Uganda Security Halts Tooro Kingdom Elders' Meeting

Fort Portal — Personnel from the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UDPF) and the Police have been deployed at the Tooro Kingdom administrative offices at Muchwa in Fort Portal City. The Muchwa also houses the kingdom's parliamentary chambers (Orukurato Orukuru Orwensanju). The deployment followed an announcement by Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki postponing the Supreme Council sitting that had been scheduled for Tuesday morning. Rwomiire said the meeting had been postponed until further notice. He explained that he was in Kampala engaging government officials and other relevant authorities to coordinate arrangements for the return and interment of the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. However, despite the Prime Minister's announcement, some members of the Supreme Council started gathering at Muchwa, intending to proceed with the sitting. Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines The members were led by the head of the ruling Babiito clan, Omusuga Prince Charles Kamurasi. Moses Musinguzi the Babiito clan spokesperson told URN that the Prime Minister had no powers or authority to stop the Rukurato from sitting. The members were however blocked from accessing the Rukurato chambers after security officers closed the doors. The members later held negotiations with the security personnel in an attempt to gain access to the chambers, but the negotiations yielded no breakthrough. They eventually left the premises without holding the sitting. According to the traditions of Tooro when a king dies, the Rukurato sits and the burial program and arrangements are presented to it. It's after this sitting that even the heir to the throne is also announced. The standoff comes amid a deepening succession dispute following the death of King Oyo, with the Babiito royal clan having formed a 21-member committee to handle the process of selecting a new King. Rwomiire has said the late King left an heir, while Omusuga Kamurasi said the royal clan is not aware of the reported son. President Yoweri Museveni also said during his eulogy for King Oyo that Queen Mother Best Kemigisa had informed him by telephone that the late King had left a son. The King's body is expected to arrive in Uganda on Thursday as preparations for his burial continue. Read the original article on Independent (Kampala) . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.