George Desmond Kamurasi, captain of a non-league football club in south-east London, is set to swap the football pitch for a royal throne after being chosen as the next leader of Uganda’s Tooro people.
The 36-year-old goalkeeper, who captains SE Dons in Bexleyheath, was selected by a 21-member royal succession committee on Friday to become the next omukama, or king, of Tooro.
Kamurasi succeeds his cousin, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who died on August 27 after treatment for cancer. Rukidi IV had led the traditional kingdom since 1995, when he became monarch aged three.
A formal declaration of Kamurasi’s succession is expected next week.
The goalkeeper was reportedly second in line to inherit the throne under the will of his late grandfather, George Rukidi III, a former king of Tooro.
Tooro, located in western Uganda, is one of four traditional kingdoms remaining in the country, with the omukama’s role understood to be cultural rather than political.
Kamurasi is reportedly reluctant to leave London and take up his new responsibilities.
His extraordinary royal selection comes as he continues his football career. He helped SE Dons beat Erith Town 2-0 on Saturday to reach the second qualifying round of the FA Cup.
SE Dons are expected to face Greenways away from home next Saturday, with the fixture coinciding with Rukidi IV’s planned funeral.
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