The Kingdom of Tooro is preparing to close a contentious chapter in its royal history, with the coronation of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the new Omukama scheduled for September 29, 2026, following a succession dispute that divided the royal family in the wake of King Oyo’s death.
The dispute, which erupted almost immediately after Oyo’s passing on August 27, pitted the Babiito royal clan against the Queen Mother and other members of the royal family, raising fundamental questions about tradition, law, and the late king’s final wishes.
King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV died at 34 while receiving cancer treatment in the United States, ending a 31-year reign that began when he was crowned at just three years old in 1995. He was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s youngest reigning monarch.
His death triggered an outpouring of grief across Uganda, but it also exposed a deep rift. Within days, Tooro’s Prime Minister, Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki, announced that Oyo had left behind a biological son who should inherit the throne. The identity of the child was never publicly established, and the claim became the centre of a bitter disagreement.
On September 9, a 21-member succession committee constituted by the Babiito royal clan announced Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as Oyo’s successor. The resolution, signed by 19 committee members, stated that the authority to elect the king of Tooro lies with the Ababiito clan.
Kijanangoma, a cousin of the late king, is the son of the late Prince Christopher Paul Kijanangoma and grandson of the late Omukama George David Rukidi III. A long-serving news anchor and editor at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC TV), he was described by former colleagues as “humble, down to earth” and a man who “didn’t carry that aura of a prince”.
The selection came after another leading candidate, Prince George Desmond Kamurasi, a UK-based football coach, reportedly declined the throne, citing personal responsibilities.
The Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa, and Princess Ruth Komuntale rejected the clan’s decision, insisting that King Oyo’s will (which they said designated his biological son as heir) must be respected. The will, which they said was drafted in 2022, was read before members of the royal family and government officials on September 9.
In a statement, Kemigisa said the committee’s announcement contradicted the contents of the will and an earlier agreement to suspend succession proceedings until after Oyo’s burial. She also claimed that royal guards had been replaced by UPDF soldiers and that mourners had been limited from accessing the palace.
Princess Komuntale accused “evil vultures” of conspiring against her and the Queen Mother, while Princess Elizabeth Bagaya, a senior royal figure, publicly backed the family’s objections.
The dispute raised a fundamental question: does the Babiito clan have the authority to choose a king under custom and tradition, or should the late monarch’s documented wishes take precedence?
The Babiito clan defended its decision, with clan head Omusuuga Charles Kamurasi stating that the process was conducted in accordance with Uganda’s laws and Tooro’s cultural norms. He urged the people of Tooro to remain calm and united, saying the kingdom should not allow the disagreement to undermine its stability.
Sources familiar with the committee’s deliberations said questions were raised about the purported son’s existence. Patrick Kawamara, a brother of the Queen Mother who represented her interests on the committee, was reportedly asked to provide a photograph of the child but was unable to do so. The committee also sought details about the mother’s clan and family, which were allegedly not provided. None of Oyo’s paternal relatives had previously heard of the child’s existence.
As the funeral approached, government officials became involved in efforts to resolve the deadlock. President Yoweri Museveni directed Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to coordinate an inter-ministerial committee handling the funeral arrangements, with State House taking responsibility for major expenses including medical bills and the repatriation of Oyo’s remains.
In a statement read during the burial ceremony at St John’s Cathedral in Fort Portal, President Museveni urged unity. “Once the matter of the new king of the Batoro is settled, we will be happy to work with him, just as we did with His Highness Oyo. I call on the Batoro to use peaceful and lawful means to resolve this issue and to favour unity over division”.
The Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, also appealed for calm, saying “Let the moment of sorrow now not divide, but strengthen the bonds that unite the kingdom”.
On September 12, King Oyo was laid to rest at the Karambi Royal Tombs, exactly 31 years after his enthronement. The final burial rites were performed by Kijanangoma, who cast the nine coffee berries into Oyo’s grave, a ritual that, according to Tooro tradition, required a successor to be in place.
The Tooro Kingdom Supreme Council unanimously endorsed Kijanangoma as the elected successor on September 15, paving the way for his enthronement.
As preparations for the September 29 coronation continue, the Queen Mother has revealed that the succession dispute became so tense that the family decided to keep Oyo’s child in Texas rather than bring the heir into what she described as a “tense and polarised situation”.
Despite the divisions, Kijanangoma’s path to the throne represents a dramatic shift for the kingdom. Unlike Oyo, who spent nearly his entire life under the weight of the crown, Kijanangoma enters the institution as an adult who has spent decades in the professional world, bringing experience in communication, management, and public engagement.
The enthronement is expected to be conducted in accordance with the traditions and customs of the Tooro Kingdom, closing a chapter that began with the coronation of the young King Oyo more than three decades ago and opening a new one under a leader who comes to the throne not as a child, but as a man shaped by the world beyond the palace walls.
