Uganda’s King Oyo Death: Royal Family Disputes New Monarch Appointment
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A bitter succession dispute has erupted in one of Uganda’s traditional kingdoms, days before the burial of its late king.
King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who ruled the Tooro Kingdom for more than three decades, was undergoing cancer treatment in the US when he died last month aged 34.
Royal clan elders have named popular TV news presenter Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, 56, as the next monarch, but this 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 accused those behind the announcement of creating "confusion and turmoil" while the family was still grieving.
Meanwhile, the late king’s mother, Queen Best Kemigisa, has reported that royal guards have been withdrawn from the palace and soldiers deployed, restricting the royal family’s movement and their ability to receive visitors, describing the situation as "house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.
"I appeal to those fighting over the throne: please, there will be time for all of that," she said. "Let us grieve and bury my son King Oyo.”
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 are under way.
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