President Museveni (2nd L), King Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I (2nd R), Omugo Rebecca Amoding (L) and the Queen Mother shortly after the recent coronation ceremony
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Tooro’s new king, Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I, has reportedly welcomed a proposal to build a palace in Kitagwenda as the Babiito royal clan pushes for a return to some of the traditional practices associated with the Tooro monarchy.
The proposal for a new royal residence is intended to help the newly crowned Omukama administer distant parts of the kingdom, but the Babiito say it could also support a broader traditional arrangement in which the king has more than one wife, with each queen having her own palace.
Babiito clan spokesperson Moses Musinguzi said the clan expects Nyabongo I to embrace polygamy, arguing that the practice is permitted under Tooro traditions and was followed by some former kings.
The position, however, places the clan at odds with the Church of Uganda, which warned the King during his coronation against taking another wife and urged him to honour his marriage vows to Queen Rebecca Amoding.
Kitagwenda offers land for palace
According to Musinguzi, the idea of establishing a palace in Kitagwenda emerged after local leaders met Nyabongo I and offered land for the construction of the royal residence.
“The county of Kitagwenda has asked the king to build a palace there. They say they have ample land. He accepted this request,” Musinguzi said.
The proposed palace would provide the Omukama with a place to stay whenever he travels to Kitagwenda and Kibaale, reducing the administrative distance between the royal capital at Fort Portal and communities located farther away from the kingdom’s centre.
King Nyabongo I on his throne
For the Babiito, the palace is therefore not merely a residential facility but part of a wider strategy of extending the physical presence of the monarchy across Tooro.
The clan believes that having royal residences in different parts of the kingdom would allow the King to spend more time with his subjects and oversee affairs in distant counties.
Push for multiple queens
Musinguzi, who speaks under the office of the Musuuga, also connected the Kitagwenda palace proposal to the Babiito’s expectation that Nyabongo I should have several wives.
He argued that the Tooro monarchy historically accommodated multiple queens, with royal wives living in different palaces.
“When he has several palaces, it helps the king to get as many wives as he wants, one in her own palace. This is the wish of the Babiito; this is the wish of the people of Tooro,” Musinguzi said.
He added that polygamy is permitted within Babiito tradition and said a Mubiito, including the Omukama, could marry more than one woman.
“In our tradition, a man can marry more than one wife, and a Mubiito can have more than one woman, same goes for the king,” he said.
Musinguzi further invoked the historical structure of the monarchy, saying former Tooro kings had multiple queens who lived in different palaces, alongside the principal wife at Karuzika.
The comments represent the position of the Babiito clan, and Nyabongo I has not announced plans to take another wife.
Church warns against second marriage
The proposal for additional queens revives a debate that emerged shortly before Nyabongo I was crowned on September 29, 2026.
During a prayer service at St John’s Cathedral, Rwenzori Bishop Reuben Bizarwenda Kisembo urged the Anglican King to remain faithful to his marriage vows to Queen Rebecca Amoding.
The bishop emphasised that Christian marriage is monogamous and warned the King about the potential difficulties associated with polygamy.
“The Christian matrimonial vows give you one wife. That is the biblical teaching. Monogamy,” Bishop Kisembo said.
He also urged Nyabongo I to protect Amoding, who was formally recognised as queen despite coming from the Iteso community rather than one of Tooro’s recognised clans.
The Church’s position introduces a clear tension between the expectations of the Babiito clan and the obligations arising from the King’s Christian marriage.
Succession adds another dimension
The debate over additional queens is also linked to questions surrounding the succession of the Tooro throne.
Although the Babiito have recognised Amoding as Queen, clan spokesman Rev Fr Dr Charles Oyo has previously said that an heir to the throne must be born to a mother from one of Tooro’s recognised clans.
Under that account of Tooro succession custom, children born to Amoding would not qualify to inherit their father’s throne.
This means that the Babiito’s call for the King to marry additional women is not simply about expanding the royal household. It potentially touches on the future of the monarchy and the identity of a future heir.
For now, however, the immediate proposal before Nyabongo I is the establishment of a palace in Kitagwenda. The Babiito see such residences as consistent with the historical structure of the Tooro monarchy, while local officials view the palace as a means of bringing the King closer to distant counties.
Whether the new Omukama will adopt the clan’s wider vision of multiple palaces and queens remains a matter for the King himself, particularly as he balances traditional expectations with his Christian marriage and the modern administration of Tooro Kingdom.
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