A succession dispute has emerged in Uganda’s Tooro Kingdom after the royal clan selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the next king, only for the late King Oyo Nyimba’s mother and sister to reject the decision. Kijanangoma, a cousin of the late king and a news anchor and editor with Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), was selected by the kingdom’s royal succession committee on Wednesday. However, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa and Princess Ruth Komuntale, Oyo’s sister, have challenged the decision, saying the late monarch left instructions on who should succeed him. The dispute comes days before Oyo’s scheduled burial at the royal tombs in Fort Portal on Saturday, September 12. Oyo died in the United States on August 27 at the age of 34 while receiving cancer treatment.

The disagreement centres on a will dated September 14, 2022, which was shared by a spokesperson for the kingdom. According to the document, Oyo stated that if he died leaving a son who was legally recognised as his biological child, that son should become his heir to the Tooro throne. Princess Ruth has publicly backed the position that the late king’s wishes should be respected, arguing that his son should be considered before another member of the royal family is selected. The reported existence of the child was not widely known before Oyo’s death. Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire announced after the king’s death that Oyo had left behind a son who was his heir, saying his identity would be disclosed at the appropriate time. The identity and legal status of the reported child have not been publicly established, however, making the issue one of the central questions in the succession dispute.

Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has also rejected Kijanangoma’s selection. In a statement reported by Reuters, she criticised the group of clan members involved in the selection, arguing that they proceeded despite the existence of the late king’s will. Kemigisa also alleged that Uganda’s military had removed royal guards from the palace and placed members of the royal family under house arrest. Those allegations have not been independently confirmed. Reuters reported that a Ugandan military spokesperson had not immediately responded to requests for comment. Tooro Prime Minister Rwomiire has meanwhile called for calm, saying the will, customary practices and applicable law should be examined through the appropriate institutions rather than through competing public announcements.

Kijanangoma is a member of the Tooro royal family and a cousin of King Oyo. He works as a journalist, news anchor and editor at UBC. His selection followed the death of Oyo, who became Tooro’s king in 1995 at the age of three and remained a prominent cultural figure in Uganda for more than three decades. Although Uganda is a constitutional republic and traditional kingdoms have no executive political authority, institutions such as Tooro retain considerable cultural and social influence. The selection committee’s decision was therefore significant within the kingdom, but it has not been accepted by Oyo’s immediate family.

The dispute has left the question of who will succeed Oyo unsettled. On one side is the royal succession committee, which selected Kijanangoma as the next monarch. On the other are the Queen Mother and Princess Ruth, who maintain that the late king’s reported will provides for his son to inherit the throne. The kingdom must now determine how the competing claims should be addressed under Tooro customs and the applicable legal framework. The timing of the dispute is particularly sensitive because preparations for Oyo’s burial are already underway. His body was returned to Uganda on September 4 ahead of the burial ceremony. For now, Kijanangoma remains the person selected by the royal succession committee, but the decision has been rejected by members of the late king’s immediate family. The final outcome will depend on how the kingdom handles the reported will, the claim concerning Oyo’s son and the customary and legal procedures governing succession.