Gen. Muhoozi backs Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I as new Tooro King, calls for coronation

What the report says

FORT PORTAL — Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has openly backed Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, who has taken the regnal name Nyabongo I, as the new Omukama of Tooro, according to Watchdog Uganda. In a post on X on Tuesday, Sept. 15, he referred to the new monarch as “His Majesty Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I” and urged that he be allowed to reign, while also wishing blessings on Tooro.

Gen. Muhoozi’s statement comes at a sensitive moment for the kingdom, where succession questions have followed the death of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. The report says the Babiito royal clan selected Kijanangoma, a cousin of the late king and former Uganda Broadcasting Corporation news anchor, and announced the choice on Sept. 9. Clan leaders later publicly presented him during King Oyo’s burial, saying the transition followed both law and Tooro cultural practice.

The article says the new king also took part in a traditional burial ritual involving nine coffee berries, a symbol linked to the handover of authority in Tooro customs. However, members of King Oyo’s immediate family have disputed the succession, saying the late monarch left a will naming a biological son. That disagreement has raised questions about who has the right to choose the next king.

Muhoozi’s call for a coronation appears aimed at moving the process forward despite the dispute. More broadly, the report highlights the continuing importance of both clan authority and royal tradition in Tooro’s leadership transition.