Uganda’s Tooro Kingdom has enthroned former television news anchor Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as its new king, ending weeks of uncertainty over the succession following the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Kijanangoma, 56, was selected by a 21 member committee of the royal Babiito clan and formally took the royal name Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I. He is the 13th monarch of the Batooro people. The coronation took place Tuesday in Fort Portal, the capital of the kingdom, in a ceremony featuring traditional rituals and ceremonies.
Kijanangoma, who is Oyo’s cousin, previously worked as a news anchor and editor at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, the country’s state broadcaster. Former colleagues have described him as a quiet and humble figure who maintained a relatively low profile during the succession dispute.
The succession followed the death of King Oyo on Aug. 27 in the United States, where he had been receiving treatment for cancer. Oyo was 34. He became internationally known after ascending the Tooro throne at the age of three in 1995 following the death of his father. He was buried at the Karambi Royal Tombs in Fort Portal on Sept. 12.
The selection of Kijanangoma was contested by Oyo’s mother, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, and his sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale. They said Oyo had left a previously undisclosed young son and that his will designated the child as heir to the throne. The identity of the alleged heir has not been publicly disclosed.
The royal Babiito clan has disputed the claim, saying it was not aware of such a child and that it followed established Tooro customs in selecting the next monarch. Charles Kayondo Kamurasi, head of the Babiito clan and traditional kingmaker, said the purported child was not known to the clan.
Uganda’s government has backed the succession process. The Uganda Media Centre said the Babiito clan selected Kijanangoma on Sept. 9 and that he was subsequently presented to and endorsed by the Rukurato Rw’Obukama Bwa Tooro, the kingdom’s supreme council, on Sept. 15. The government said the process followed the kingdom’s recognised customs and traditional institutions.
The coronation included traditional rites, including a mock battle for the crown, as well as rituals involving the slaughter of a bull and the use of hen’s blood. Kijanangoma was also ushered into Karuziika Palace, the royal residence.
Tooro is one of Uganda’s traditional kingdoms restored in 1993 after they were abolished under former President Milton Obote. The kingdoms have no constitutional political authority, but retain significant cultural and social influence among their communities. Their leaders are also legally barred from partisan political activity.
The transition has attracted strong interest among residents of Fort Portal and the wider Tooro region, where the monarchy remains an important symbol of Batooro identity and cultural heritage. Residents prepared traditional clothing, music and dances ahead of the coronation.
The new king now inherits a traditional institution whose influence extends beyond ceremonial duties, including the preservation of cultural heritage and community identity. The conclusion of the succession dispute provides a formal transition of leadership, although questions raised by Oyo’s family over the alleged heir remain part of the recent history of the succession.
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