Subjects of Toro Kingdom are demanding for an active Kingdom administration that will prioritize development starting next year. They also want the administration to be at the forefront of promoting Kitoro norms and values, which they say have faded. At a dialogue held in Fort Portal on Tuesday, the kingdom administration was also accused of losing touch with the people in the kingdom.
The dialogue which was organized by the Batooro living in Kampala, Entebbe and Jinja, under the theme ‘How the kingdom can empower its people’ was aimed at finding solutions how subjects can be involved in the developing its financially and culturally. However no kingdom official attended the dialogue despite being invited. Steven Asiimwe says the kingdom has failed to exploit its vast resources like land leaving it to be grabbed by some kingdom officials.
Asiimwe says that if the land is leased out to investors the funds will help develop the kingdom. He also says that as a supplement to the kingdom’s revenue, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) should remit a percentage of its collections from property on kingdom land to the kingdom treasury. Asiimwe says that it is embarrassing for the kingdom to beg for money from the government and individuals, when organizing the King’s coronation anniversary and birthday celebrations.
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Deborah Kahukya, a resident of Karambi, says that when King Oyo assumed full authority over his kingdom last year they were many expectations from him, which have all died. She says that she expected change in the kingdom but things have remained the same.
Kahukya also says that part of the five year development plan, that King Oyo promised last year has never been implemented. She cites the kingdom’s plans of reviving the granaries to address the problem of food shortage. Kahukya says that no kingdom official has moved in villages to teach people how to construct the granaries and even sensitize them on their importance.
King Oyo has often emphasized the importance of granaries and said that beginning this year, the Kingdom will promote the granaries, but nothing has been done. Charles Kadama, a resident of Bukwali in Fort Portal says that the kingdom should emulate Buganda Kingdom and set up an education bursary to help needy students in the kingdom. Kadama says that some students have dropped out of school because they lack school fees.
He also says that the kingdom should come up with a program like the Ekisakati, which was started by Nabagereka of Buganda, Sylvia Naginda. Kadama says that the program willteach young boys and girls about the Toro culture and also impart morals.
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Francis Rwabuhinga, the chairperson of the Batooro Association in Kampala, blamed the kingdom administration for shunning the dialogue. He says that the dialogue was an opportunity for the administration to explain what plans they have for the subjects next year.
For more than two years, the kingdom has been engaged in conflicts. Several prime ministers have been sacked under unclear circumstances; kingdom funds collected are not accounted for, among others.
