Attorney General Sam Mayanja has cleared Tooro Kingdom authorities to proceed with preparations for the coronation of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, saying no formal appeal has been registered in court to stop the process.
Mayanja made the clarification on Friday, September 18, amid a dispute over the succession to the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Tooro Kingdom’s Supreme Council on September 15 endorsed Prince Kijanangoma as Oyo’s successor, following his selection by the 21-member Babiito royal clan succession committee. He is expected to reign as Omukama Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I.
The kingdom subsequently set September 29, 2026, as the date for his coronation at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal. Preparations were scheduled to begin immediately after the announcement.
Speaking after the launch of the Uganda Law Society’s second annual Digital Transformation Festival in Munyonyo, Kampala, Mayanja said the kingdom was free to continue with its preparations because no formal court action had been filed challenging the succession.
“Nothing actually contradicts what I said,” Mayanja said, referring to his earlier legal opinion on the succession dispute.
He said those claiming that Oyo left a will naming an heir had not formally brought the matter before court.
“So, maybe the conflict doesn’t exist and those organizing are free to proceed with the preparations,” he said.
AG earlier advised that Oyo’s will could be challenged in court
Mayanja’s latest comments follow a legal opinion he issued to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on September 12 concerning the succession dispute.
In that opinion, the Attorney General said the late king’s will should guide the succession process and that its validity could only be challenged in a court of law.
The reported will, dated September 15, 2022, states that if Oyo was survived by a lawfully recognised biological son, that son would become his heir.
The document also reportedly identifies alternative succession arrangements if the son was unable to assume the throne.
Mayanja noted that the succession dispute had arisen because members of the Babiito royal clan questioned the existence or applicability of the will, while information emerged that Oyo had left instructions concerning his successor.
Under Section 16(2) of the Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act, Mayanja said, where a dispute within a traditional or cultural institution cannot be resolved through the relevant elders or clan leaders, it can proceed to court.
Coronation preparations continue
The Babiito royal clan and the Tooro Supreme Council have maintained that their selection of Kijanangoma followed Tooro customs and traditions.
The Supreme Council’s September 15 resolution formally backed the Babiito succession committee’s decision, adding the kingdom’s representative body to the process.
The kingdom has therefore continued preparations for the September 29 coronation despite the legal questions surrounding Oyo’s reported will.
Mayanja’s latest position indicates that, unless a formal legal challenge is lodged, there is currently no court order preventing Tooro Kingdom from proceeding with the planned ceremony.
King Oyo died aged 34 on August 27, 2026, while receiving cancer treatment in the United States, and was buried at the Karambi Royal Tombs on September 12. His death triggered the succession process that has now placed Kijanangoma at the centre of Tooro’s transition.
The succession dispute, however, remains unresolved in substantive terms; the Attorney General’s position distinguishes between the existence of a legal avenue to challenge the succession and an actual case formally before court.
