On the 18^th November, the Kingdom of Busoga gathered at Christ’s Cathedral in Bugembe, Jinja City, to witness the first royal wedding in Busoga since 1956 between the Kyabazinga William Wilberforce Kadhumbala Gabula Nadiope IV and his Inhebantu, Jovia Mutesi. Despite the controversy that had marred the announcement of the marriage, the wedding went off without a hitch, barring a small delay caused by the sheer number of loyal subjects lining the roads to the church.

In a stunning dress reminiscent of Princess Catherine’s wedding gown, the bride was walked down the aisle by her father, Stanley Bayoole. The couple then exchanged their vows in a ceremony officiated by the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Kazimba Mugalu.

By 2pm, the couple had been declared official in front of an enthusiastic crowd of over 2500 people who included the Vice President Jessica Alupo who represented the President and the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa. Also in attendance were other traditional leaders led by the Prince Sicalo of Swaziland, the Nabagereka of Buganda, Sylvia Nagginda, Queen Mother of Tooro Kingdom, Best Kemigisha and the Queen of Bunyoro Kingdom, Margaret Adyeri Karunga.

Following the church ceremony, the royal couple hosted their guests at the Igenge Palace in Jinja City where they were treated to an impressive array of food, drinks and cake before witnessing their first dance. In their speeches, the King called for unity in the kingdom while vowing to be faithful to his wife while the Queen promised to make her husband the happiest man and vowed to fulfill her duties as Mother to the Kingdom.

Jovia Mutesi, now the fifth Queen of Basoga Kingdom was born on June 15^th, 31 years ago in Mayuge District to prominent Musoga and former RDC of  Bulambuli District, Stanley Bayoole and Florence Bayoole, a farmer. She has three siblings, Lydia, Isaac and Emmanuel.

Jovia attended local schools for primary before joining the prestigious St Mary’s College, Namagunga from which she graduated in 2009 with excellent grades to join university. It was while contemplating doing Economics at Makerere University that Jovia was introduced to the Kyabazinga by her brothers to get advice on her chosen course of study. Advising her to go with what would make her happy, she ultimately chose to join Nkozi University to study Accounting and Finance. The pair hit it off and stayed in touch maintaining a close friendship that later developed into dating and their subsequent engagement. As the Inhebantu of Busoga, Jovia will be expected to support and assist her husband the Kyabazinga in his administrative, ceremonial and cultural duties, acting as his proxy at events he may not be able to attend. She will also be expected to champion the preservation of Busoga culture and language and may follow her predecessors in advocating for the girl child and elderly in the kingdom.