By Today, Tooro buries King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, bringing to an end the extraordinary 31-year reign of the boy who became king at three. But as his body is lowered into the royal tombs at Karambi, a succession battle over who should inherit the throne still looms.
Oyo was enthroned on September 12, 1995, at just three years old. Today, September 12, 2026, on the same date, he is being laid to rest.
But his death on August 27, aged 34, after cancer treatment in the United States, opened a succession battle that has moved rapidly from the royal clan into the national spotlight.
His death was broadcast across multiple platforms, drawing widespread attention and underscoring the immense popularity of the young king and the deep love and affection his people held for him.
However, almost immediately after Oyo’s death, the royal succession 21-member committee had selected George Desmond Kamurasi, a 36-year-old goalkeeper and captain of London’s SE Dons, as its preferred successor. Eighteen members were present and 15 voted for Kamurasi.
Desmond was Oyo’s cousin and a grandson of the late Omukama George David Matthew Kamurasi Rukidi III.
But Desmond was living in Britain with his family and was reportedly hesitant about leaving that life behind. He asked for time to consult his wife and business partners before taking on the throne. He ultimately did not accept the position.
TOORO DIVISIONS
Following Desmond’s hesitation, another name emerged, Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma. Kijanangoma’s selection, the committee said, was following Tooro’s customary arrangements and the succession principles reflected in the will of the late Omukama George David Matthew Kamurasi Rukidi III. And Omusuuga Charles Kamurasi, the head of the Babiito royal clan of Tooro, named him Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I.
Rukidi III’s succession arrangements had placed members of the Babiito royal family in a particular order, and the competing lines within that family have now returned to the centre of Tooro’s royal politics.
THE WILL
Hours after Kijanangoma was announced, Oyo’s sister, Princess Ruth Nsemere Komuntale, beside her aunt, Princess Elizabeth Bagaaya, publicly rejected the selection.
She said her brother had left a will directing that, if he was survived by a lawfully recognised biological son, that son should inherit the throne.
Oyo was unmarried and had never publicly presented a child. Yet the kingdom’s Prime Minister, Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki, had announced after Oyo’s death that the late king had left behind a prince who was his heir and that his identity would be revealed at the appropriate time.
The identity of the alleged son has since become one of the most disputed elements of the succession.
Questions have been raised over his recognition, his identity and whether he meets the customary requirements to inherit the Tooro throne.
Among the clan, it became a disagreement over who has the authority to determine the future of the kingdom.
Queen Mother Best Kemigisa and Princess Ruth opposed Kijanangoma’s selection and called for the family to be allowed to mourn Oyo before the succession question was settled in a letter that was seen by the public.
In the letter, the Queen Mother alleged that security forces had removed royal guards and effectively placed members of the family under house arrest. The allegations added another painful dimension to a succession battle already dividing the royal establishment.
Former journalist Andrew Mwenda’s increasingly divisive comments on the succession have also drawn criticism from members of the public, with some accusing him of deepening divisions within the kingdom. Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze publicly urged him to “keep quiet/ceasefire” and allow the kingdom to mourn, while other voices, including Dr Faith Nabushawo, have also rebuked his remarks.
FINAL GOODBYE
Today, Oyo’s coffin makes its final journey to the Karambi Royal Tombs.
For Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, this is not her first time standing beside the grave of a Tooro king.
She watched her husband, Oyo’s father, go through his final rites before their three-year-old son inherited the throne.
Three decades later, she has watched that son grow from the little boy king into a 34-year-old monarch. And now she is burying him.
In her final tribute to Oyo, Kemigisa spoke of a mother’s grief, recalling how she had prayed that God would take her instead of her son. She appealed for unity and cautioned against allowing the succession dispute and social media commentary to tear Tooro further apart.
There, among the resting places of Tooro’s former kings, Oyo joins the ancestors whose names have shaped the kingdom’s history.
And perhaps that is the deepest irony of Oyo’s final goodbye. For 31 years, the question was how a little boy would grow into his crown. Now that he is gone, the question is who has the right to wear it.
And on the very date that marked the beginning of Oyo’s extraordinary reign, Tooro finally says goodbye to the boy king who grew up before its eyes.
The Uganda Diaspora Network extends its heartfelt condolences to the people of Tooro, the royal family, and all relatives, friends and loved ones of the late Omusinga Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV during this time of profound loss.
