Tooro king buried as rival succession claims remain unresolved

King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV of Tooro was buried at the Karambi Royal Tombs on 12 September, amid an unresolved dispute over his successor.

The royal clan selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a 56-year-old news anchor and editor at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation. He formally assumed power during the burial ritual, casting nine coffee berries into the king’s grave.

Oyo’s mother, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, and his sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, oppose the selection. They say a 2022 will named a son as Oyo’s heir. The child has not been publicly identified, and his existence and status remain unconfirmed publicly.

Tooro’s Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki said the late king had left a son whose identity would be disclosed at an appropriate time. Babiito clan elders, who oversee the royal lineage and succession traditions, say Oyo had not introduced the child through the customary process and backed Kijanangoma instead.

The Ugandan government held talks aimed at resolving the dispute before the burial. The legal and customary effect of the reported will remains contested, with no final succession settlement announced.

Oyo died aged 34 on 27 August in the United States while receiving cancer treatment. He became Tooro’s king in 1995, aged three, and was recognised as the world’s youngest reigning monarch. Uganda’s traditional kingdoms have cultural influence but no formal political authority; they were abolished in 1967 and restored in 1993.