FORT PORTAL – At St. John’s Cathedral on Saturday, September 12, 2026, hundreds of mourners, royals and dignitaries gathered to bid farewell to the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. But amid the grief, Tooro’s future suddenly took centre stage when Charles Kayondo Kamurasi, known as Omujwera Musuuga and head of the Babiito royal clan, announced that the kingdom had a new king. He declared that the Babiito council had elected Edward Kijanangoma Rukidi Nyabongo I as Oyo’s successor.
The announcement came against the backdrop of an already tense succession dispute. Members of the late king’s royal family had earlier rejected reports that a UBC journalist would take the throne, insisting instead that Oyo’s previously unknown son, whom they said was named in the late king’s will, should succeed him. While the family avoided directly addressing the succession during the funeral and appealed for peace and unity, Musuuga maintained that the Babiito council’s decision had followed Ugandan law while taking Tooro’s traditions and cultural norms into account.
The dispute had threatened to delay Oyo’s burial because Tooro tradition required the new king to perform the important coffee-berry ritual at the Karambi Royal Mausoleum before the final interment. Kijanangoma completed the rite, clearing the way for the burial. Representing President Museveni, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa urged the Batooro to resolve the succession matter peacefully and within the law, emphasizing unity and the importance of traditional institutions. A source close to the crisis also told Reuters that national authorities had helped secure Kijanangoma’s succession to prevent further disruption to the burial.
Throughout the mourning period, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa and Princess Ruth Komuntale largely avoided the succession debate, instead thanking those who had supported Oyo during his illness and calling for calm. As Tooro entered a new chapter, Musuuga appealed to the kingdom to remain united and protect its cultural dignity. Edward Kijanangoma Rukidi Nyabongo I had been declared king, the traditional rite had been performed, but the competing claim linked to Oyo’s family and reported will remained unresolved leaving Tooro facing a delicate test of tradition, law and unity.
