By Spy Uganda
At 36, George Desmond Kamurasi has suddenly found himself at the centre of one of the most significant royal transitions in Uganda.
The Royal Succession Committee of the Tooro Kingdom on Friday, September 4, 2026, selected Kamurasi as the successor to his late cousin, Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, placing him in line to occupy the Tooro throne.
Although the formal public proclamation is expected to follow the burial of King Oyo in accordance with Tooro custom, the committee’s decision has already thrust Kamurasi into the spotlight as the man expected to carry forward the Babiito royal lineage.
But who exactly is George Desmond Kamurasi?
A Prince From Tooro’s Royal Lineage
Kamurasi is not a newcomer to the Tooro royal family. He is a direct descendant of the Babiito dynasty and belongs to a branch of the royal family with a strong connection to the Tooro throne.
He is the son of George Desmond “Jimmy” Mugenyi, who was the younger brother of the late King Patrick David Mathew Olimi Kaboyo II.
This places Kamurasi within the immediate royal family and gives his succession claim a direct connection to the line of previous Tooro monarchs.
Kamurasi’s position in the succession was also provided for in the will of his grandfather, the late King George Rukidi III.
Under that arrangement, Kamurasi was identified as the second in line to succeed his elder relative, Olimi Kaboyo II.
His selection by the Royal Succession Committee therefore comes against a background of royal lineage, customary succession arrangements and precedents within the Babiito clan.
The Father Who Connects Him To The Throne
Kamurasi’s royal story is closely linked to that of his father, George Desmond “Jimmy” Mugenyi, a member of the Tooro royal family whose life spanned Uganda’s turbulent political history and the restoration of traditional kingdoms.
Mugenyi was born in 1947 at Kabarole Hospital in Fort Portal to Sir George Kamurasi Rukidi III, then a member of the Tooro royal household, and Omugo Kezia Byanjeru.
He grew up within the royal family and received his early education at Budo Junior School and Buhinga Indian Junior School before joining Nyakasura School, where he studied between 1966 and 1969.
His life would later take him outside Uganda during the years when traditional institutions had been abolished and the country was undergoing political upheaval.
In the late 1970s, Mugenyi went into exile in the United Kingdom, where he lived for several decades.
He briefly returned to Uganda in 1993, following the restoration of traditional kingdoms by the government.
His return came at a historic moment for Tooro and other traditional institutions, which had been abolished in 1967.
Mugenyi later settled back into life in Uganda after years abroad, maintaining his connection to the royal family and the affairs of the kingdom.
One of the most significant chapters in Mugenyi’s life came in 1995, when he was appointed guardian to the young Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Oyo had ascended the Tooro throne as a three-year-old following the death of his father, King Patrick David Mathew Olimi Kaboyo II.
As guardian, Mugenyi became part of the support system surrounding the young monarch during his early years on the throne.
The responsibility placed him in a unique position within Tooro’s royal affairs and further cemented his connection to the branch of the family that eventually produced King Oyo.
In 1994, Mugenyi married Priscillar Mugenyi, who died in 2004.
The couple had four children — three boys and one girl.
One of those children is George Desmond Kamurasi, the 36-year-old royal now selected to succeed King Oyo.
This means Kamurasi’s emergence as the next king represents the continuation of a royal line that has remained closely connected to the Tooro throne for generations.
After spending years in exile and later returning to Uganda, Mugenyi remained connected to the royal family and the affairs of Tooro.
He died around 2015/16 at Rubaga Hospital in Kampala, reportedly after battling hypertension.
His death came years before the passing of his nephew, King Oyo, but his place in the royal family and his role as guardian to the young monarch left a lasting mark on Tooro’s modern history.
