Tooro clan council seeks meeting with king over mismanagement

Complaints. The members say kingdom property was fraudulently sold and constitution ignored.

Several members of the Tooro Kingdom Clan Council are seeking a meeting with King Oyo Nyimba over alleged breach of the kingdom’s constitution and mismanagement.
The clan council members claim a consent judgement made in April 2012 after four people sued the king over alleged mismanagement, had been breached.
Mr John Baranga, the assistant minister of culture and also a member of the clan council, told journalists in Fort Portal on Monday: “One of the grounds in the consent judgment was to build harmony in the kingdom, but not using the police and other institutions to solve kingdom affairs.”
In 2010, King Oyo and three others were taken to the High court in Fort Portal for alleged “unconstitutional decisions” that the plaintiffs said had messed up the kingdom administration.
The plaintiffs, Mr John Baranga, Mr John Kusemererwa, Mr Mordecai Kakorwa and Mr Lawrence Kawamara sued King Oyo, the head of the ruling Babiito clan, Mr Charles Kamurasi, Mr Francis Mugenyi, the king’s principal private secretary, and Mr Augustine Kayonga.
The court later advised the parties to settle the matter outside court, which they did in April 2012.
Mr Baranga told the Daily Monitor on Monday that they want King Oyo to explain the alleged mismanagement and fraudulent sale of the kingdom property.
“The Tamteco land, which is about 650 hectares, is an official property of Tooro Kingdom but we were all ‘amused’ about its disappearance from the office of the prime minister. We heard from the squatters on the land that some strangers came and surveyed the land. The land was supposed to be leased but instead we heard that some Tooro kingdom officials, who are based in Kampala, sold it off,” he said.
The outgoing prime minister, Mr Amos Mugisa, who resigned two weeks ago, was arrested by police on Friday on allegations of financial impropriety.
Mr Mugisa later accused the Queen Mother, Ms Best Kemigisa, and Mr Mugenyi of alleged interference with administration of the kingdom.
The queen mother and Mr Mugenyi denied the allegations.
When contacted, the Tooro Kingdom information minister, Mr Fredrick Nyakabwa, said: “We are waiting for the Supreme Council (Orukurato) to suggest names to the king to replace Amos Mugisa”.
Article 2 (7) of the Tooro constitution grants the clan council powers to “advise the king on administrative issues for the smooth running of the kingdom”.

editorial@ug.nationmedia.com