FORT PORTAL – The bitter succession war has erupted inside the Karuzika Palace, splitting the royal compound into two rival camps and shattering the period of unified mourning that was supposed to follow the death of King Oyo.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV of Tooro died last month on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at the age of 36, while in the United States, where he was receiving treatment for cancer.
The King’s demise was announced by the Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister, Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki, with his body repatriated to Uganda last Friday ahead of a burial scheduled for September 12.
Meanwhile, instead of bringing the Tooro Kingdom together in grief, the King’s passing has ignited an open battle for the throne between the immediate royal family and traditional clan elders.
The battle for the throne follows the formal announcement by the Babiito clan of a new monarch, Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, the grandson of Omukama George David Rukidi III, as the new King.
Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a journalist working with the National Broadcaster UBC, was elected by the 21-member Royal Succession Committee formed on August 28 by the Babiito clan at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal City.
Under Tooro custom, the Ababiito clan is responsible for choosing the king, and elders said they wanted an adult, stable successor rather than another child on the throne.
Although President Museveni and Prime Minister Calvin Rwomiire said King Oyo left a young heir born out of wedlock, the clan committee looked beyond that and named Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the new Omukama.
The immediate royal family has rejected the announcement, with Queen Mother Best Kemigisa and Princess Ruth Komuntale insisting Oyo left a written will naming his son as heir.
The Queen Mother, in a heartbreaking letter dated September 10, 2026, written while her son’s body still lay in the palace, described the rushed process by clan elders who only visit during Empango as a second fight for her son’s right to dignity.
The Queen Mother’s letter reminds Tooro of her tragic history: how she was only 26 years old, in the UK treating her sick two-year-old daughter Cecilia, when her husband, Omukama Patrick, died.
She went to court for her son, who prevailed and served Tooro for 31 years, and after losing her daughter Cecilia to leukemia, she appreciated President Museveni and the UPDF engineering brigade for bringing the King home with dignity.
The Queen Mother noted that she is devastated that while her son’s body was still lying in the casket at the palace, clan members who only visit during Empango held a press conference to declare their own King, disregarding his will and prior agreements.
“They could have done this anywhere else. Instead, they chose to jubilate while my son was still lying in his casket next to them. This is what has hurt us most. My daughter is devastated. Our family is grieving,” the letter reads.
The situation has escalated beyond a cultural dispute into a security matter, with the Queen Mother saying heavy deployment around the palace has left the family unable to receive mourners freely and effectively under house arrest.
She has appealed to General Kayanja Muhanga, the UPDF leadership and President Museveni to restore their freedom and allow the family the dignity to bury King Oyo in peace.
Princess Ruth Komuntale, Oyo’s sister, has broken her silence to warn that opportunists are trying to steal what her brother built, insisting he left behind an heir and pleading for the family to be allowed to grieve in peace.
Additionally, Princess Elizabeth Bagaya, the 90-year-old Batebe of Tooro who raised Oyo from age 3, has aligned herself with the immediate family, rejecting the hurried election.
Sources indicate that Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, who was announced as the new King just hours ago, has informed Omuusuga Charles Kamurasi (head of the Babiito Clan) that he is not ready to take the throne.
Kijanangoma, a former Uganda Broadcasting Corporation presenter, is reportedly hesitant due to his strong Born-Again Christian beliefs.
He is uncomfortable with the traditional expectations attached to the monarchy, specifically those regarding marriage and the production of a royal heir, fearing these customs conflict with his religious convictions and his marriage to Rebecca Amoding-Rukidi.
This follows the earlier refusal of another contender, George Desmond Kamurasi, a London-based footballer who declined the throne to remain with his family in the UK.
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