The Tooro Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa, has rejected the selection of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the new King of Tooro, accusing the 21-member succession committee of disregarding the late King Oyo’s purported will and an earlier agreement to suspend succession proceedings until after his burial.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Kemigisa said the committee’s announcement of Kijanangoma contradicted the contents of the document presented as King Oyo’s will and an agreement reached during a meeting chaired by Major General Henry Tumukunde, the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development. Kemigisa said the will was read at about 4 pm on Wednesday before members of the royal family and government officials, including Major General Tumukunde.
Among the provisions in the document relating to succession is the following: “I hereby declare and direct that if, at the date of my death, I am survived by a Son lawfully recognized as my biological Son, I appoint him as my heir to the Throne of the Kingdom of Tooro as the case may be in accordance with Section 4 of the Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act, 2011, the customs and traditions of Tooro Kingdom.”
According to sources familiar with the succession committee’s deliberations, the issue of King Oyo’s purported son had itself become a point of contention before the announcement of Kijanangoma. The sources said Patrick Kawamara, a brother of the Queen Mother, presented the purported son to the committee. Kawamara had been included on the 21-member committee to represent the interests of the Queen Mother, also known as Nyina Omukama Ow’empeeka.
The sources said the committee asked Kawamara to provide a photograph of the purported son, but he was unable to do so. They said the committee also sought details about the mother of the purported son, including her clan, and Kawamara identified her as a Muhinda. When asked to identify her family in Tooro, however, Kawamara allegedly declined to provide the information. According to the same sources, none of the relatives on King Oyo’s paternal side, the Babiito, had previously heard of the existence of the purported son.
The sources further said the committee was presented with two different names for the purported heir, while no photograph was available to accompany his candidature. They said the absence of a photograph was significant because other candidates considered by the committee had been presented with photographs as part of the selection process. These questions reportedly contributed to the committee’s decision to proceed with its own succession process, culminating in the selection of Prince Edward Kijanangoma on Wednesday evening.
However, the Queen Mother says the committee acted contrary to an understanding reached earlier in the day. Kemigisa said the reading of the purported will was followed by an agreement that another meeting would be held on Thursday to address the succession question. She said she was therefore disappointed that, while King Oyo’s body was still lying in state, members of the select committee held a separate press conference and announced Kijanangoma as the new king.
Kemigisa questioned why the announcement had to be made at such a time, saying the celebrations could have been held elsewhere rather than while her son was still lying in his casket. The Queen Mother called on all parties to stop the dispute over the throne, saying there is a proper time to handle succession matters but that the immediate priority should be mourning and burying King Oyo.
She also appealed to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) leadership, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, and other relevant authorities to allow the royal family to mourn and bury their king in peace. Kemigisa further alleged that royal guards had been removed from Karuziika Palace and replaced with UPDF soldiers, which she said had limited mourners from accessing the palace to pay their respects.
She also said she had not been consulted or involved in the succession process. King Oyo’s sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale Nsemere, also rejected the announcement and was joined by her aunts, Princess Elizabeth Bagaya and Princess Margaret Komubaizi, in denouncing the selection. Komuntale said the royal family had not reached a consensus with key members of the Babiito clan, including clan leader Charles Kamurasi, on the appointment of a new king.
She said the family’s understanding had been that the succession process would be put on hold until after King Oyo’s burial. The Babiito clan, however, has defended the selection of Kijanangoma and maintained that the traditional process should determine the next monarch. Moses Musinguzi, spokesperson for the Babiito clan, said even the existence of a son of the late king would not automatically make him king, arguing that the decision must take into account Babiito traditions and the wishes of the people of Tooro.
The controversy comes as Tooro prepares to bury King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV at the Karambi Royal Tombs in Fort Portal on Saturday. King Oyo died in the United States while receiving treatment, and his burial arrangements are continuing amid a deepening dispute over his succession-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
