A succession dispute has erupted in Uganda’s traditional Tooro Kingdom following the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, after his family rejected the royal clan’s decision to name his cousin, television journalist Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, as the new monarch.
Kijanangoma, a news anchor and editor at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), was selected by the kingdom’s royal succession committee on Wednesday. He is a cousin of the late king and the son of Prince Christopher Paul Kijanangoma.
The decision was challenged within hours by Oyo’s sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, who said her brother’s will directed that his son should inherit the throne.
The kingdom’s spokesperson released part of the document, dated September 14, 2022, in which Oyo stated that if he died leaving a legally recognised biological son, that son would be his heir to the Tooro throne.
The existence of the son was not publicly known during Oyo’s lifetime. Tooro Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki referred to the child in a social media post announcing Oyo’s death on August 27, saying the late king had left behind a prince whose identity would be revealed at an appropriate time.
The claim has since become a central point of the succession dispute, with questions remaining over the child’s identity and whether he meets the traditional requirements for succession.
Oyo’s mother, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, has also rejected the clan committee’s decision. In a statement on Thursday, she accused a group of clan members of selecting a new king despite having been informed of the late king’s will.
She further alleged that Uganda’s military had removed royal guards from the palace and placed members of the royal family under house arrest. The military had not immediately responded to requests for comment.
Questions over the heir
The dispute has been complicated by the fact that Oyo was unmarried and had never publicly acknowledged having a child.
Ugandan journalist and royal family relative Andrew Mwenda questioned the family’s claim, saying on X that no photograph of the alleged son had been produced and that details about the boy’s mother had not been disclosed. He also raised questions about the traditional requirements for a king’s son to inherit the throne.
The succession committee, meanwhile, has pointed to traditional procedures surrounding the recognition and introduction of a royal child to elders before the child can be considered for the throne.
Tooro Prime Minister Armstrong has called for calm, saying the competing claims should be examined through the kingdom’s customs, applicable law and established institutions.
“There will be time to examine the Will, to hear those advancing a different position, and to consider our customs, the applicable law and the proper institutions through which succession should be determined,” he said.
King Oyo’s legacy
Oyo died on August 27 at the age of 34 in the United States, where he had been receiving treatment for cancer.
He became the world’s youngest reigning monarch in 1995, when he inherited the Tooro throne at just three years old following the death of his father. He went on to reign for more than three decades, becoming one of Uganda’s most recognisable traditional leaders.
Although Uganda’s traditional kingdoms have no sovereign political authority, their monarchs retain significant cultural and social influence. The Tooro Kingdom is one of five traditional kingdoms recognised by the Ugandan government.
Oyo, who served as a United Nations goodwill ambassador and advocated on issues including HIV and AIDS, was due to be buried on Saturday at the Karambi Royal Tombs in Fort Portal.
The succession dispute now leaves the future leadership of the kingdom uncertain, with the royal family and clan authorities holding competing positions over who should succeed Oyo.
