Editorial Team/Staff Writers
When news of the death of Tooro’s King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV broke, many thought the succession would go smoothly. But since his passing on August 27 in the United States, where he was being treated for cancer, King Oyo’s succession has been rocked by a bitter dispute, which has grabbed headlines in both local and foreign media. Initial local media reports suggested King Oyo had a 3-year-old son and that he had written a will. President Yoweri Museveni himself posted on X to say that Queen Mother Best Kemigisa had told him in a phone call that King Oyo left an heir to the throne and that he would be introduced to the public at the right time.
However, on the very day the plane that brought the body back home landed at Entebbe International Airport, the kingdom announced that the Royal Succession Committee had selected George Desmond Kamurasi, aged 36, as the next king of Tooro. He turned down the throne, saying he needed time to make consultations. Queen Mother Best Kemigisa and her daughter, Ruth Komuntale, have since opposed the committee’s decision. Here are four important things you should know.
1. The first person the Royal Succession Committee selected as the king-in-waiting, George Desmond Kamurasi, is a cousin of the late Oyo and is living in the United Kingdom. He is married to a British woman, and the couple have a son. Mr Kamurasi is also a goalkeeper and captain for a non-league London football team called Dons in Bexleyheath. The committee had selected Mr Kamurasi despite his dual nationality, indicating nationality did not pose any problem. Succession in the kingdom is conducted within days after the burial of the king. Political analyst Andrew Mwenda, who announced Mr Kamurasi’s selection, said in a podcast interview that he had phoned him to say he was arranging for him to travel back home immediately. But Mr Kamurasi said he had to consult before he decided whether to accept the throne.
2. The king-in-waiting is a TV news presenter named Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma. He works for the state broadcaster, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation. The committee selected Prince Kijanangoma, 56, despite opposition from the Queen Mother Best Kemigisha and her daughter Ruth Komuntale. Ms Komuntale said that her late brother had written a will in 2022 and that he had a successor. “My brother did leave behind an heir to the throne, and that was very clearly stated,” she said. She also lashed out at what she called “evil vultures” trying “to steal what he [King Oyo] worked so hard for”. At 56, Prince Kijanangoma is 53 years older than the late Oyo who ascended the throne in 1995 aged only 3.
3. Although the President Yoweri Museveni said the Queen Mother Best Kemigisa told him in a phone call that King Oyo had a son, she has yet to provide evidence of the son. King Oyo’s funeral was held on September 12, but the son was nowhere to be seen at the funeral. Neither Queen Mother Kemigisa nor her daughter Komuntale have given any public explanation about the son’s absence from his late father’ s funeral. The government provided financial assistance for King Oyo’s treatment in two countries. He was treated first in Germany and later in Texas, where he died aged 34. King Oyo’s father, Patrick Orimi Kaboyo, worked for the government and was Uganda’s ambassador to Cuba at the time of his death in 1995.
4. The Justice and Constitutional Affairs Ministry will liaise with the attorney general to advise President Yoweri Museveni on succession, Justice Minister Norbert Mao said. Also, Prince Kijanangoma’s name has to be entered in the national gazette before he is fully enthroned. In an interview with OJ-UGANDA, former cabinet minister and Tooro kingdom elder Prof Edward Rugumayo said the committee had resolved the succession question with the selection of Prince Kijanangoma.
🔴 Brief But Hot brings you short, sharp takes on stories that are setting off alarm bells—politically charged, emotionally raw or socially explosive. These are not long reads, but they pack a punch. When something happens that demands attention now, you will find it here.