The Royal Loot! Tooro Kingdom Thieves Betraying Their Own Kings for Personal Gain

I SPEAK WHAT OTHERS FEAR!

By Andrew Irumba Katusabe [Sankara]

The disgraceful looting of Tooro Kingdom’s wealth by a few greedy individuals masquerading as custodians of our heritage must be confronted head-on. We are watching a kingdom once revered for its dignity and nobility descend into a den of organized theft, masked under royal titles. This is not merely corruption; it is betrayal. Betrayal of our ancestors, our culture, our heritage, and the dignity of the Batooro people.

In recent weeks, these royal thieves have launched a shameful campaign to solicit funds from schools, churches, and communities—begging for money to renovate the royal tombs of our forefathers. These are the very tombs of kings who sacrificed everything to establish the pride of Tooro. And now, their names are being hawked around like cheap merchandise to squeeze sympathy coins from the unsuspecting public.

Why, you ask? Because the very people who inherited this wealth have squandered it on themselves like starving hyenas on a carcass. Let’s speak facts.

Recently, the Government of Uganda compensated the administrators of the estate of the Late Sir George David Kamurasi Rukidi III with over UGX 4 billion as part of a settlement relating to shares in Kilembe Mines. Instead of using these funds for the greater good—including renovation of the royal tombs and proper distribution among all beneficiaries—these parasites went on a spending spree.

Princess Mabel Komuntale, one of the late King’s children, suggested a noble idea: that a portion of this money be used to restore the royal tombs, not just for her father, but for all past kings. Her reward? Humiliation. Exclusion. And utter betrayal. Out of the billions disbursed, she was given nothing. Zero. Her rightful share was gobbled up like crumbs before a glutton.

The psychological toll of this theft was so severe that Princess Mabel reportedly fell into a coma and spent over two weeks in ICU in London. Word has it that emissaries from the same greedy clan that robbed her tried to poison her in hospital. They feared her persistence in demanding her share. They even falsely declared her dead. This is not just greed; it is wickedness of biblical proportions. Remember Komuntale ran to exile in London in 1999 to escape possible elimination by the then powerful leaders at the kingdom,who hired gun men who shot and killed Prince Happy Kiijanangoma and later on, shot 2 more youth at Makerere gate, children that belonged to late Prof.Kajabago Karusoke, the father of the current spokes person of police. They killed them because they feared those two had information on who killed Kiijanangoma. Mabel Komuntale was another target, because she has been working closely with Kiijanangoma fighting the thieves in the Palace. It’s the president and Elizabeth Bagaya who helped her escape to London.

Meanwhile, Mabel has since instructed her lawyer, Hon. Fred Mukasa Mbidde, to demand justice (read the attached letter). But as expected, they have ignored the demand. Now, court is the next battleground.

And where is Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru? He received UGX 50 million from the same compensation scheme and happily munched it down. Today, he stands in the Rukurato pretending to lead a noble campaign to solicit funds for tombs renovation. What hypocrisy! Your grandfather’s wealth was sold and you feasted on it, now you want poor Batooro to foot the bill for renovating his grave?

Where is Queen Best Kemigisa, the Queen Mother? She alone received over UGX 4.5 billion from government land compensation. This included land that belonged to me, 100 acres, she bundled with hers and sold, refusing to remit the rightful share to others, including myself. Remember the late lawyer Bob Kasango who died in Luzira? That’s the part of  money he ate from her after they disagreed. Yet not a coin from all these billions went toward preserving the legacy of our great kings.

Instead, we are now being told to open our empty pockets and “support” the cause of renovating tombs. What an insult! Those kings were not beggars. They left behind wealth. Wealth now being devoured by a cabal of greedy aristocrats.

And what of Eng. Mujogya, Mr. Katto, and Mr. Kenneth Muhangura? They have built empires—hotels, mansions—using proceeds linked to this estate. Let them now use their ill-gotten wealth to restore the graves of their own ancestors instead of burdening ordinary citizens.

Even worse, there are whispers—unconfirmed for now—that UNESCO previously allocated funds for the restoration of heritage sites, including Tooro Kingdom. Buganda built Kasubi Tombs. Ankole, Busoga, Bunyoro all used their shares. But for Tooro? They ate it. As usual.

Let us not forget: Parliament recently ensured that all kings now receive UGX 47 million per month from taxpayer money. Omukama Oyo is on this payroll. Yet despite this, the royal leadership still sees it fit to go begging for help from the poor they are meant to uplift.

To every Batooro reading this: when you see these self-proclaimed royal fundraisers coming to your shop, church, school or community chase them with stones, tell them Irumba said you’re thieves. They are not coming to uplift the kingdom. They are coming to rob you under the guise of tradition.

We must draw a line. We must expose the greed. We must restore dignity—not to the throne—but to the memory of the kings who truly served us with pride, vision, and honor. Enough is enough.