The royal family of the Tooro Kingdom has rejected the nomination of Edward Kijanangoma Rukiidi as the next Omukama, deepening a dispute over the succession to the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. The rejection was led by Princess Ruth Komuntale Nsemere, King Oyo’s sister, who described Wednesday evening’s announcement as a shock and said it did not reflect the wishes of the late monarch.
Princess Komuntale said no consensus had been reached during a meeting involving key members of the Babiito clan, including clan leader Charles Kamurasi, on the appointment of a new king. She said the meeting, chaired by Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde, Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, was expected to help resolve disagreements within the kingdom.
According to Princess Komuntale, Tumukunde told those attending that he was acting on instructions from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to help resolve the internal differences. She said the understanding reached by the royal family was to suspend the succession process until after King Oyo’s burial, which is scheduled for Saturday at the Karambi Royal Tombs in Fort Portal.
Princess Komuntale also said the late king left a will setting out the process for determining his successor. She dismissed Kijanangoma’s nomination as “baseless” and said it was contrary to her brother’s wishes.
The announcement of Kijanangoma was made on Wednesday evening by a 21-member select committee, which declared him the next monarch following what it described as a competitive selection process. The royal family, however, disputes the process, arguing that it was neither transparent nor consistent with King Oyo’s alleged written instructions.
Princess Komuntale said the family is considering legal options and would hold another meeting on Thursday to determine its next course of action. She also appealed to the people of Tooro to preserve King Oyo’s legacy and maintain peace, warning against what she described as “vultures” seeking to undermine what her brother built.
Other members of the royal family, including Princesses Bagaya and Komubaizi, pledged to challenge the decision and appealed for unity during the period of mourning. Princess Komubaizi said lawyers representing King Oyo had read his will and that another harmonisation meeting had been proposed to clarify the succession process.
She assured the public that the rightful heir would be identified in accordance with the established process. However, Moses Musinguzi, spokesperson for the Babiito clan, said the traditional process to install Kijanangoma would proceed. Musinguzi said the existence of a son of the late king does not automatically make him eligible to become Omukama, arguing that the decision must be guided by Babiito traditions and the wishes of the people of Tooro. He said the majority decision of the Babiito clan would ultimately determine the next king.
The dispute has been further complicated by a will dated September 14, 2022, which was reportedly presented on Wednesday by King Oyo’s personal lawyer, Michael Akampurira, to members of the royal family and government officials. According to information obtained, the document names King Oyo’s son as the first heir to the throne.
They will reportedly provide, however, that if Oyo’s son dies before ascending to the throne, becomes permanently incapacitated or is otherwise unable to assume the responsibilities of kingship, the succession should pass to the son of the late king’s paternal uncle, Charles Musuuga.
The contents of the document have raised questions because they appear to differ from an aspect of traditional Tooro succession customs, which require an individual to qualify for kingship only after the death of his father. The disagreement has therefore shifted beyond the identity of the next king to whether King Oyo’s written wishes can determine succession where they differ from established customary practices.
King Oyo died in August 2026 and is scheduled to be laid to rest on Saturday, September 12, at the Karambi Royal Tombs in Fort Portal. The succession dispute now threatens to overshadow the final mourning activities, with the royal family and the Babiito clan advancing competing positions on who should inherit the Tooro throne-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
