The Babiito have revealed that the new Omukama of Tooro, Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, was selected through a lengthy process of nomination, selection, and intensive vetting by a 21-member committee appointed by the Babiito royal clan to handle the succession of the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Fr Charles Oyo, a member of the Babiito royal clan, a member of the 21-member succession committee and head of communications under the Office of Omujwera Musuuga, said the committee did not use a voting system to determine the next king.
Instead, the committee developed criteria that guided the identification and assessment of potential candidates from different generations of the royal family.
‘The process was quite long because we were given responsibility by the Babiito clan. There were 21 people, and we sat down and had a lot of discussions,’ Fr Oyo said.
He said the committee first established criteria to provide a basis for identifying a suitable successor before considering candidates from different generations of the royal family.
‘We looked at different generations. We did not have any child to put into consideration. Then we went to Kaboyo’s generation and to Rukidi’s generation,’ he said.
Prince Edward Kijanangoma, he explained, is a grandson of the late Omukama Rukidi III, while his father, Christopher Paul Kijanangoma, was a son of Rukidi III.
Fr Oyo said the committee considered leadership competence, education, experience and the candidates’ understanding of Tooro’s culture, rituals, customs and traditions.
‘We looked at the skills required for someone to become a leader. We considered the competencies and experience this person has, their acquaintance with the culture of Tooro, and their acquaintance with the rituals, customs and traditions of the Tooro Kingdom.’
He said the committee also assessed the ability of each candidate to listen to the people, articulate their concerns, engage the government and other stakeholders and deliver results.
The committee, he added, considered the broader social needs of the kingdom, including the need for strong families, disciplined children and culturally grounded citizens.
‘We need good families, we need good children, we need discipline, and we need cultured citizens. We cannot have cultured citizens if we do not have good families,’ Fr Oyo said.
No voting
Fr Oyo said the selection was not conducted through an election or a simple vote among members of the committee. Instead, candidates were nominated, selected and then subjected to a detailed vetting process.
‘No, no, no. We had nomination. After nomination, there was a criterion that we followed to pick out someone who is going to another stage. After nomination, we did selections. After selections, we followed with vetting,’ he said.
He said the candidates were vetted ‘seriously and critically’ before the committee arrived at a priority list; some potential candidates, he said, were contacted but declined the responsibility because of other commitments.
‘Someone has to accept and say, ‘Yes, I will, and I am going to make this happen,” he said.
According to Fr Oyo, the committee ranked the candidates in order of priority and subsequently engaged them individually.
‘The first one said, ‘No, I have responsibilities, and I am not able to be the king.’ The next one, good enough, accepted the responsibility and we allowed him to be our next king,’ he said.
This process culminated in the proclamation of Prince Edward Kijanangoma as the new Omukama of Tooro at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal City on Wednesday evening.
Child heir
Fr Oyo also addressed claims that the late King Oyo had left a child who was destined to succeed him, saying as Babiito royal clan could not base the succession process on information circulating outside the established cultural procedures.
Fr Oyo explained that, under Tooro cultural practice, a child born into the royal family is introduced to elders, who perform ceremonies and rituals, including naming and celebration.
‘When a child is born, this child is introduced to the elders. The elders perform a number of ceremonies and rituals. They name the child; they have a celebration,’ he said.
‘When this child is destined for leadership in the kingdom, they will take this child out of the palace and bring up this child with formal training so that this child will be able to understand what the kingdom is, but also to have this child grow from one stage to another to reach a mature adult who has the capacity to make a difference.’
The late king, who ascended the throne as a three-year-old in 1995, died aged 34 after more than three decades on the throne.
Mourning continues
Fr Oyo said the proclamation of a new king does not bring mourning for the late Omukama to an end, saying the cultural system allows the kingdom to mourn its fallen king while simultaneously beginning preparations for the next reign.
‘It is a very big challenge. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be doing it if it was an ordinary family at home. We are going to continue with mourning. Yes, we have brought in a new king, but we have lost our king, and we loved him.’
He described the late Oyo as ‘a gentleman’ who was able to bring together many people and said his death at a young age had left the kingdom deeply saddened.
Fr Oyo said the kingdom would now begin consultations with different stakeholders to prepare for the coronation of the new Omukama.
He said the coronation date had not yet been fixed, but indicated that cultural preparations would follow the kingdom’s traditional counting of nine.