No Looking Back! Kijanangoma Breaks Silence On His Tooro Reign, Reveals What Must Be Done Quickly!

By Swift Reporter

Tooro King-designate Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma has unveiled his vision for the kingdom, placing unity, education, scholarships and development partnerships at the centre of his proposed reign while pledging to continue projects initiated by the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.

In his first major address after being selected by the Babiito royal elders as Oyo’s successor, Kijanangoma presented himself as a leader ready to bring together the kingdom’s different factions and build on the foundation left by the late monarch.

Kijanangoma acknowledged that his emergence as king-designate was not initially expected, saying the succession process eventually brought the responsibility to him after another prince declined to take up the role.

“I was not the first choice, but when the committee reached out to Prince Kamurasi, he said he was not able to take on the role, for his reasons,” he said.

“There was some pushing and shoving, and the baton came to me. I think this was God’s doing, not me.”

Rather than dwelling on the disagreements that have surrounded the succession, Kijanangoma called for the kingdom to move forward in unity, saying Tooro must draw lessons from the difficult period following Oyo’s death.

“People have fought and done a lot, but God was involved,” he said, while reflecting on the tensions witnessed during the mourning, burial and succession process.

He said his immediate priority would be to reach out to the Babiito royal clan and other clans across Tooro in an effort to restore unity and strengthen the kingdom.

Kijanangoma also made it clear that his administration would not abandon programmes associated with King Oyo, promising to preserve and expand what he described as the late king’s good work.

“The late King Oyo had accomplished a lot of good things. All his great projects will not stop because he is not here. We shall take them on and develop them,” he said.

Education, however, emerged as one of the major areas of focus in Kijanangoma’s proposed agenda.

He said the kingdom would seek partnerships with individuals and organisations in Uganda and abroad to establish programmes that directly benefit Batooro, particularly young people who struggle to continue their education after secondary school.

“We shall sit and look for partners in Uganda and outside so that Batooro can benefit from those projects,” he said.

Kijanangoma specifically promised to expand scholarship opportunities, saying the kingdom should help talented students whose education is cut short because their families cannot meet the cost of university and other higher education.

“I know that the late king had some scholarship projects, but we shall add more. Our children will go to school and come back and work for their kingdom,” he said.

He pointed to the achievements of Buganda Kingdom in education and said Tooro could pursue similar partnerships and initiatives to improve opportunities for its young people.

Kijanangoma, who has spent 21 years working in the media industry, said his professional experience and contacts both within Uganda and internationally could help the kingdom attract new partners and development opportunities.

“I have been exposed to many people in Uganda and abroad. I will use that exposure to see that we get some friends to support our kingdom,” he said.

His proposed agenda comes at a sensitive moment for Tooro, with questions over the succession of King Oyo yet to be fully resolved.

The Babiito elders selected Kijanangoma as king-designate, but members of Oyo’s family have disputed the decision, maintaining that the late king left a 2022 will outlining a succession arrangement that should be respected.

The matter has also attracted legal guidance from Attorney General Sam Mayanja, who advised that Oyo’s will should guide the succession process unless it is successfully challenged in court.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the succession, Kijanangoma’s first address offered a glimpse into the kind of administration he hopes to establish, one that prioritises reconciliation, education, scholarships, partnerships and continuity of King Oyo’s development programmes.

For the king-designate, the immediate challenge will be turning that vision into a unifying agenda for a kingdom emerging from a highly contested succession process.