Uganda is urgently mediating a dispute over succession in the Tooro Kingdom after the death of 34-year-old King Oyo Nyimba so his burial can proceed. A royal committee has named cousin Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as successor, prompting protests from the queen mother and sister who say the king's son — whose existence remains unverified publicly — should inherit. Government-backed talks are ongoing because ritual duties at the funeral require a new king to be in place.
Uganda Races To Resolve Tooro Succession Row So Beloved King Oyo Can Be Buried
FILE PHOTO: The flag-draped coffin with the body of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, of the Tooro Kingdom, who died in late August aged 34 while receiving treatment in the U.S., during a ceremony at the Entebbe International Airport, in Entebbe, Uganda September 4, 2026. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa/File Photo
KAMPALA, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Uganda's government and Tooro Kingdom elders are scrambling to resolve a heated royal succession dispute following the sudden death of 34-year-old King Oyo Nyimba so that his state funeral can proceed on Saturday, a kingdom spokesperson said on Friday.
King Oyo, who was crowned in 1995 at the age of three, is due to be laid to rest in an official ceremony expected to draw thousands of mourners and dignitaries. But the burial cannot go ahead unless there is agreement on who will inherit the throne and perform the ritual duties reserved for the successor.
The controversy erupted on Wednesday when a royal succession committee made up of clan members announced it had chosen Oyo's cousin, Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma — a news anchor and editor at state broadcaster UBC — as the next monarch. The committee's announcement sparked an immediate backlash from the late king's immediate family, notably his mother, Queen Kemigisa, and his sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, who say the king's son should succeed him.
Family Asserts Will Names Son As Heir
Princess Komuntale told reporters this week that the late king's will indicates his son should take the throne. The queen mother has criticized the committee as a "self-appointed group of clan members" for naming a successor after the will had reportedly been read to some relatives.
Family members sit outside the Karuziika Royal Palace where the body of the late Omukama of Tooro, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, is lying in state during a nine-day official mourning period ahead of his burial at the Karambi Royal Tombs, in Fort Portal, Uganda September 10, 2026. REUTERS/Michael Muhati
King Oyo, a United Nations goodwill ambassador who was active in HIV/AIDS advocacy, was never married and was not publicly known to have any children. Journalists and relatives have said the family has not produced a photograph of the purported son or disclosed details about the boy's mother. Tooro custom also indicates that a king's son can succeed only if born to a queen officially married to the king.
Government Steps In As Tensions Rise
Tooro Kingdom spokesperson Vincent Mugume said talks are underway "between the royal family and the royal clan" and that the central government is involved. Another source told Reuters that officials have been pressing Queen Kemigisa to accept the committee's choice, though the government has made no public statement.
The new monarch would inherit not only ceremonial duties but also significant royal assets, including extensive landholdings and recurring cash and gift payments from the central government — factors that add urgency to the dispute.
Meanwhile, thousands of mourners — some dressed in traditional white tunics and bark cloth — have arrived in Fort Portal, the Tooro capital, to pay their respects and attend the burial. Organisers say a successor must be in place to perform specific funeral rituals, intensifying the race to find a resolution before Saturday.
(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Ammu Kannampilly and Alison Williams)
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