Former military intelligence chief Gen David Sejusa has called on the Tooro Kingdom to undertake extensive traditional cleansing rituals following the death of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
King Oyo, who died in the United States on August 27 at the age of 34 after battling cancer, was returned to Uganda on September 4 ahead of his burial on September 12. His death has triggered a period of mourning and renewed attention on Tooro’s cultural and royal traditions.
In a statement circulating on social media, Gen Sejusa argued that the kingdom should go beyond the rituals already being conducted, describing the situation as obwirirane—a traditional concept he associates with darkness and prolonged spiritual disorder.
> “The spiritual cleansing rites of Batembuzi-Bachwezi required extensive and intensive spiritual protocols to cover mainly four areas: the whole kingdom, the Royal Court, the Queen Mother, and the new King,” Sejusa said.
He said some practices were already being observed, including okujumuka amacumu, the use of drums and restrictions on intimacy in homes across the kingdom. However, he argued that these measures were inadequate for what he considers a serious spiritual crisis.
Sejusa proposed additional rites for Batooro heads of households, including shaving their heads, slaughtering their principal bull and presenting milk from a cow producing for the first time to the royal court.
Rituals at royal court
At the royal court, the former general called for more extensive purification measures. He said members of the royal household should shave all their hair and that the traditional royal fire, orwoto, should be moved outside the palace.
He cited historical examples in which the royal fire was maintained outside the palace during the reign of an earlier Tooro monarch.
For the period preceding the late king’s burial, Sejusa also referred to a nine-day ritual involving offerings of a white bull, a white goat and nine coffee berries each day.
His proposals extend to Queen Mother Best Kemigisha, whom he said should undergo a purification process before transitioning into what he described as the role of a Nyangoma, or purified elder and counsellor.
> “She then becomes a Nyangoma, a purified elder, and should cease from active affairs of the Kingdom,” Sejusa said.
New king’s transition
Sejusa also placed significant emphasis on the traditional preparation of the incoming Omukama. He said the new king would require rituals involving milk, fire, water and herbs before assuming his responsibilities.
He argued that the ceremonies were intended to restore Obugwagye, or what he called the kingdom’s “cosmological equilibrium”.
> “If he doesn't perform these sacred rites, there would be no balance between the earthly realm and the spiritual realm,” he said.
Sejusa acknowledged that some Christians and modern audiences may question such practices but warned against dismissing them while continuing to embrace the institution of kingship.
Tooro’s monarchy, restored in 1993 as a cultural institution, has no constitutional political authority but remains an important symbol of identity and cultural leadership in western Uganda.
His remarks add a spiritual dimension to the ongoing mourning period as Tooro prepares to lay King Oyo to rest and begin a new chapter under his successor.