By Frank Kamuntu
A succession dispute has erupted within the Tooro royal family following the proclamation of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the new Omukama, with members of the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV’s family challenging the decision and insisting that his written wishes must guide the transition.
The disagreement emerged at Karuzika Palace on Wednesday night, where Princess Ruth Komuntale, a sister of the late king, publicly rejected the reported unveiling of Kijanangoma as Oyo’s successor.
Komuntale, who was accompanied by her aunt, Princess Elizabeth Bagaaya, said the royal family had not completed consultations on the succession and had instead been preparing to meet lawyers to examine a 2022 Will attributed to the late monarch.
According to the family, the document contains specific provisions on who should inherit the Tooro throne and places Oyo’s son at the top of the succession line.
“Clearly, the next person in line is the son. That’s the next heir to the throne,” Komuntale said, arguing that the late king’s instructions should be respected.
The family says the Will also provides for an alternative succession arrangement should Oyo’s son be unable to assume the throne. Under the arrangement cited by the family, Prince Komwiswa Yoweri would be next, followed by Prince Nyaika Solomon and then Musuga Charles Kamurasi.
The contents of the alleged Will have become the centre of the dispute following the announcement of Kijanangoma, with members of Oyo’s family questioning how the decision was reached before the document could be fully considered.
Omubitokati Princess Margret is also among members of the royal family opposing the appointment, while Princess Bagaaya and Princess Komuntale have similarly called for the late king’s wishes to be taken into account.
The family has indicated that Oyo’s legal team is preparing to challenge the proclamation, raising the possibility of a legal battle over the interpretation of the Will and the process through which a new Omukama can be selected.
Komuntale said members of the royal family had met with Omusuga Charles Kamurasi and other representatives of the Babiito clan earlier on Wednesday to review the Will. She said the meeting had been constructive and that the parties had agreed to seek legal guidance before proclaiming a successor.
The subsequent announcement of Kijanangoma therefore came as a surprise to the family. “What happened today honestly really took us by surprise. We have no idea that it was going to happen,” Komuntale said.
She disputed suggestions that Oyo had left instructions authorising the selection of another successor under the circumstances announced at the palace.
“As my brother, late brother’s sister, that information is incorrect because my brother never left those instructions at all,” she said.
The controversy has emerged less than two weeks after the death of King Oyo, whose passing on August 27 in the United States brought an end to a reign that began when he ascended the Tooro throne as a three-year-old in 1995.
Oyo, who was 34 at the time of his death, had remained the symbolic head of the Tooro Kingdom for more than three decades, becoming one of Uganda’s longest-serving reigning monarchs of the modern era.
His death triggered widespread mourning across Tooro, with kingdom subjects, political leaders and other mourners paying tribute to the young monarch as preparations began for his return and burial.
The announcement of Kijanangoma as his successor was expected to mark the beginning of a new chapter for the kingdom. A member of the Tooro royal family and a journalist with Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, Kijanangoma was reportedly selected following consultations within sections of the Babiito royal establishment.
However, the objections from Oyo’s immediate family have complicated the transition and raised questions about whether the succession process has received sufficient agreement among the different sections of the royal family and the Babiito clan.
Komuntale expressed particular concern that the disagreement had surfaced before her brother had been laid to rest, saying the family was being denied the opportunity to mourn privately.
“It’s very unfortunate that we have not even buried my brother yet, and they’re bringing all this confusion and all this turmoil, and we can’t even mourn my brother in peace,” she said.
She appealed to Tooro subjects to remain calm as consultations continue, warning against actions or statements that could deepen divisions within the kingdom.
Komuntale also invoked Oyo’s character in calling for restraint, saying the late king was known for being peaceful and calm.
“My brother was a very peaceful and calm person, so please, just at least to honour him, please stop all this drama and this disunity,” she said.
The dispute now places the interpretation of Oyo’s alleged 2022 Will, the identity of the recognised heir and the authority of those involved in the royal selection process at the centre of the transition.
It also presents a delicate challenge for the Tooro Kingdom, which is simultaneously preparing to bury a monarch who occupied the throne for more than 30 years and establish a new reign.
The competing positions announced at Karuzika Palace suggest that further consultations and potentially legal proceedings, may be necessary before the succession question is fully settled.
BELOW IS THE PURPORTED WILL OF KING OYO!
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