Journalist ascends to throne in Uganda kingdom after succession dispute

What the report says

A journalist has been crowned the new king of Uganda’s Tooro Kingdom, ending a succession dispute that followed the death last month of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. Al Jazeera, citing AP and Reuters, reported that Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, 56, was chosen by a 21-member committee from the royal Babiito clan and took the throne as Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I.

The coronation took place in Fort Portal, the kingdom’s capital, and included traditional rites such as ritual slaughter and a pre-dawn walk to Karuziika Palace. The article says Nyabongo I is a cousin of the late king and a former state broadcaster journalist who had worked as a news anchor and editor at UBC. The selection was described as controversial because he was not in the direct line of succession.

The dispute centered on claims from the late king’s mother, Best Kemigisa, and his sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, who objected to the appointment. They argued that Oyo left behind a young son and a will naming him as heir, though the report says the claim to that heir remained disputed. In a broader context, Uganda is a republic, but its pre-colonial kingdoms continue to serve as important cultural institutions with no formal political power.