UK footballer set to be named king of Ugandan kingdom

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FT Desk

A non-league footballer is set to become the king of a Ugandan kingdom after an official royal selection.

George Desmond Kamurasi, who plays in the ninth tier of English football with SE Dons, has been selected to lead the Tooro people.

He has been selected following the reign of his cousin, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who died in the United States aged 34 after receiving treatment for cancer.

Kamurasi was born in Uganda, though he subsequently became a UK national. He is said to be hesitant about leaving the country due to his wife and son.

The 36-year-old is known as 'Big G' around London and has earned a reputation for his fiery team talks, acting as captain for SE Dons in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division. In addition to still playing as a goalkeeper, he coaches younger players in the area.

King Oyo's funeral takes place this week which happens to clash with one of Kamurasi's cup games with SE Dons. According to the Sun, there are some leading figures in Uganda who have questioned his ability to lead the Tooro people, as he was born and raised in a foreign country.

Kamurasi has spoken extensively about his tough upbringing after he lost his mother when he was just 14 years old. What came after saw him getting into trouble with the law - a far cry from becoming royalty.

He would eventually spend time in jail, and that experience catalysed a desire to change his life.

"I was in that cell when I realised that everything | had done was my fault. I took responsibility," he said, as quoted by Pulse Uganda.

"I came out; went into football and put myself out there. I chased it and won things."

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The 6ft 6in goalkeeper is a member of the Babiito royal family. He is the son of George Desmond "Jimmy" Mugenyi, who was the younger brother of King Patrick David Mathew Olimi Kaboyo III, King Oyo's father.

His grandfather was King George Rukidi III, who ruled Tooro from 1928 to 1965. In 1954, Rukidi III welcomed Queen Elizabeth I| during her visit to Uganda.

The decision to become king or not lies at the feet of Kamurasi as he questions a life of royalty or his quiet life centred on football and family in London.