The traditional night procession escorting Tooro King-designate Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I to Karuziika Palace will be strictly reserved for men, the Tooro Kingdom has clarified.
The procession is scheduled to leave Rwengoma Palace at 10 p.m. Monday, September 28, as part of the traditional ceremonies leading up to the king-designate’s public coronation on Tuesday.
Speaking Sunday at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal City, Dr Richard Rwabuhinga, head of protocol for the coronation, said women should not participate because the journey is governed by Tooro cultural traditions.
“That trek is exclusively for the male gender, for the men and men alone. No woman is expected to participate in that trek,” Rwabuhinga said.
He appealed to women across the kingdom to remain at home during the overnight procession and attend the public coronation the following day instead.
“Tomorrow’s journey is not for them. Let them remain at home, but we are ready and prepared to receive them on Tuesday,” he said.
The procession is expected to draw thousands of men through Fort Portal City, with participants carrying reed torches as they accompany the king-designate toward Karuziika Palace.
The journey will also feature a traditional mock battle at the Mugabante entrance, a ceremony symbolising the transfer of authority. Members of the public are expected to stop at the entrance while the king-designate and members of the royal family proceed into the palace for traditional rites.
The men-only procession is separate from Tuesday’s public coronation, where women will be allowed to attend.
President Yoweri Museveni is expected to attend Tuesday’s coronation as the chief guest, adding a major national dimension to the historic royal ceremony.
The coronation follows the burial of the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who was laid to rest at the Karambi Royal Tombs on September 12.
For Tooro, the overnight trek is therefore more than a procession—it is one of the traditional rituals surrounding the transition of the kingdom’s leadership, with the next stage unfolding publicly at Karuziika Palace on Tuesday.