Rebecca Amoding, the wife of Tooro’s king-elect Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I, will retain her official status as queen despite being from outside the kingdom.
However, her marriage to the incoming king does not automatically confer Tooro clan status on her or determine whether her children can inherit the throne, according to Babiito Clan spokesman Rev. Fr. Dr Charles Oyo.
Oyo said the king’s marriage to a woman from outside Tooro does not conflict with the kingdom’s traditions, but stressed that maternal clan lineage remains central to succession.
His clarification raises questions about the cultural status of any children born to Nyabongo I and Amoding who is from the Iteso ethnicity.
“She will be like any other wife of the king,” Oyo said on the sidelines of a press conference in Kampala on Thursday.
He said the critical requirement for succession is that an heir must be born to a mother belonging to one of the recognised clans of Tooro.
Oyo also rejected suggestions that Amoding would have to be adopted into a Tooro clan for her marriage to be recognised.
He said people from outside Tooro can undergo cultural initiation, but cautioned that such initiation has limitations and does not necessarily settle all questions relating to royal succession.
The clarification comes as Tooro prepares to crown Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I on September 29 at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal City. The Babiito Royal Clan selected Nyabongo I as successor to the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, and the Rukurato, the kingdom’s supreme council, subsequently endorsed him.
The incoming king’s marriage and the future status of his children have become significant cultural questions as the kingdom begins a new reign following the death of Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Queen Mother’s role
Oyo also explained the changed role of the Queen Mother following the death of her son, saying she ceases to have an official palace role once the king dies.
The explanation provides context to the restructuring of the royal household as Tooro transitions to a new reign.
The succession has also been accompanied by a dispute over a reported biological son of the late Oyo and his potential place in the line of succession.
Members of the late king’s family have questioned the selection of Nyabongo I, while the Babiito Clan and the Rukurato have maintained that the new king was selected through the kingdom’s established traditional structures.
Government has since confirmed that Tooro formally communicated the completion of the succession process and that Nyabongo I’s coronation will take place on September 29.
The ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development is processing the Gazette notice formally recognising the new Omukama, according to minister of state for Culture Mary Kuteesa Kamuli.
The succession and the new royal household come as Tooro prepares for a coronation budgeted at about Shs1.2 billion.
Kamuli said government would support the ceremony, while Musuuga Charles Kamurasi appealed to corporate organisations, friends of Tooro and well-wishers to contribute.
Fr Oyo declined to state how much money had already been raised or the amount of the government contribution, saying he needed to verify the figures before commenting.