Uganda has concluded a nine-day mourning period for King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, with funeral rites taking place in Fort Portal on Saturday. The late monarch, who ascended the throne of the Tooro Kingdom in 1995 at the age of three, died last month from cancer at just 34 years old.
The burial service followed a procession in which the king’s coffin, draped in the blue-and-yellow Tooro flag, was transported by hearse from the Karuziika Royal Palace. The cortege was accompanied by royal guards in orange tunics striking wooden sticks. Hundreds of mourners, including senior Ugandan government officials, gathered at St. John’s Cathedral before the body was interred at the royal tombs.
Despite the solemnity of the occasion, the ceremony was overshadowed by a contentious succession dispute. Tradition dictates that the new ruler should throw nine coffee berries into the grave of the predecessor, but it remained unclear until Friday who would perform this rite.
On Wednesday, a committee of the royal clan announced the selection of Oyo’s cousin, Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, as the new king. Kijanangoma, 54, serves as a news anchor and editor at the state broadcaster UBC. However, the late king’s immediate family has contested this choice, stating that Oyo’s will designated an illegitimate son as his successor. That child has not yet been publicly identified.
Social media rumors have further complicated the situation, with allegations that Oyo fathered at least two children outside of wedlock. Supporters of Kijanangoma argue that the family has failed to provide concrete evidence regarding the alleged son, while traditionalists maintain that an adult should assume the throne.
Queen Mother Best Kemigisa expressed distress over the infighting, stating in a public appeal that the battle for the throne undermines the family’s ability to grieve. “Let us grieve and bury my son King Oyo,” she said, pleading for the disputes to be resolved after the funeral.
Although the kingdoms in Uganda hold no formal political power, they serve as cultural custodians. These institutions were restored in 1993 after being banned for nearly three decades following independence from British colonial rule.
Nine coffee berries—it sounds symbolic, but the real drama is in the family dispute over the throne.
A news anchor becomes king? That’s a unique twist. I wonder how his media background influences his rule.
The Queen Mother’s plea for unity is touching. Why can they not respect the deceased’s final wishes peacefully?
Is an illegitimate child really the right choice to lead? Tradition usually favors legitimacy in these matters.
Tragic that he died at 34. The power struggle is a bitter pill to swallow after such a long mourning period.