Ex-TV anchor to be crowned king after succession dispute
Uganda’s Tooro kingdom is preparing to crown Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma Nyabongo I as its new king, amid a succession dispute over whether the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV left behind a son who should have inherited the throne.
Kijanangoma, 56, is a familiar figure in Uganda, having spent more than two decades as a broadcaster and editor at the state broadcaster, according to a BBC report.
He was formally selected by a 21-member committee of the royal Babiito clan following the death of King Oyo, who died last month aged 34 after ruling Tooro for 31 years.
Oyo became king in 1995 at the age of three after his father’s death, becoming the world’s youngest monarch at the time.
Members of Oyo’s family have said he left a young son and a will naming the child as his successor.
However, the child has never been publicly identified and was not recognised by the succession committee, which selected Kijanangoma.
Oyo’s mother, Queen Best Kemigisa, has argued that her son’s will should have been respected and criticised the decision to proceed with Kijanangoma’s coronation.
She said the boy, who is in the US, had been unable to return to Uganda because of tensions surrounding the succession.
Tooro kingdom officials have defended the selection, saying it followed traditional procedures and that Oyo’s alleged son had never been formally presented.
Information Minister Charles Mwanguhya said the crown had therefore passed to another branch of the ruling Babiito clan.
Kijanangoma and Oyo were cousins and both grandsons of King George David Matthew Kamurasi Rukidi III, who ruled Tooro from 1928 to 1965.
Another candidate, Prince George Desmond Kamurasi, reportedly declined the throne because of other responsibilities.
Kijanangoma has pledged to make the palace more accessible and focus on unity and development.
“I cannot work alone, I have to work with you,” he said after being announced as king.
Tooro is one of Uganda’s four officially recognised traditional kingdoms.
Although they have no formal political authority, the kingdoms retain considerable cultural influence and loyalty among their communities.
The kingdoms were abolished in 1967 but restored by President Yoweri Museveni’s government in the early 1990s.
The government has backed Kijanangoma’s selection, while Attorney-General Sam Mayanja said there was no formal complaint preventing the coronation. Museveni is expected to attend the ceremony.
Kijanangoma was born in 1970 and grew up in Fort Portal before studying mass communication at Makerere University.
He went on to work as a broadcaster in Uganda and Rwanda, saying he would use the contacts built during his journalism career to help his community.
The coronation will include traditional ceremonies, a ceremonial walk to the royal palace, a mock fight and blessings by members of the Babiito clan before Kijanangoma is formally crowned.