Tooro Kingdom Succession Dispute Erupts Days Before Late King Oyo's Burial
• A royal clan committee named Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, 56, as the next king of Uganda's Tooro Kingdom following the death of King Oyo Rukidi IV
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• King Oyo's sister said the late king left a 2022 will naming his young son as successor, which the royal family insists must be respected
• Queen Best Kemigisa, mother of the late king, said soldiers had been deployed around the palace and appealed to President Museveni to let the family bury Oyo in peace
A succession crisis has broken out in Uganda's Tooro Kingdom just days before the burial of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who died last month at 34 after undergoing cancer treatment in the United States. He had held the throne for more than three decades and was recognised as the world's youngest reigning monarch at the time of his death.
The royal clan's succession committee held a press conference in Fort Portal, the kingdom's capital in western Uganda, and named Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a 56-year-old news presenter at state broadcaster UBC, as the new monarch. Kijanangoma is a cousin of the late king, a grandson of former Tooro king George David Rukidi III, and the son of Prince Christopher Paul Kijanangoma.
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According to BBC, the committee said 19 members signed the resolution after conducting "due diligence, consultation and adequate consideration." Another contender, Prince George Desmond Kamurasi, a goalkeeper and captain of amateur football club South East Dons in the UK, reportedly turned down the throne, citing other responsibilities.
Oyo's family rejects the announcement
King Oyo's immediate family swiftly rejected the decision. His sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, said the late king had written a will in 2022 that clearly named his young son as his successor and also set out alternatives if the boy could not ascend the throne. Senior royal Princess Elizabeth Bagaaya backed that position.
"My brother did leave behind an heir to the throne, and that was very clearly stated," Princess Komuntale said, accusing those behind Wednesday night's announcement of creating "confusion and turmoil" while the family was still grieving.
The clan's succession committee pushed back, saying that reports of Oyo having a son were not enough. According to Tooro tradition, a royal child must be formally presented to the elders and undergo the required ceremonies before being considered for future leadership.
The existence of Oyo's son was first made public by President Yoweri Museveni after the king's death. No further details about the child have been officially released, and he had never previously been introduced as heir apparent.
Soldiers at the palace as burial nears
The tension has gone beyond words. Queen Best Kemigisa, the late king's mother, said royal guards had been removed from the palace and replaced by soldiers, limiting the family's movement and their ability to receive mourners. She described the situation as "house arrest" and appealed directly to the army's leadership and President Museveni.
"I appeal to those fighting over the throne: please, there will be time for all of that," she said. "Let us grieve and bury my son King Oyo."
Oyo's body was returned to Uganda from the United States on Friday. Thousands of mourners are expected at the royal tombs near the palace in Fort Portal on Saturday for the burial.
Culture Minister Henry Tumukunde has stepped in to oversee mediation efforts, with an outcome expected after consultations with President Museveni and cultural leaders.
Tooro is one of several traditional kingdoms that were restored in Uganda in the 1990s under President Museveni, having been abolished in 1967. Its monarch holds no formal political authority but carries significant cultural weight in western Uganda.
Source: Legit.ng
