Jovia Mutesi has become the 5th queen of Busoga, marrying King Gabula Nadiope IV in a church ceremony followed by cultural rituals at the palace. The wedding, the first at the Busoga Diocesan’s Christ’s Church Cathedral, took place on Stanley Bayoole’s 49th birthday. Church of Uganda Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu led the ceremony, emphasizing traditional marriage values.
Vice President Jessica Alupo and other dignitaries attended, with over 2,000 guests witnessing the event. The service featured a choir of 100 members, blending modern and cultural liturgy.
With security concerns, police, soldiers, and Special Forces were deployed. Over 10 million people watched the broadcast, and the royal couple proceeded to the Igenge Palace for the reception on a six-wheeled cart. A change of plans, citing “security threats,” canceled town processions.
Kyabazinga Nadiope IV, born on November 1, 1988, is the son of Uganda’s first Vice President Wilson Gabula Nadiope II. Mutesi, daughter of a Resident District Commissioner, becomes the queen after four others since 1939, with the last royal wedding in Busoga reported in February 1956.