In brief
King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who ruled Tooro since age three, passed away last month in the US after cancer treatment. His burial took place in Fort Portal amid thousands of mourners, yet the succession remains contested: clan elders chose cousin Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, while the king’s will names his son as successor. Royal family tensions escalated with Queen Best Kemigisa describing a house‑arrest situation, and religious and presidential figures called for unity to avoid division. The dispute remains a flashpoint for Tooro’s cultural stability as the kingdom seeks a new sovereign.
Uganda’s King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, once the world’s youngest reigning monarch, was buried on Saturday, a week after a sharp rift broke out over who should succeed him.
Oyo, 34, had ruled the traditional kingdom of Tooro in western Uganda since he was named king at age three and died last month while undergoing cancer treatment in the United States.
Tooro was abolished in 1967 but restored in the 1990s under President Museveni; today its monarchs serve as cultural leaders rather than political rulers.
Thousands of mourners lined the streets as Oyo’s body travelled to the royal tombs in Fort Portal for a private ceremony.
While the king’s family says his 2022 will named his son as successor—a boy whose name has never been released—clan elders named his cousin Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the next monarch.
During the funeral, Kijanangoma cast nine coffee beans into the grave, a ritual that symbolises the end of one reign and the start of another.
The queen, Queen Best Kemigisa, later declared that royal guards had been withdrawn from the palace and soldiers deployed, restricting the family’s movements and describing the situation as a form of house‑arrest.
In the midst of the dispute, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stephen Kazimba Mugalu, urged mourners to prioritise unity: “Words spoken in grief can cause pain, division and conflict. It can even destroy the legacy of the king we are mourning.”
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni also called for the matter to be resolved “and to favour unity over division”.
The leading Babiito clan, led by Omusuuga Charles Karumasi, defended its choice of Kijanangoma, stating, "We have done everything in observance of the culture and traditions of Tooro. We must all preserve peace and serenity."
