Princess Elizabeth of Toro - Exile & Return

Exile & Return

In February 1975 Elizabeth escaped to Kenya, then to Vienna, then to London. Four years later, Elizabeth returned to Uganda, to help with Uganda's first free national elections, which were won by Milton Obote, who continued killing his enemies. Elizabeth and her lover, Prince Wilberforce Nyabongo, son of Prince Leo Sharp Ochaki, escaped to London in 1980, and married in 1981. Finally in 1985, Obote was overthrown and following a brief period of military rule, was replaced by Yoweri Museveni. In 1986 Elizabeth was appointed ambassador to the United States, a job she held until 1988. Later that year Nyabongo, an aviation engineer, was killed in a plane crash at age 32 years.

Following the death of her husband, Elizabeth opted to leave public service and get involved in charity work, in addition to being an official guardian of her brother's son, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who was born in 1992, and is the current reigning Toro monarch since 1995. Following a period of service as Uganda's Ambassador to Germany and the Vatican, Princess Elizabeth accepted an appointment as Uganda's High Commissioner to Nigeria, based in Abuja, that country's capital.