Fort Portal, Uganda — The High Court has made a clear decision on the long-running dispute over the estate of the late Tooro King, Omukama Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III. The court ruled that all the disputed properties belong to him personally and are not part of the assets of the Tooro Kingdom.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Vincent Emmy Mugabo in Miscellaneous Application No. 137 of 2025, the court said the properties form part of the late king’s private estate. The ruling rejected claims that the land and assets belonged to the kingdom as an institution.
Justice Mugabo explained that traditional kingdoms were abolished under the 1966 Constitution, and the state took over their lands under the Public Lands Act of 1969. Because of this, properties registered in the name of Olimi III after that time could not automatically be treated as kingdom property.
The case arose from a probate petition concerning Olimi III’s estate, which has remained unsettled since he died in 1995. Court records, including testimony from the Tooro Kingdom’s Prime Minister and a succession certificate issued under the Registration of Titles Act, showed that the properties were registered in the king’s personal name. The court noted that the late king continued using his royal name even after the abolition of kingdoms, but this did not mean the land belonged to the kingdom.
Justice Mugabo also dismissed objections from individuals who had placed caveats on the estate, saying they had no legal standing. He ruled that the matter had already been decided before, referring to a 1998 judgment, and described the objections as res judicata, meaning the issue had already been settled by law.
With the full agreement of all surviving beneficiaries, the court renewed the letters of administration in favour of Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, the widow of Olimi III and mother of the current king, Rukirabasaija Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. Each party was ordered to meet its own legal costs, bringing the long probate process to an end.
Olimi III was born on September 9, 1945, and became the 11th Omukama of Tooro in 1965. His reign coincided with a difficult period in Uganda’s history, including the abolition of traditional kingdoms in 1967 under President Milton Obote. Although kingdoms were restored in 1993 under the Traditional Rulers Restitution of Assets and Properties Act, they were given cultural and ceremonial roles only, leaving land ownership issues unresolved.
After Olimi III died on August 26, 1995, at the age of 49, his three-year-old son, King Oyo, ascended to the throne, becoming the youngest reigning monarch in the world at the time. The transition was marked by internal disputes, power struggles, and land conflicts, which have continued to affect the kingdom over the years.
The Tooro Kingdom has faced several legal battles related to land and estate management. In 2016, Princess Mabel Komuntale challenged Queen Mother Kemigisa’s administration of the estate in court. In 2018, the kingdom itself took the Queen Mother to a land inquiry commission over internal disputes. More recently, in October 2025, the High Court ordered changes in the management of the Omukama Kamurasi family estate under the supervision of the Administrator General.
The ruling comes amid wider land disputes in the Rwenzori region, where tensions between traditional institutions, tenants, and government authorities have been common. Similar cases have also emerged in other kingdoms, including Buganda, Bunyoro, and Busoga.
Experts say the judgment could set an important precedent by clearly distinguishing between personal property and institutional assets in Uganda’s traditional kingdoms. For Tooro, the decision confirms its role as a cultural institution rather than a land-owning entity.
The ruling brings long-awaited clarity to the Tooro royal family. Queen Mother Kemigisa can now proceed with administering and distributing the estate, while the kingdom continues under King Oyo’s leadership, bringing closure to a dispute that has lasted nearly 30 years.
