Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, who has been selected by the royal Babiito clan to succeed the late Omukama (King) Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV as the next King of Tooro Kingdom.

By: News Editor

The burial of the late Tooro King, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, is set to take place on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at the Karambi Royal Tombs in Fort Portal, amid an unresolved dispute over who should succeed him.

According to the burial programme released by the organising committee, prayers will begin at St John’s Cathedral at 9:00am and are expected to run until 1:00pm. The late king’s body will lie in state at the cathedral for less than 45 minutes before mourners begin a procession covering about six kilometres to the Karambi Royal Tombs. Access to the burial grounds will be restricted to a limited number of mourners.

However, preparations for the burial have been overshadowed by a dispute over the succession to the Tooro throne. A royal clan succession committee announced that Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a cousin of the late king and a news anchor and editor at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, had been selected as his successor.

The decision has been challenged by members of King Oyo’s immediate family. His sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, has said the late king’s will provides for a biological son, if lawfully recognised, to inherit the throne. Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has also opposed the succession committee’s decision and questioned the manner in which the new successor was selected.

The identity and eligibility of the alleged son have become central to the dispute, with questions being raised about whether he meets the traditional requirements for succession. Tooro Kingdom spokesperson Vincent Mugume said on Friday that representatives of the royal family and the royal clan were holding discussions, with the central government also involved in efforts to resolve the disagreement.

The kingdom says a successor is required for some traditional rituals associated with the burial of a deceased king. Thousands of mourners and dignitaries have meanwhile travelled to Fort Portal to pay their last respects to King Oyo.

As the royal family and clan leaders continue consultations, attention remains focused on whether an agreement on the succession will be reached before the burial. The outcome could shape the next chapter of the Tooro Kingdom while the kingdom prepares to lay to rest a monarch who spent more than three decades on the throne.

King Oyo died on August 27, 2026, aged 34, while receiving cancer treatment in the United States. He ascended the Tooro throne in 1995 at the age of three, becoming one of the world’s youngest reigning monarchs.