The race to the Tooro throne has taken another dramatic twist after Omusuuga Charles Akiiki Kamurasi reportedly distanced himself from claims that a new king has already been selected.
Reports circulating on Friday, largely based on claims made by journalist Andrew Mwenda, stated that the Royal Succession Committee had settled on 36-year-old George Desmond Kamurasi to succeed the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Mwenda said the 21-member committee met in Fort Portal on September 4, with 18 members reportedly attending and 15 voting in favour of George Kamurasi.
The journalist further claimed that the formal public announcement would only come after the burial of the late king, in line with Tooro cultural customs.
But the development has now been clouded by the reported response of Omusuuga Charles Akiiki Kamurasi, the head of the Babiito royal clan and chairperson of the succession committee.
When approached over the claims surrounding the alleged selection, the Omusuuga reportedly declined to comment, saying he had nothing to say about the matter.
That response has intensified speculation over whether the succession process has indeed reached its final stage or whether the public is still waiting for an official decision from the clan authorities.
Mwenda's account has already been widely circulated, with several media outlets reporting that George Desmond Kamurasi emerged as the preferred candidate following deliberations by the succession committee.
However, no formal public declaration from the Babiito clan has yet confirmed the appointment.
The succession question has gripped Tooro since the death of King Oyo, who ascended to the throne as a child in 1995 and became internationally known as one of the world's youngest monarchs. Recent reporting has placed his death in the United States in late August, with preparations underway for his burial in Tooro.
The kingdom's succession process is particularly sensitive because it is deeply rooted in Babiito clan customs and royal traditions.
George Desmond Kamurasi, if eventually confirmed, would take over one of Uganda's most prominent cultural institutions and succeed a monarch whose reign spanned more than three decades.
For now, though, the throne remains officially in transition.
And until the Omusuuga and the relevant Babiito clan structures make a formal announcement, the question of who will become Tooro's next Omukama continues to hang over Fort Portal.