Officials of Tooro Kingdom have defied a court order stopping them from carrying out any duties on behalf of the Kingdom. In April, three members of Tooro Kingdom Clan Council, Muhenda Badru, Kamara Ernest, and Kamurasi Selvano obtained a court order blocking the officials from performing any duties.
However, the Kingdom officials have ignored the court order and continued carrying in on with their duties. The officials are collecting revenue from tenants. Richard Baguma and Epafura Mugasa, the Kingdom regents have also called a meeting on Friday to elect a new speaker and his deputy.
Uganda Radio Network has seen some copies of payment receipts that were issued to the tenants by the kingdom accounts office. Last week, the kingdom also received 12 million shillings from Uganda Pentecostal University (UPU) as rent of offices on the ground floor of the kingdom headquarters.
UPU is using some of the offices as lecture rooms. Johnson Musana, the lawyer of the clan council says that the actions of the kingdom officials are in contempt of court orders. Musana says that the injunction still stands until the traditional assembly (O’Rukurato) of Toro is sworn in and commences business in accordance to the kingdom’s constitution.
He says that he has written to the High Court registrar over the matter.
Musana also says that they are investigating allegations that the kingdom has opened two illegal bank accounts, where they are depositing money from the tenants. The official kingdom accounts were frozen on the orders of the court.
However Uganda Radio Network could not verify the existence of the illegal bank accounts. When contacted for a comment, Shem Rubale, the deputy kingdom premier denied the allegations, but when he was tasked to explain the source of the payment receipts, he switched off his telephone.
Samuel Musana, the kingdom’s estate manager also refused to comment when contacted. Rukiidi Mpunga, the legal advisor to the clan council says that they are seeking court order to block the Friday meeting because it is illegal.
The stand- off in the kingdom started last year when King Oyo, appointed Apollo Karugaba as the kingdom premier. His appointment was rejected by the clan council claiming his appointment was illegal.
