Uganda’s Late King Oyo Laid to Rest Amid Succession Dispute

Uganda’s King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, formerly the world’s youngest reigning monarch, was laid to rest on Saturday amid a dispute over his successor.

Oyo, 34, had ruled the traditional kingdom of Tooro in western Uganda since the age of three and died last month while receiving cancer treatment in the United States.

Tooro is one of Uganda’s traditional kingdoms, abolished in 1967 but restored in the 1990s under President Museveni. Their monarchs serve as cultural leaders rather than political rulers.

Thousands of mourners lined the streets as the king’s casket was transported to the royal tombs in Fort Portal for a private ceremony.

Oyo became king of Tooro as a toddler and, according to Guinness World Records, was the world’s youngest monarch during his reign.

TV news presenter Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, 56, who clan elders named as the next monarch, reportedly cast nine coffee beans into Oyo’s grave in a ritual marking the end of one reign and the beginning of another.

However, days earlier, Oyo’s family had rejected Kijanangoma, the late monarch’s cousin, as Tooro’s new king.

Oyo’s sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, stated that the late king had left a 2022 will naming his young son as his successor.

The boy’s identity has not been publicly disclosed.

Meanwhile, his mother, Queen Best Kemigisa, said royal guards had been withdrawn and soldiers deployed, restricting the royal family’s movement and ability to receive visitors, which she described as “house arrest.”

On Saturday, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stephen Kazimba Mugalu, urged unity.

“Words spoken in grief can cause pain, division, and conflict, even destroying the legacy of the king we are mourning,” he told mourners.

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni also called for the matter to be resolved, urging unity over division.

The clan overseeing the succession defended its choice of Kijanangoma.

Omusuuga Charles Karumasi, head of the Babiito royal clan, said: “We have acted in full observance of Tooro’s culture and traditions. We must all preserve peace and serenity.”

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