Key facts
- Uganda's Tooro kingdom is experiencing a succession dispute following the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
- Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a TV news anchor and cousin of the late king, was named successor by the royal clan's succession committee.
- The late king's family, including his sister Princess Ruth Komuntale and mother Queen Mother Best Kemigisa Akiiki, rejects this, citing the king's will.
- The will reportedly designates the late king's son, whose existence was revealed by the prime minister, as the heir.
- Traditional customs require a royal child to be formally presented to elders to be considered for leadership.
- King Oyo, who ascended the throne at age three in 1995, died on August 27 in the US after cancer treatment.
Uganda's Tooro kingdom is facing a bitter succession dispute following the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who became the world's youngest reigning monarch in 1995 at the age of three. King Oyo died on August 27 in the US after receiving cancer treatment, and is set to be buried on Saturday.
The royal clan's succession committee announced on Wednesday that it had chosen Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a TV news anchor and editor at the public broadcaster UBC, as the new crown prince. Kijanangoma is a cousin of the late king.
However, hours later, Princess Ruth Nsemere Komuntale, King Oyo's sister, stated that her brother's will designated his son as his successor. A portion of the will, dated September 14, 2022, was shared, declaring that if survived by a lawfully recognized son, he would be appointed heir.
Queen Mother Best Kemigisa Akiiki, the late king's mother, denounced the committee's decision, calling them a "self-appointed group of clan members" who made the selection despite having the will read to them. King Oyo was unmarried and not publicly known to have children.
The kingdom's prime minister, Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki, revealed the existence of a prince as heir on August 27, stating his identity would be formally revealed according to tradition. However, journalist Andrew Mwenda noted that a photo of the purported son had not been produced and questioned the validity of the succession claim based on Tooro customs, which require a king's son to be born to a queen officially married to the king to succeed.
Prime Minister Akiiki has called for restraint, emphasizing that the will, customs, and applicable law should be examined calmly through proper institutions, rather than through competing announcements or attempts to establish facts on the ground before the king's burial.