Tooro Kingdom is set to crown Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the new Omukama on September 29, even as Queen Mother Best Kemigisa continues to insist that the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV’s succession wishes should be respected.
Kijanangoma, 56, was selected by a 21-member Babiito royal clan succession committee to succeed his cousin, King Oyo, who died aged 34 on August 27 following cancer treatment in the United States.
The Babiito later presented Kijanangoma to the Tooro Kingdom Supreme Council, which unanimously endorsed his selection on September 15. He is expected to reign as Omukama Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I.
The coronation is scheduled for September 29 at Karuziika Royal Palace in Fort Portal, with preparations under way for the ceremony and traditional rituals accompanying the installation of an Omukama.
The Babiito royal clan says Kijanangoma’s selection followed Tooro customs and traditions. Its head, Omujwera Musuuga Charles Kamurasi, has maintained that those challenging the process are free to seek legal redress.
But Oyo’s immediate family disputes the succession.
Queen Mother Kemigisa and Princess Ruth Komuntale have pointed to a 2022 will in which Oyo reportedly provided for his biological son to succeed him if the child survived him. The document was signed at Karuziika Palace on September 14, 2022.
The existence and status of the child have since become central to the succession dispute. Former Tooro Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire said shortly after Oyo’s death that the late king had left behind a prince who would inherit the throne.
Kemigisa has continued to maintain that Oyo’s wishes should not be disregarded.
In a statement issued after her son’s burial, the Queen Mother said the family had initially hoped to return to Uganda from Texas with Oyo’s child but decided against bringing him into what she described as a tense and polarised succession dispute.
She also criticised the speed with which succession activities began following Oyo’s death, saying the family had wanted the late king to be buried peacefully before the succession question was addressed.
The Babiito succession structures, however, have proceeded with Kijanangoma’s installation. The Supreme Council endorsed his selection and asked the clan to continue preparations for the coronation.
Government has also indicated that the traditional process of selecting a cultural leader and the state’s formal recognition of that leader are separate processes.
State Minister for Gender, Labour and Social Development Mary Kutesa said government becomes involved after a cultural leader has been selected according to the relevant customs, traditions and legal framework.
Kijanangoma has already undergone traditional initiation rites involving elders as part of preparations for the responsibilities of kingship.
The succession dispute has also attracted comments from prominent figures, including Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who has referred to Kijanangoma as the new Omukama and urged that the matter should not be taken to court.
With the September 29 coronation approaching, Tooro is therefore preparing for the installation of a new king while Oyo’s family continues to raise questions over whether the late monarch’s stated succession wishes have been respected.
The immediate contest is between a coronation already being prepared and a royal family that maintains that Oyo’s heir remains central to the question of who should occupy the Tooro throne.
