Tooro Kingdom subjects continue to throng the Karuzika Palace in Fort Portal City to mourn Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who passed on last Thursday.
Now a week after his death, attention has turned to the traditional norms expected to guide the kingdom through mourning, burial and the selection of the king’s successor.
Yesterday, Mr Kato Rwakatale, the assistant Musuuga of Tooro Kingdom, announced that the body would be in the country on Friday.
In line with the declaration, the kingdom has issued protocols to guide the official nine days of mourning and funeral rites that will commence on Friday (tomorrow) and run up to September 12 before the burial.
At the centre of these traditional protocols and customs is the Office of Omujwera Musuuga, headed by Mr Charles Kamurasi, who is also the head of the Babiito royal clan, and plays a central role in matters concerning the royal family and succession.
According to a press statement issued by the communications committee and presented by Fr Charles Oyo, all the protocols were agreed upon during a formal kingdom meeting held at Karuzika Palace and chaired by the Omujwera Musuuga on August 28.
Mourning
Mr Kamurasi explained that the official nine-day mourning period for the Omukama begins when his body returns to the kingdom, particularly when it arrives at the royal palace, Karuzika.
‘The king died outside his kingdom, and the day the body arrives at the Karuzika Palace, will be when we start counting the nine days. What we are doing now is just preparations,’ he said.
Mr Kamurasi, however, clarified that the days that have elapsed since the announcement of the king’s death are still days of mourning for the people of Tooro, although they do not constitute the traditional official nine-day mourning period.
Royal regalia turned upside down
Mr Kamurasi said despite the official nine days not having started, once the king’s death was announced, all the royal regalia inside the Karuzika Palace were turned upside down as a cultural expression that the reigning Omukama is no longer on the throne.
The regalia includes the royal drum, royal stool and spears, which are important symbols of kingship and authority in Tooro.
He explained that the regalia will remain in that position throughout the mourning period and will only be restored upright after a new Omukama has been enthroned.
The ritual was performed by members of the Basiita clan, who, according to Mr Kamurasi, traditionally have the responsibility of keeping the royal drum.
The ritual symbolises the transition between the reign of the deceased King and the eventual installation of his successor.
Mr Kamurasi also said members of the royal family will observe traditional mourning practices, including refraining from shaving during the mourning period.
The practice, he said, reflects the period of grief and respect for the deceased monarch.
Kingdom flags lowered
The Tooro Kingdom flags across the territory have also been lowered to half-mast as a public expression of mourning following the death of King Oyo.
Another visible change is the suspension of the singing of the Tooro Kingdom anthem.
Mr Kamurasi said the anthem contains verses that praise and celebrate the Omukama. Since the king has died, he said, it would be culturally inappropriate to continue singing the anthem in praise of a monarch who is no longer reigning.
The singing of the anthem will resume when a new Omukama is enthroned.
Lion statues covered
Another symbolic ritual has been the covering with barkcloth of lion statues around the royal palace and at the Fort Portal roundabout and palace entrance.
Mr Kamurasi explained that the lion is closely associated with the Omukama and represents strength, authority and power of the king.
Covering the lions is, therefore, a visual expression of mourning for the deceased monarch and reflects the temporary suspension of the king’s authority following his death.
The statues will be uncovered following the installation of the new Omukama.
Karuzika palace remains closed
The main royal palace at Karuzika also remains closed to the public because King Oyo died outside the Tooro Kingdom.
Mr Kamurasi said traditionally, when an Omukama dies within the kingdom, his body is brought to the palace, which is opened to subjects who come to pay their last respects.
‘But when King Oyo’s body arrives, the main entrance will be reopened, and the body will be taken into the king’s sitting room for public viewing and to enable mourners pay their last respects,’ he said.
The royal parlour
The Royal Palour immediately in front of the main entrance of Karuzika, is an important space that has also been restricted to the public and cordoned off.
Mr Kamurasi explained that the area has a specific role in the funeral because it is where the king’s coffin will first rest when his body arrives at the palace. It is also the space where the royal stool is placed during the coronation to enable the people see that the king is on the throne.
Arrival of King Oyo’s body
Mr Kamurasi said the body will arrive in a coffin and will first be viewed by members of the royal family upon reaching inside the palace, who will confirm that it is indeed the body of the late king before other subjects are allowed to view it.
The coffin will traditionally be covered with barkcloth, which is deeply associated with Bunyoro and Tooro cultural ceremonies, and the Tooro Kingdom flag will also be placed on it.
Church service
Bishop Reuben Kisembo of the Ruwenzori Diocese said during an interview on Wednesday that the funeral service will take place at the cathedral because the kingdom has a big relationship with the church.
He said the land that the diocese cathedral sits on was donated by the late Omukama Kasagama Kyebambe IV, who also mobilised resources for its construction, and it was commissioned in 1937 by George Kamurasi Rukidi III, then king of Tooro.
‘We have been informed that the church service for the burial of our king will take place here. The king has been a Christian and a member of our church; he used to pray here and inside the church,’ Bishop Kisembo said.
He added that the burial service for King Oyo will largely follow the same order of service used for other Christian burials, although some elements will be modified to reflect the king’s unique status.
Rituals at Karambi Royal Tombs
At the royal tombs, traditionally known as Amagasani in Tooro, more traditional rituals will be performed.
Mr Kamurasi said the Karambi Royal Tombs are administered by an official from the Bagahi clan, which traditionally oversees key rituals at the royal tombs.
Mr Kamurasi said since all ritual rites for Oyo’s funeral are vested in him, he has already directed different ritualists from the responsible clans to begin preparing the tomb.
He said ritualists from different clans will wear barkcloth during the ceremonies, although ordinary members of the public will not be required to do so.
‘Not all the people will be dressed in barkcloth, but only ritualists from different clans because we have a different administration that manages the tombs with its head. At the royal tomb, we have a gate through which those who will perform the rituals will pass, but no one else,’ he said.
Mr Kamurasi said the burial itself has an important ritual involving nine coffee beans. He said in Tooro culture, the number nine carries cultural significance and that placing nine coffee beans inside the grave signifies that the king has been buried.
Traditionally, if the deceased king had left behind a son, the son would perform this ritual as a sign of burying his father.
Unlike an ordinary grave, the king’s grave will be covered with barkcloth. He added that certain people, including the queen mother are traditionally not permitted to approach the grave during the ritual.
Mr Kamurasi said a special animal skin will also be placed inside the grave as part of the traditional burial rites.
With Oyo’s burial, four Tooro kings will have been buried at Karambi. They are David Kyebambe Kasagama, Sir George David Kamurasi Rukidi III, Matthew Patrick Kaboyo II, and now Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru IV.
After the burial, Mr Kamurasi said there will be another important ceremony to close the royal tomb. He explained that the deceased king’s successor would be expected to participate in the final closing ceremony and would not return to the tomb after it is sealed.
He said in the absence of the king’s son, he will be the one to close it.
Announcing a new king
Mr Kamurasi said after Oyo’s burial the Babiito, the royal clan, will identify the new king, after which the process of formally installing him will begin.
Mr Kamurasi added that he as the Omujwera Musuuga, is traditionally responsible for announcing the new king, with the installation process beginning by bringing the identified king from his residence to the royal palace, a ceremony that starts at midnight.
Mr Kamurasi explained that the new king cannot enter the palace before the burial of the previous king because tradition does not permit two kings to occupy the palace, even if one is deceased.
He said the procession will move through Fort Portal, with people carrying emuri (torches), which will serve as cultural symbols similar to fireworks, as they accompany the new king.
The king will eventually approach Mugabate, the main gate through which the king enters the palace.
Traditionally, a cow is slaughtered at the gate, and the new king faces a symbolic cultural resistance before being allowed to enter. The resistance represents the traditional belief that a king must fight to gain entry to and claim the palace.
Mr Kamurasi said the ritual is performed by Omupanyarwa, a ritualist responsible for resisting the king at the main gate.
Once the resistance is overcome, the traditional enthronement rituals proceed.
The installation of a new king will also mark the beginning of a new administration in the kingdom.
Mr Kamurasi said the new king will have the authority to appoint a new prime minister and ministers to form an administration to work with him.
The role of the queen mother, he added, is tied to the reign of the deceased king and, therefore, ends with his death.
The succession process will consequently not only mark the end of Oyo’s 31-year reign, but also the beginning of a new chapter in the cultural and administrative life of the Tooro Kingdom.
Post Oyo burial
After Oyo’s burial the Babiito, the royal clan, will identify the new king, after which the process of formally installing him will begin. The Omujwera Musuuga, is traditionally responsible for announcing the new king, with the installation process beginning by bringing the identified king from his residence to the royal palace.