Royal family rift after popular TV news presenter chosen to succeed Ugandan king

What the report says

A succession dispute has broken out in Uganda’s Tooro Kingdom after the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, the long-reigning monarch who died last month at 34 while receiving cancer treatment in the United States. According to BBC Africa, his body was returned to Uganda on Friday ahead of burial plans in Fort Portal, where thousands are expected to attend the funeral at the royal tombs near the palace.

Clan elders announced that Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a 56-year-old UBC television news presenter and a cousin of the late king, had been chosen as the next Omukama, the traditional title for Tooro’s monarch. The committee said it had consulted widely and had the customary authority to select a suitable prince from the Babiito royal clan. It also said the enthronement would follow Tooro traditions, though no date has been set.

The decision was immediately rejected by Oyo’s close family. His sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, said he had left a written will in 2022 naming his young son as heir, while his mother, Queen Best Kemigisa, urged authorities to let the family mourn and bury him in peace. She also said soldiers had been deployed around the palace and movement was restricted, which she described as a kind of house arrest.

The dispute highlights the different succession rules in Tooro, where the monarch is selected by clan elders rather than inheriting the throne automatically. Traditional kingdoms were abolished in Uganda in 1967 and restored in the 1990s, where they now serve mainly as cultural institutions rather than political powers.