Tooro gets a new king, but not an easy succession

What the report says

Fort Portal, western Uganda, was the setting for a major transition in Tooro Kingdom after the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who died in the United States on Aug. 27 while being treated for cancer. The Independent Uganda reports that Oyo, who became king in 1995 at age three and was later crowned as an adult, was buried on Sept. 12 at the Karambi Royal Tombs near Fort Portal, close to the Democratic Republic of Congo border.

At the burial, Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, 56, a cousin selected by the Babiito royal clan, performed a traditional act by placing nine coffee berries into the grave, formally marking his assumption of the throne. The paper says this ended nearly two weeks of uncertainty over succession and whether the late king could be buried according to Tooro custom before a successor was in place. The dispute centered on competing claims within the royal family, including reports that Oyo may have left a son, a claim that was not publicly confirmed.

The report describes Kijanangoma as an adult successor with a career in journalism and broadcasting, unlike Oyo, whose reign began in early childhood. It also notes that Kijanangoma had initially said he did not want the throne, arguing that Oyo’s wishes should be respected, before later taking part in the burial ritual. The succession took place amid government involvement in funeral arrangements and efforts to prevent the dispute from disrupting the royal burial.

The change matters because Tooro’s traditional leadership is both a cultural institution and a symbol of continuity in western Uganda. The newspaper’s account suggests the kingdom now enters a delicate period, with questions about unity, custom and the new king’s role still unresolved.