Da Dona
JF-Expert Member
- Dec 16, 2025
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The succession dispute in the Tooro Kingdom has deepened following the naming of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the next Omukama, with Queen Mother Best Kemigisa challenging the process and appealing for her family to be allowed to mourn the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV in peace.
In a statement issued on X, Kemigisa said the royal family was grieving under what she described as “house arrest”, following the deployment of security personnel around the palace and the removal of royal guards days before King Oyo’s burial, scheduled for September 12, 2026.
She appealed to the leadership of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and President Yoweri Museveni to allow the family to leave the palace and receive mourners freely.
Her statement comes after her daughter, Princess Ruth Komuntale, also rejected the announcement of Kijanangoma as King Oyo’s successor.
Komuntale challenged the decision by the Babiito royal clan elders, arguing that the succession process did not follow King Oyo’s wishes. She said Oyo left a will naming his preferred successor as his son, with a second choice in case the first was unable to take the throne.
According to Komuntale, Kijanangoma is not among the two successors identified by Oyo. She argued that the Babiito elders erred by bypassing the late king’s lineage when selecting his successor.
The dispute comes just days before King Oyo is due to be laid to rest, adding further tension to the mourning period and raising questions over the process through which his successor was selected.
