President Museveni first publicly confirmed that the late King Oyo had a son in the days following his death, saying the queen mother had informed him of the boy’s existence.
No further details have been officially released, and the boy had not previously been formally identified as Oyo’s heir.
The dispute has highlighted the complexities surrounding succession in the Tooro kingdom.
Unlike the British monarchy, where the crown passes through an established hereditary line, Tooro’s monarch is selected from the Babiito, the kingdom’s royal dynasty.
At a news conference in Fort Portal, the kingdom’s capital, the royal clan’s succession committee named Kijanangoma—Oyo’s cousin and a presenter with the state-owned Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC)—as the new monarch.
Clan elders said customary law gives them the authority to select a suitable prince to become the “Omukama,” Tooro’s title for its king.
The committee said it conducted “due diligence, consultation and adequate consideration” before choosing Kijanangoma, with 19 members signing the resolution.
Kijanangoma is the son of Prince Christopher Paul Kijanangoma and a grandson of former Tooro king George David Rukidi III.
Another royal, UK-based Prince George Desmond Kamurasi, was initially considered for the throne but declined because of other responsibilities, according to the succession committee.
The timing of the enthronement has not yet been announced, but the committee said it would follow the traditions and customs of the Tooro kingdom.