*Oyo’s Sister Says Monarch’s Will Names Son As First Successor
*Succession Committee Says Unknown To Elders, Did Not Undergo Ceremonies, Others Rites
A BITTER succession dispute has erupted in one of Uganda’s traditional kingdoms, days before the burial of its late king, who until his death had been the world’s youngest reigning monarch.
King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who ruled the Tooro Kingdom for over three decades, was undergoing cancer treatment in the United States (US) when he died last month aged 34.
Royal clan’s succession committee has at the press conference in the kingdom’s capital of Fort Portal, announced Kijanangoma, Oyo’s cousin and a news presenter at the state-run broadcaster, UBC, as monarch.
The clan elders said they had the customary authority to choose a suitable prince to become “the Omukama,” the local title for the king of Tooro.
The succession panel said it had carried out “due diligence, consultation and adequate consideration” before selecting Kijanangoma, with 19 members signing the resolution.
Kijanangoma, 56, is the son of Prince Christopher Paul Kijanangoma and a grandson of former Tooro king, George David Rukidi III.
Another contender had been Prince George Desmond Kamurasi, a footballer for one of the best-known amateur clubs in the United Kingdom (UK).
According to the succession committee, the South East Dons captain and goalkeeper declined the offer of the throne, citing other responsibilities.
It was not yet clear when the enthronement will take place, but the committee said it would be conducted in accordance with the traditions and customs of the Tooro kingdom.
However, Kijanangoma’s choice has been rejected by Oyo’s close family.
His sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, said the late king had left a will written in 2022 naming his young son, whose identity has never been disclosed, as his successor.
“My brother did leave behind an heir to the throne, and that was very clearly stated,” she said, accusing those behind the announcement on Wednesday night, September 8, of creating “confusion and turmoil” while the family was still grieving.
She insisted the late king’s written wishes should be respected, insisting Oyo had left “very strict instructions” on his succession, naming his son as first in line and also setting out alternatives if the boy could not take the throne.
She stated that the provisions are contained in a Will made and executed by Oyo on September 14, 2022, at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal.
In Article X of the Will, titled, ‘Appointment of My Heir and Successor to the Crown,’ Oyo reportedly stated that if he was survived by a son lawfully recognised as his biological son, he appointed the son as his heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Tooro.
According to him: “I hereby declare and direct that if, at the date of my death, I am survived by a Son lawfully recognized as my biological Son, I appoint him as my heir to the Throne of the Kingdom of Tooro.”
The provision refers to Section 4 of Uganda’s Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act, 2011, as well as the customs and traditions of Tooro Kingdom.
The document then establishes a succession plan in the event that Oyo’s son cannot take the throne, saying that if the king has no son able to succeed him, or if his son dies before assuming the throne, becomes permanently incapacitated or is otherwise unable to perform the duties and responsibilities of the crown, succession should pass to Oyo’s cousin, Prince Komwiswa Yoweri, son of Musuga Charles Kamurasi Akiiki.
If Komwiswa Yoweri is unable to succeed, the will names another cousin, Prince Nyaika Solomon, also a son of Musuga Charles Kamurasi Akiiki, as the next successor.
The provisions appear to establish a clear order of succession: Oyo’s son first, followed by Komwiswa Yoweri and then Nyaika Solomon under the circumstances specified in the will.
The document also states that the succession should be recognised and implemented peacefully and with dignity, in accordance with the 2011 law and Tooro customs and traditions, with Oyo stating: “I desire that the succession provided for in this Article be recognised and implemented peacefully and with dignity.”
He further directed that the installation of his successor be conducted according to Tooro customs and traditions and the Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act.
The contents of the Will are significant, following the announcement of Kijanangoma, as the next Omukama.
Speaking to the media at Karuziika Palace on Wednesday night, Komuntale said the family had earlier met with Musuga Charles Kamurasi and other Babiito to review the Will, and the plan had been to meet again with lawyers on Thursday to examine the document before a successor was formally proclaimed.
“What was mentioned today was not accurate,” Komuntale stated, adding that Oyo had left “very strict instructions” regarding his successor and insisted that the reported selection did not reflect those instructions.
“As my brother, late brother’s sister, that information is incorrect, because my brother never left those instructions at all,” she said, a position supported by her aunt, Princess Elizabeth Bagaaya.
The disagreement has brought the interpretation and implementation of Oyo’s Will to the centre of the succession process, with questions now likely to focus on the status of his son and whether any of the conditions for activating the alternative succession provisions have arisen.
The late king also anticipated circumstances in which his death could require temporary arrangements before a successor assumes the throne.
Article XI of the Will states that where circumstances following his death require a regency, guardianship, advisory council or transitional arrangement, those entrusted with such responsibilities should act collectively for the stability, dignity and continuity of the institution.
His instructions emphasise that the succession should preserve the “unity and dignity” of the kingdom, rather than become a source of division.
He commended his successor to God and the people of Tooro, urging the future king to exercise wisdom, humility, justice, courage and compassion, describing leadership as stewardship and stressing that the crown exists to serve the people.
But clan representatives said reports of Oyo having a son were not sufficient, because the child had not been formally presented to the royal clan as dictated by Tooro tradition.
One committee member told Uganda’s NTV station that a royal child must be formally introduced to elders and then must undergo ceremonies and others preparations if they were to be considered for future leadership.
Meanwhile, Oyo’s mother, Queen Best Kemigisa, has appealed for the family to be allowed to bury her son in peace, alleging that royal guards have been withdrawn from the palace and soldiers deployed, restricting the royal family’s movement and their ability to receive visitors, describing the situation as “house arrest,”
She appealed to the army’s leadership and President Yoweri Museveni to allow the family to mourn and bury Oyo in peace on Saturday, September 12.
She said: “I appeal to those fighting over the throne: please, there will be time for all of that. Let us grieve and bury my son King Oyo.”
The existence of Oyo’s son was first publicly revealed in the days after the king’s death by Museveni, who said he had been told about the young boy by the queen mother.
No other details have officially been disclosed, and he had not previously been presented as Oyo’s heir.
The disagreement has exposed the complicated way in which succession works in Tooro, where the monarch is chosen from the Babiito, the royal dynastic clan.
The country’s Culture Minister, Henry Tumukunde, has said he will be overseeing mediation efforts, with an outcome expected after consultations with Museveni and cultural leaders.
Thousands of mourners are expected to attend the burial at the royal tombs near the palace in Fort Portal in western Uganda.
His body was returned to Uganda from the US on Friday, and preparations for the funeral were under way.
Tooro is one of Uganda’s traditional kingdoms. Its monarch has no formal political authority, but remains an important cultural figure in western Uganda.
Uganda abolished its traditional kingdoms in 1967, but they were restored in the 1990s under Museveni, with their monarchs recognised as cultural leaders, rather than political rulers.
King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV was praised for being a modernising monarch who championed education. (With online reports)
