George Desmond Kamurasi, a 36-year-old non-league goalkeeper and captain for the south-east London club SE Dons, has been selected by a royal committee to become the next king (omukama) of the Tooro Kingdom in Uganda.
According to Daily Mail, Kamurasi was chosen following the death of his cousin, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who passed away at age 34.
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The Tooro Kingdom is one of Uganda’s traditional monarchies, holding significant cultural influence rather than political power.
The 36-year-old British national is now in line to exchange English grassroots football for a throne governing a traditional kingdom with an estimated population of 800,000.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the country’s Chief of Defence Forces, have reportedly endorsed the committee’s decision.
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The selection has also received a mixed reception in Uganda with some excited for Mr Kamurasi to bring his feisty leadership to the role, while others doubt whether a Briton should lead the kingdom.
Meanwhile, Kamurasi is reluctant to leave his life, family, and football career in London to take up the throne, though refusing the position is traditionally viewed as a serious cultural taboo under local custom.
