The coronation of Prince Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I as the new Omukama of Tooro Kingdom will be held on September 29, 2026, the head of the Babiito royal clan, Omujwera Musuuga Charles Kamurasi, has confirmed.
Kamurasi announced the date on Tuesday, September 15, following a sitting of the Tooro Kingdom Supreme Council at Muchwa Kingdom headquarters in Fort Portal City, where the council endorsed Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma Nyabongo I as successor to the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
“Today morning we had the Kingdom Supreme Council and it endorsed Nyabongo I, and now as Babiito royal clan, we have decided the date of coronation to be September 29, 2026, here at the palace,” Kamurasi said.
The coronation is expected to take place at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal, marking the formal enthronement of Nyabongo I, who was previously known as Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma.
Kamurasi said preparations for the ceremony would begin immediately, with committees to be established to oversee the different aspects of the coronation.
“Effective tomorrow, Wednesday, preparation meetings will commence and we shall also institute different committees for the coronation,” he said.
The announcement follows the Supreme Council’s unanimous endorsement of the Babiito royal clan’s selection of Kijanangoma. The council formally backed the decision after the 21-member Babiito succession committee designated him as the successor to King Oyo.
The coronation date comes only three days after King Oyo was buried at the Karambi Royal Tombs on September 12, following his death on August 27 at the age of 34.
Muhoozi welcomes coronation
Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba has publicly welcomed the planned coronation, declaring Prince Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I the new Omukama of Tooro.
“My fellow Ugandans the new Omukama of Tooro is His Majesty Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I. Long may he reign. God bless him always. God bless Tooro,” Muhoozi said.
In another post, Muhoozi said he would be the first Uganda People’s Defence Forces officer to salute the new king.
“I will be the first UPDF officer to salute the new Omukama of Tooro, His Majesty Nyabongo I, in a few days. His coronation will be a day of great joy,” he said.
Muhoozi also posted: “The Bachwezi have approved him,” and later said: “This is the voice of Sabachwezi. The chief lion in this country. Everything I have said will be done.”
He had earlier called for a coronation date rather than litigation, saying: “And I don’t want to hear of court cases. I want to hear of a Coronation date.”
Succession dispute remains
The announcement of the coronation date comes amid an unresolved dispute over the succession to King Oyo.
Members of Oyo’s immediate family have previously opposed Kijanangoma’s selection, maintaining that the late king left a will naming his son as heir. The family’s position has been reported alongside the Babiito clan’s argument that the succession process followed Tooro customs.
The Attorney General has also reportedly issued a legal opinion concerning the succession and the late king’s will.
Kamurasi said the Babiito clan was aware of the opinion but had not received any communication legally preventing it from proceeding with preparations.
“The opinion was meant for the President. As a kingdom, we have not received any information that bars us from proceeding with the coronation,” Kamurasi said.
The Supreme Council’s endorsement has therefore added the backing of the kingdom’s representative body to the Babiito clan’s selection of Nyabongo I.
Kijanangoma, who is a cousin of the late King Oyo, has pledged to promote unity within the royal family and across the kingdom if his succession proceeds.
“If I am at the palace, all the doors will be open. You need to be proud and enjoy your king. Please come to the palace. I heard stories of my grandfather, Rukidi III, that his palace was always open. The palace is yours,” he said shortly after participating in the traditional burial rituals for Oyo.
The September 29 coronation at Karuziika Palace will now be the next major stage in Tooro’s succession process, as preparations begin following the Supreme Council’s endorsement of Nyabongo I.
