Tooro Kingdom Succession Splits Uganda’s Royal Family
UGANDA · TOORO KINGDOM
Key Facts
- —What Tooro is One of Uganda’s traditional kingdoms, with a king who has ceremonial and cultural authority but no political power.
- —Who died Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, crowned at the age of three and once the world’s youngest monarch.
- —When 27 August, aged 34, of an aggressive cancer, while under treatment in the United States. He was buried on 12 September.
- —The dispute Clan elders declared his 56-year-old cousin king at the funeral. The family points to a will naming Oyo’s young son.
- —The complication Nobody has produced the son. The kingdom’s prime minister says he exists and has never named him.
- —Where the army stands Soldiers are around the palace. The Queen Mother says the royal guards were removed three days before the burial.
A king who took the throne at three died at 34. The men who buried him named his successor over the grave, and his will names someone else.
Uganda buried a king on Saturday. Before the mourners left the tombs at Fort Portal, the kingdom had two claimants and no agreement on who decides.
The King Who Grew Up in Public
Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV was born in April 1992 and became Omukama of Tooro at the age of three.
For years he was the world’s youngest reigning monarch. The title brought foreign cameras to a small kingdom in western Uganda.
He died on 27 August at 34, under treatment in the United States. The cause was angiosarcoma, an aggressive cancer.
President Yoweri Museveni described it publicly as aggressive cancer. Oyo was buried on Saturday 12 September at the Karambi Royal Tombs near Fort Portal.
The Declaration at the Graveside
The succession was settled, or unsettled, during the funeral service itself.
Omujwera Musuuga Charles Kayondo Kamurasi is the 80-year-old head of the Babiito clan. He declared Prince Edward Kijanangoma Rukidi Nyabongo the First to be king.
The new claimant is 56 and works as a news anchor and editor at Uganda’s state broadcaster.
He performed the accession rite by casting nine coffee berries into the grave. A 21-member committee of Babiito elders chaired by Kamurasi ran the process.
The Will, and the Son Nobody Has Seen
Oyo signed a will on 14 September 2022. It provides that a lawfully recognised biological son inherits, subject to Ugandan law and Tooro custom.
It names Prince Komwiswa Yoweri, son of Omusuuga Charles, as an alternative heir.
Uganda’s Attorney General, Dr Sam Mayanja, advised on 12 September that the will should govern the succession.
The kingdom’s prime minister, Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki, says the son exists. He has never named or produced him.
The clan takes the opposite view. A will is not a determinant of who is supposed to be king, said Rev. Fr Charles Oyo. It is a document that expresses one’s wish.
The Soldiers Around the Palace
The Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa, wrote a letter dated 10 September that has since circulated widely.
She says that three days before the burial, General Kayanja Muhanga came to the palace and removed the royal guards without notice.
Ugandan army troops were then deployed around the palace. She backs the will, as does Oyo’s elder sister, Princess Ruth Nsemere Komuntale.
Neither spoke at the funeral service. The guards were taken from the palace rather than withdrawn by it.
Museveni in the Middle
The president’s message was read at the burial by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa. I appeal to the Batooro, it said, to use peaceful and legal means to solve this matter.
In late August Museveni had said Oyo left behind a prince as heir, to be introduced at the right time.
That contradicted the elders, who said they knew of no such child.
Museveni also sought the Attorney General’s legal opinion. The clan head has publicly broken with the presidential line.
Why a Ceremonial Throne Is Worth Fighting Over
Uganda’s kingdoms were abolished in 1967 and restored in 1993 without political powers. What they retain is land, cultural authority and votes.
A kingdom that speaks with one voice can move an electorate. Uganda holds general elections in January.
That is why a succession dispute in a small kingdom reaches the Attorney General, the army and the president within a fortnight.
Nothing has been resolved. Two men have claims, one of whom nobody has met, and the courts have not been asked to choose.
More: Africa news and analysis, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was King Oyo?
Omukama Oyo of Tooro, crowned at the age of three in 1995 and once the world’s youngest reigning monarch. He died on 27 August 2026 aged 34.
Who have the elders chosen?
Prince Edward Kijanangoma Rukidi Nyabongo the First, aged 56, a news anchor at Uganda’s state broadcaster.
What does the will say?
A will signed on 14 September 2022 provides for a lawfully recognised biological son to inherit.
Where is the son?
He has never been named or produced. The kingdom’s prime minister says he exists.
What does the government say?
The Attorney General advised that the will should govern. President Museveni called for peaceful and legal means.
Does the king have political power?
No. Uganda’s kingdoms were restored in 1993 without political authority, but they retain land and cultural influence.
Sources: Daily Monitor, Al Jazeera, Nile Post, Galaxy FM, PML Daily.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
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