The dispute now places Tooro at a delicate crossroads between customary authority and Uganda’s legal framework. Omusuuga Kamurasi has called for respect for tradition and the law, while President Museveni has called for peace and unity among the Batooro.
On commercial diplomacy, the United States is shifting assistance toward private-sector-led growth, including efforts with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Taiwan to connect every Pacific Islands Forum country to a trusted undersea cable network. A second Pacific Investment Summit is scheduled to be hosted in early 2027.
Ssenyonyi’s campaign kicked off in Bukomansimbi, Uganda’s top coffee-producing district, on November 19, 2024, where he rallied farmers to keep growing coffee.
On September 23, 2024, a couple, Joseph Bukenya and Susan Namukasa, was brutally murdered by machete-wielding attackers in Bukomansimbi. This attack was reportedly connected to ongoing land disputes, highlighting the deadly consequences of such conflicts in the area.
Recent reports indicate a troubling surge in violence linked to land disputes in Bukomansimbi and surrounding areas, particularly in Greater Masaka. Police recently reported that between July 22 and August 23, 2024, at least 15 people had been killed in attacks attributed to land conflicts, with many incidents occurring in Bukomansimbi, Lwengo, and Masaka districts.
Police in Bukomansimbi have arrested Cotilda Namuddu, a 75-year-old woman, as a suspect in the stabbing to death of her 16-year-old granddaughter, Immaculate Nanziri.