Uganda’s King Oyo buried amid calls for unity over his successor

Uganda’s King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, once the world’s youngest reigning monarch, was buried on Saturday, days after a row broke out over who would succeed him.

Oyo, 34, who had ruled the traditional kingdom of Tooro in western Uganda since the age of three, died last month while undergoing cancer treatment in the US.

Tooro is one of Uganda’s traditional kingdoms. They were abolished in 1967 but restored in the 1990s under President Museveni. Their monarchs are recognised as cultural leaders rather than political rulers.

Thousands of mourners lined the streets as the king’s casket was transported to the royal tombs in Fort Portal where a private ceremony took place.

Oyo was just a toddler when he was named as Tooro’s king and, according to Guinness World Records, was the world’s youngest monarch while he reigned.

TV news presenter Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, 56, who was named as the next monarch by clan elders, reportedly cast nine coffee beans into Oyo’s grave, a ritual signifying the end of one reign and the start of another.

But days earlier, Oyo’s family rejected Kijanangoma, the late monarch’s cousin, as Tooro’s new king.

Oyo’s sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, said the late king had left a will, written in 2022, naming his young son as his successor.

The boy’s identity has never been disclosed.

Meanwhile, his mother, Queen Best Kemigisa, said royal guards had been withdrawn from the palace and soldiers deployed. This, she said, restricted the royal family’s movement and their ability to receive visitors, describing it as “house arrest”.

On Saturday, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stephen Kazimba Mugalu, urged unity.

“Words spoken in grief can cause pain, division and conflict. It can even destroy the legacy of the king we are mourning,” he told mourners.

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni also called for the matter to be resolved “and to favour unity over division”.

The clan overseeing the succession defended its choice of Kijanangoma.

Omusuuga Charles Karumasi, head of the Babiito royal clan, said: “We have done everything in observance of the culture and traditions of Tooro. We must all preserve peace and serenity.”