Uganda’s Tooro Kingdom is facing a major royal succession dispute just days before the burial of its late monarch, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
King Oyo, who died on August 27 at the age of 34 while receiving cancer treatment in the United States, was scheduled to be buried on Saturday, September 12, at the Karambi Royal Tombs in Fort Portal. He became king at just three years old in 1995 and was once recognised as the world’s youngest reigning monarch.
The crisis began after the royal clan’s succession committee selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a cousin of the late king and a news anchor and editor with Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, as the new monarch.
However, King Oyo’s mother, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, and his sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, have rejected the decision. They say the late king left a will indicating that his biological son should inherit the throne.
The identity and status of the alleged son have become another major point of controversy. King Oyo was unmarried and had not publicly been known to have a child. His family has not yet publicly provided enough information to settle questions surrounding the boy’s identity and eligibility to become king.
The dispute has become even more serious because traditional Tooro burial customs require a successor to be in place before the deceased monarch is buried. With the funeral only days away, Ugandan authorities and Tooro leaders are pushing for an agreement.
The kingdom’s Prime Minister, Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire, has called for calm and said the succession should be resolved through the appropriate cultural, legal and institutional processes rather than through confrontation.
Meanwhile, mourners and dignitaries are gathering in Fort Portal ahead of Saturday’s burial, while uncertainty remains over whether the succession dispute will be resolved before the ceremony.
