Mystery son and disputed heir: Uganda’s king buried amid succession dispute

What the report says

King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV of Uganda’s Tooro kingdom was buried on September 12 in Fort Portal, at the Karambi Royal Tombs, after dying on August 27 in the United States while receiving cancer treatment. Al Jazeera reported that his burial and the kingdom’s Empango coronation anniversary were overshadowed by a succession dispute over who should become the next monarch.

Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a 56-year-old news anchor and editor at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, was chosen by the royal clan and performed the customary handover ritual at the burial. But Queen Mother Best Kemigisa and Princess Ruth Komuntale rejected that selection, saying a 2022 will named a son as the heir. The late king never married publicly, and the child has not been identified. Tooro’s prime minister has said the king left a son whose identity would be announced later.

The article says Babiito clan elders, who oversee succession and royal traditions, argued that the will does not decide kingship and that customary procedures were not followed. Ugandan government officials reportedly joined talks before the funeral in an effort to contain the disagreement. The dispute matters because Tooro’s monarchy, while without formal political power in Uganda’s constitutional system, still carries cultural influence and public loyalty.

Oyo became king in 1995 at age three, making him one of the world’s youngest reigning monarchs. Al Jazeera also noted his public work on climate awareness, tree planting, health campaigns and a planned children’s hospital, which clan elders have urged the government to help complete.