A visit to Tooro Palace makes one learn that Tooro Kingdom is one of the four traditional kingdoms of Uganda that were abolished in 1967, but restored in 1993. The kingdom itself was founded in 1822 after the eldest son of the Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara, Nyamutukura Kyebambe III, rebelled against his father. He departed to form his own kingdom of Tooro, annexing the southern part of his father’s kingdom with the border between them being River Muziizi.
Establishment of Tooro Kingdom
When his father died 13 years later, Olimi I of Tooro rejected calls to succeed him as Omukama of Bunyoro-Kitara preferring to remain as head of the Tooro Kingdom. He was succeeded by his third son Rukirabasaija Kazana Ruhaga, who ruled from 1865 to 1866, when he was murdered by his brother, Rukirabasaija Kasunga Kyebambe Nyaika. The latter then seized the throne by force.
Nyaika ruled until 1871 when the Kingdom of Tooro was invaded by an army from Buganda, in support of Nyaika’s younger brother, Rukirabasaija Kato Rukidi. Rukidi’s reign, however short lived since the people of Tooro rejected him because of Buganda’s role in his succession. They then restored Nyaika to the throne. Nyaika himself died the following year.
Following a period of short reigns of Nyaika’s feuding sons, the kingdom was absorbed back into the Bunyoro-Kitara kingdom from 1880 until1891. Its independence was then restored with Rukirabasaija Daudi Kasagama Kyebambe III ascending the throne. He reigned until 1928 as part of a deal with the Imperial British East Africa Company (IBEAC).
New Era of Tooro Kingdom Learnt on a Visit to Tooro Palace
Kyebambe converted the kingdom to Christianity and was succeeded by his son, Rukirabasaija Sir George David Matthew Kamurasi Rukidi III. Kamurasi reigned until the kingdom was abolished in 1967 by Milton Obote, when he declared himself president of an independent Uganda.
Shortly before the kingdom was abolished, Rukidi III oversaw the building of the Tooro Royal Palace. However, with the monarchy abolished, the palace soon fell into disrepair and ended up ransacked and ruinous, following internal Ugandan civil wars in 1979. After that, the then president of Libya, Col. Muammar Gadhafi provided funds to have the palace restored, in early 2000s, having established a close bond with Tooro’s infant king Oyo Kabamba Rukidi IV.
Rukidi was succeeded by his fourth son Olimi III in 1965. However, when stripped of his royal title he joined the Ugandan Foreign Service, spending some time as state ambassador to Cuba. He was restored to the throne in 1993 after the traditional Ugandan Kingdoms were restored but died two years later in 1995 and was succeeded by his infant son, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Rukidi IV, the present day king.
Today, the Tooro Royal palace is seen as an integral part of Tooro’s way of life and is used for state functions as well as revenue generating purposes, from tourists visiting the palace.
The Tooro Palace can be found at Karuzika Hill overlooking Fort Portal on the Fort Portal – Kases Road .
Today Tooro Palace is open up for tourists to visit and see some cultural tools that are still kept within the palace as they listen to the beautiful folktales about the palace, from local guides.
Spice up your visit to Tooro palace with a visit to Kibale National Park for an amazing chimpanzee trekking safari, birdwatching or an astonishing wildlife safari in the nearby Queen Elizabeth National Park or Semuliki Wildlife Reserve. In Rwanda, Nyungwe National Park is a reciprocal of Kibale, home to chimpanzee in Rwanda and many other primates.