Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze has asked journalist Andrew Mwenda to temporarily stop commenting on the ongoing Tooro Kingdom succession dispute, urging him to allow the kingdom to mourn the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV before engaging in further public debates.

Tumwebaze, who is a friend of both Mwenda and the late King Oyo, made the appeal after Mwenda continued making public statements about the succession controversy and questioned claims surrounding the late king’s reported heir.

The minister said the current period should focus on giving King Oyo a dignified farewell rather than increasing tensions through public exchanges over the future of the throne.

Mwenda, who is also connected to the Babiito royal family and is a cousin of the late King Oyo, has defended his involvement in the matter, saying his role as an investigative journalist requires him to reveal information even when it is controversial.

The journalist has recently raised questions about claims that King Oyo left behind a biological son who should inherit the Tooro throne.

In a televised interview, Mwenda questioned whether sufficient evidence had been presented to confirm the existence of the reported heir.

He claimed that during a meeting of the succession committee, representatives of Queen Mother Best Kemigisa did not provide enough information to support the claim that King Oyo had left a son.

Mwenda alleged that different names were mentioned regarding the reported child and questioned why a DNA test was not carried out to establish the child’s identity.

According to Mwenda, the request for DNA testing was rejected because of cultural concerns, with some people arguing that “Omukama tasarwa”, meaning a king cannot be cut.

He further claimed that no photograph of the child or details about the child’s mother were presented during discussions over succession.

Mwenda also alleged that he had received information from members of the Queen Mother’s extended family suggesting that the reported heir did not exist and that there were efforts to promote another royal relative as the next king.

His comments came after his earlier involvement in announcing that Prince George Desmond Kamurasi had been selected as the preferred successor to King Oyo.

The announcement caused controversy after Prince Charles Akiiki Kamurasi, the Omusuuga, distanced himself from the claim and described the announcement as inaccurate.

Mwenda, however, defended his actions, saying he was acting both as a journalist and as a member of the royal family with an interest in the future of Tooro Kingdom.

Responding to the ongoing debate, Minister Tumwebaze urged Mwenda to step back from the public discussion for the time being.

“As your friend and also as a friend of our late King Oyo, I appeal to you to consciously make a decision and keep quiet/ceasefire for now,” Tumwebaze said.

The minister added that the late king deserved respect and that other disagreements could be discussed after the mourning period.

“We owe this to our humble and gentle King. All other issues are secondary please. Debates can ensue thereafter,” he said.

The succession dispute intensified after the Babiito Royal Succession Committee selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the next King of Tooro.

However, some members of the royal family, including Princess Ruth Komuntale and Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, have challenged the decision.

They have argued that King Oyo’s 2022 will outlined a succession plan that considered his biological son as the preferred heir if he was recognised and capable of taking the throne.

The Babiito clan has maintained that succession must follow traditional recognition procedures and has argued that the reported son was never formally presented or recognised within the kingdom’s cultural structures.

As the kingdom continues preparing for King Oyo’s burial, leaders and elders have called for calm, unity and respect while discussions over the future of the Tooro throne continue.