Uganda's King Oyo Buried Amid Bitter Succession Battle Over Mystery Son

A portrait of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV is displayed inside St John’s Cathedral in Fort Portal, Uganda, on September 12, 2026. Oyo became king at the age of three in 1995 and died at 34 [Patrick Onen/AP]

Fort Portal, Uganda – When King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV of Tooro was buried on September 12, the ceremony unfolded under the shadow of a bitter dispute over who should succeed him. Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a 56-year-old news anchor and editor at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, had been selected by the royal clan to succeed Oyo. During the burial at the Karambi Royal Tombs in Fort Portal, he formally assumed power by casting nine coffee berries into the king’s grave, part of the traditional handover ritual.

But the succession remains contested. Oyo’s mother, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, and his sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, have opposed Kijanangoma’s selection, saying the late king’s will named a son as his heir. Oyo never married and was not publicly known to have children. After his death, Tooro’s Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki announced that the king had left a son whose identity would be revealed at an appropriate time. The child has not been publicly identified.

Oyo’s family says a 2022 will named a son whom he described as his lawfully recognised biological son as heir to the throne. But Babiito clan elders, who are responsible for guarding the Tooro royal lineage, determining succession and safeguarding the kingdom’s traditions, say Oyo had not introduced the child through the customary process and instead backed Kijanangoma as his successor.

“The will is not a determinant of who is supposed to be a king; it is a document that expresses one’s wish,” said Reverend Father Charles Oyo, a Babiito clan elder. “The Musuuga [Babiito clan leader] is above the will.”

Princess Komuntale has accused the elders of trying to take over the throne. “King Oyo was a very peaceful man, a very humble man,” she said. “I just don’t want these evil vultures to come and steal what he worked so hard for. I continue to stand with my brother.”

The dispute has divided opinion over who should be regarded as Oyo’s legitimate successor. The Ugandan government also became involved in talks aimed at resolving the dispute before the burial.

Oyo’s own path to the throne began when he was just three years old. He became king in 1995 after the death of his father, Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, and was recognised as the world’s youngest reigning monarch. As a child, Oyo was homeschooled, with the palace serving as his classroom.

When he later joined primary school, childhood friends remember him as a kind and warm person. During school holidays, he sometimes sneaked out of the family’s private residence in Buziga, Kampala, to play football in the neighbourhood. Martin Odong, a radio journalist and childhood friend, remembers him as “friendly, social and compassionate”.

Oyo would stop football games to check on an injured player, regardless of which side they were playing for, Odong said. His love of football continued into adulthood. He promoted local tournaments, including the Tooro Kingdom MTN Masaza Cup, which was suspended as his health deteriorated.

Oyo died on August 27, aged 34, in the United States while receiving cancer treatment. His body was returned to Uganda for nine days of mourning before his burial at the Karambi Royal Tombs, which coincided with Empango, the anniversary of his coronation.

At St John’s Cathedral, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa remembered her son as someone who had always protected her. “He was my shield who always stood for me,” she said. She recalled praying for his life when she was in hospital, saying God decided to take him first because he was closer to Him.

Princess Komuntale described her brother as a “funny person” who “always brightened my day”. Although he was younger than her, she said, he often behaved like the older sibling and protected her and their mother after their father passed away.

Father Charles Oyo remembered him as a “handsome king who loved his kingdom so much”, noting that Oyo died just as he was beginning to demonstrate his abilities and capacity as a king.

Uganda is a constitutional republic, and its traditional kings have no formal political authority. However, the kingdoms retain cultural influence and command loyalty among many of their communities. Uganda abolished its traditional kingdoms in 1967, but they were restored in 1993 under President Yoweri Museveni.

As an adult, Oyo used the platform of the throne to promote issues beyond the kingdom, such as climbing the Rwenzori Mountains in 2020 to draw attention to climate change, supporting a campaign to plant 10 million trees across Tooro, and promoting healthy living and cancer awareness. Before his death, Oyo had allocated land and begun fundraising for a paediatric hospital in Kyenjojo district.

Oyo’s illness was kept largely private. According to his sister, he began experiencing pain in his back and rib cage last year. He later travelled to Kenya, where he was diagnosed with angiosarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer, before travelling to Germany for treatment and eventually to the US.

“He told us to keep it private, and we respected that,” Komuntale said. Despite his royal status, she remembered him as a kid who loved to play, adding, “I will keep your legacy, what you loved, and we will talk about you every day.”