To the People of Tooro, the Babiito Royal Clan, the Tooro Kingdom Leadership and All Authorities Concerned

We, the undersigned, respectfully call for the succession to the Tooro throne following the death of His Majesty King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV to be handled with transparency, due process and respect for the wishes of the late King.

King Oyo was not merely a traditional leader. He was the custodian of a throne that he inherited as a child and carried for more than three decades. His death therefore creates an obligation on those entrusted with Tooro's traditions to ensure that his succession is determined fairly and in accordance with the customs, laws and legitimate wishes governing the institution of the Omukama.

We are deeply concerned by the decision to select another successor while serious and unresolved questions remain concerning the reported existence of King Oyo's biological son and the contents of a 2022 will reportedly identifying that child as his heir. These claims have been publicly raised by members of the royal family and Tooro leadership.

We recognize that the child's identity, paternity, legal status and eligibility must be properly established. We therefore do not ask anyone to bypass the law or established Tooro customs.

We ask for something more fundamental: that the claim of King Oyo's son be properly investigated and determined before the succession is considered settled.

WE THEREFORE PETITION:

1. That King Oyo's reported will be formally produced and examined.

If the late King left a valid will identifying his son as heir, that document must not be ignored or treated as irrelevant to the succession question.

2. That the existence and identity of King Oyo's reported biological son be formally verified.

This should include appropriate legal and customary procedures for establishing his identity, parentage and eligibility.

3. That the Tooro succession process be transparent.

The people of Tooro deserve to understand the constitutional, customary and legal basis upon which the next Omukama is selected.

4. That no succession process should permanently extinguish the rights of a legitimate biological heir without first determining those rights.

The fact that an heir may be a child should not, by itself, be treated as proof that the child cannot inherit. King Oyo himself became Omukama at only three years of age and remained on the throne until his death.

5. That an independent and credible process be established to resolve the succession dispute.

This process should involve the appropriate Babiito royal authorities, Tooro cultural institutions, legal experts and any other institution legitimately empowered under Tooro custom and Ugandan law.

6. That the wishes of the late King be given their proper legal and customary weight.

A monarch's expressed wishes concerning the continuity of the institution he served should not be disregarded without a clear and compelling legal or customary basis.

7. That the dignity and privacy of King Oyo's child be protected.

The child should not be subjected to political hostility, public humiliation or unnecessary exposure. Any verification of his identity or parentage should be conducted responsibly and with the child's welfare as a paramount consideration.

OUR PRINCIPLE

This petition is not an attack on any member of the Babiito royal family.

It is not a call for division.

It is not a rejection of Tooro's customs.

It is not a declaration that any individual is already Omukama.

It is a call for due process, truth and respect for legitimate succession rights.

The question before Tooro is simple:

If King Oyo left behind a legitimate son whom he intended to succeed him, should that child's claim be determined before another person is permanently installed as Omukama?

We believe the answer must be yes.

Tooro has a duty to its history.

Tooro has a duty to its traditions.

Tooro has a duty to King Oyo's legacy.

And above all, Tooro has a duty to ensure that the succession of its throne is determined fairly, transparently and legitimately.

OUR DEMAND

We therefore call upon the relevant authorities of the Tooro Kingdom and the Republic of Uganda to ensure that King Oyo's reported will, his son's identity and his son's succession rights are fully examined and determined before the succession of the Tooro throne is treated as conclusively settled.

Let the truth be established.

Let the customs be respected.

Let the law be followed.

And let the rightful succession be determined.

For Tooro.

For the Babiito.

For the legacy of King Oyo.

For his child.

For the future of the Tooro Kingdom.

SIGN THIS PETITION IF YOU BELIEVE KING OYO'S REPORTED HEIR DESERVES A FAIR AND TRANSPARENT DETERMINATION OF HIS SUCCESSION RIGHTS.