Uganda’s King Oyo Buried Amid Succession Dispute, Leaders Call for Unity

The Tooro kingdom’s ruler, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, was laid to rest at the royal tombs in Fort Portal on Saturday, following a week‑long dispute over who would ascend the throne.

Oyo, 34, who became king when he was just three years old, passed away last month in the United States while receiving cancer treatment. He was once recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world’s youngest monarch.

The king’s family insisted that a will written in 2022 names his young son as his successor, a claim that has not yet revealed the boy’s identity. Yet clan elders, after evaluating tradition, chose TV presenter Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma to be the next monarch, which the relatives rejected.

During the private burial ceremony, Queen Best Kemigisa told reporters that guards had been withdrawn from the palace and that soldiers were now present, a move she described as a “house arrest” limiting the royal family’s movement and visitors.

The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stephen Kazimba Mugalu, appealed to mourners to refrain from divisive comments, noting that such words could burn the kingdom’s legacy. President Yoweri Museveni echoed this sentiment, calling for unity and urging a peaceful resolution to the dispute.

Head of the Babiito royal clan, Omusuuga Charles Karumasi, defended the clan’s selection of Kijanangoma, stating that all decisions were made in accordance with Tooro traditions and that the community should preserve peace and serenity.