The Tooro people (, , ), also known as Batooro or Toro people are a Bantu ethnic group, native to the

Tooro Kingdom Tooro is a Bantu kingdom located within the borders of Uganda. The current Omukama of Toro is King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV took to the throne of Tooro kingdom in 1995 at the age of just thr ...

, a subnational constitutional monarchy within Uganda.

Religion

According to the 2002 Census of Uganda 48.8% of Batoro are

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, 30.8% are

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

(

Church of Uganda The Church of Uganda is a member province of the Anglican Communion. Currently there are 37 dioceses which make up the Church of Uganda, each headed by a bishop. Each diocese is divided into archdeaconries, each headed by a senior priest known a ...

), 7.3% follow other religions and 5.4% are

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

and 5.2% are

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

Population

the following administrative districts constitute the

: (a) Kabarole District (b)

Kamwenge District Kamwenge District is a district in Western Uganda. It is named after its 'chief town', Kamwenge, where the district headquarters are located. Kamwenge District is part of the Kingdom of Toro, one of the ancient traditional monarchies in Uganda. ...

(c)

Kyegegwa District Kyegegwa District is a district in Western Region of Uganda. The town of Kyegegwa hosts the district headquarters. Location Kyegegwa District is bordered by Kibaale District to the north, Mubende District to the east, Kiruhura District to the s ...

and (d) Kyenjojo District. Those four districts had a combined total population of about 1 million people, according to the 2002 national population census.

Clans

Tooro people are divided into individual clans, and most Tooro

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

s have a

totem A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While ''the wo ...

which spiritually represents them.

Culture

Since Fort Portal Tourism city is the headquarter of Tooro Kingdom, the area has two inscribed elements of Empaako and Koogere oral traditions on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. The Tooro cultural dance is called ''Kinyege''. Another important dance is the Orunyege-Ntogoro, a courtship dance. The Batoro are uniquely beautiful people and treasure their cultural heritage.

Prominent people

The following individuals are some of the prominent Batooro: #

Elizabeth Bagaya Princess Elizabeth of Tooro (Elizabeth Christobel Edith Bagaaya Akiiki; born 1936) is the ''Batebe'' (Princess Royal) of the Kingdom of Tooro. She is a Ugandan lawyer, politician, diplomat, and model. She was the first East African woman to b ...

- She is a lawyer, politician, diplomat, model and actress. She was the first female East African to be admitted to the English Bar. She is a

paternal aunt An aunt is a woman who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent. Aunts who are consanguineous, related by birth are Second-degree relative, second-degree relatives. Known alternate terms include auntie or aunty. Children in ...

of the current

Omukama of Tooro Omukama wa Tooro (''The King of Tooro'') is the official title given to the king of Tooro, one of the East African kingdom of Tooro. The kingdom was founded in 1830 by Rukirabasaija Omukama Kaboyo Olimi l Amooti who was the son of Rukirabasaija K ...

, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. # Edward Bitanywaine Rugumayo - He is a politician, diplomat, author, academic and environmentalist. Current University Chancellor of

Kampala University Kampala University (KU) is a fully fledged, private, chartered, recognized and accredited university in Uganda. Location , KU maintained the following campuses: 1. Ggaba: The main campus is in a neighborhood in Makindye Division, approximately ...

and of

Mountains of the Moon University The Mountains of the Moon University (MMU), is a public university in Uganda. Founded as a private, non-profit institution, the university became a public institution following an executive directive in January 2018. It is named after the Rwenzor ...

# Brigadier Nobel Mayombo (1965–2007) - He was military officer in the UPDF and a Member of Parliament (MP). #

Andrew Mwenda Andrew Mwenda (born 1972) is a Ugandan print, radio and television journalist, and the founder and owner of ''The Independent'', a current affairs newsmagazine. He was previously the political editor of '' The Daily Monitor'', a Ugandan daily ...

- Journalist and entrepreneur. Founder and owner of

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

, a current affairs newsmagazine. # Brigadier Kayanja Muhanga - He is an army officer. He currently serves as the Commander of the UPDF Contingent in South Sudan. He was appointed to that position in January 2014 by General Yoweri Museveni, the Commander in Chief of the UPDF and the President of Uganda. # Professor John Ntambirweki - A

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, academic and

academic administrator Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the Faculty (academic staff), faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint ...

. He is the current

Vice Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

Uganda Pentecostal University Uganda Pentecostal University (UPU), is a private university in Uganda. Location The Uganda Pentecostal University is located in the heart of Kabarole District, Fort Portal City, Uganda. It originated from the Grotius School of Law and Professio ...

, a private university, located in

Fort Portal Fort Portal or Kabarole is a city located in the Western Region of Uganda. It is the seat of both Kabarole District and historically of the Toro Kingdom. Location Fort Portal in Kabarole District is located approximately by road, west of Kampal ...

Western Uganda The Western Region of Uganda is one of four regions in the country of Uganda. As of Uganda's 2014 census, the Western region's population was . Districts As of 2010, the Western Region contained 26 districts: Geography The Western Region ...

. # Dr. Godfrey Bahiigwa - Economist and entrepreneur. Director of Agriculture and Rural Development at the

African Union Commission The Commission of the African Union acts as the executive/administrative branch or secretariat of the African Union (and is somewhat analogous to the European Commission). It consists of a number of Commissioners dealing with different areas of ...

in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

References

External links

Toro People
* {{authority control Bantu peoples Ethnic groups in Uganda