Last-minute petition seeks to halt Tooro coronation

What the report says

A last-minute court application has been filed in Fort Portal seeking to stop the planned enthronement of Prince Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I as Tooro’s next king. According to Nile Post, the petition was lodged by two Batooro, Derick Alitugabira and Juliet Kangume, together with Walezi Wa Katiba, a civil society group that says it works on constitutionalism, lawful governance and public accountability.

Through their lawyers at Thomas & Michael Advocates, the applicants are asking the High Court for temporary orders to halt the ceremony, which was scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, 2026, while a broader dispute over the succession is heard. They argue that allowing the ceremony to go ahead first could create consequences that would be difficult to undo later.

The case centres on an alleged will said to have been left by the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. The applicants claim the document identifies a preferred line of succession and say the process that led to Prince Nyabongo’s selection did not follow those wishes. Former Tooro Queen Mother Best Kemigisa is also named as a respondent, and the applicants want her to identify the person they say is the late king’s heir. The current Omukama, Kemigisa and the Attorney General are listed as respondents.

As reported by Nile Post, the filing came just hours before the ceremony, and the High Court had not yet heard or decided the emergency application at the time of publication. The dispute adds further uncertainty to a succession process that has already drawn public attention in Tooro Kingdom.