King-designate is expected to leave Rwengoma Palace and proceed towards Karuziika Palace through Mugabante, the main entrance to the royal palace.
At the palace entrance, Nyabongo is expected to participate in a traditional mock battle before entering the palace and taking his seat on the throne.
The rituals will be followed by the formal enthronement ceremony on September 29.
Succession follows Oyo’s death
Nyabongo’s coronation follows a succession process triggered by the death of King Oyo, who had occupied the Tooro throne since 1995.
The Babiito Royal Clan selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as successor, after which the Tooro Kingdom Supreme Council endorsed him.
The succession process has nevertheless been accompanied by disagreement within the royal family, with members of the late king’s immediate family raising questions about the rightful heir.
The Tooro Kingdom has proceeded with preparations for Nyabongo’s enthronement, while the issue of succession remains part of the wider public discussion surrounding the transition.
A new chapter for Tooro
For Tooro Kingdom, the September 29 ceremony represents more than the installation of a new monarch.
It comes at the end of a three-decade reign by King Oyo and at a time when the kingdom is seeking to maintain its cultural institutions while strengthening its contribution to development, particularly in areas such as education, agriculture, youth empowerment and economic development.
The mobilisation of cash, cattle, food and other supplies has also brought the kingdom’s subjects directly into preparations for the historic transition.
With less than a week to the ceremony, attention is now turning to Karuziika Palace, where traditional preparations are continuing and organisers are working to close the Shs925 million funding gap ahead of the coronation.
On September 29, the Batooro and invited guests will gather in Fort Portal to witness the formal enthronement of Omukama Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I, beginning a new chapter in the history of the Tooro Kingdom.
