FORT PORTAL, Uganda – Uganda has finally bid farewell to His Highness Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, the Omukama of Tooro.
King Oyo, the world’s youngest monarch, was buried on Saturday, September 12, 2026, among the tombs of his royal forebears in Western Uganda as his Tooro Kingdom looked to put a bitter succession battle behind it.
Oyo’s appointed successor, Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, cast nine coffee berries into the grave at the Karambi Royal Tombs, marking the formal handover of power in the western Ugandan kingdom.
King Oyo Nyimba, who became monarch at just three months old in 1995, died aged 34 last month, as a dispute over his successor cast a shadow over the royal family’s mourning.
The Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa, wanted to be the one to bury her son — as she did for her husband and lower the coffee beans into his grave herself. Apparently, she was told this was against Tooro tradition and custom and was overruled.
Thomas Tayebwa delivers President Museveni’s condolence message
Despite the dramatic moments that characterised his final journey for the better part of the afternoon, the fallen king was finally buried later in the evening after the intervention of President Yoweri Museveni, through Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa and Minister Gen. Henry Tumukunde.
But even then, this was done under heavy deployment of UPDF soldiers and with the Queen Mother and Princess Komuntale inside the vehicle. King Oyo was given a 7-gun salute.
In his condolence message delivered by Uganda Parliament deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa, President Museveni described Omukama Oyo as “a good leader and a champion of culture who maintained a constructive relationship with the Central Government.”
Museveni noted that the Omukama played an important role in preserving culture while mobilising his people for development.
The president called upon the people of Tooro to pursue peaceful and lawful means of resolving the matter of succession and, above all, to uphold maximum unity and avoid division.
The other unknown side of the fallen King Oyo of Tooro Kingdom
He further explained that the traditional cultural institutions restored in 1993 have a historic role in preserving Uganda’s indigenous languages, customs and cultural heritage.
“Cultural leaders are not political, administrative or legislative institutions; their important responsibility is to safeguard our identity and heritage for future generations,” said President Museveni.
The head of state also called upon all Ugandans to intensify the fight against cancer and other preventable diseases, urging them to take personal and collective responsibility for protecting their health.
“King Oyo was a personal friend. He always urged me to refer to him as a brother, not a king. During the time I knew him, he always put Tooro first. Not even on a single occasion did he come to pursue personal interests. King Oyo made an uncountable number of friends for Tooro. We will remain friends,” said Tayebwa.
Tayebwa, the Ruhunda North County MP, also extended his condolences to the Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa.
“I know this is a deep and irreplaceable loss. My condolences also go to Omusuga Charles Kamurasi Akiiki, the royal family, the people of Tooro, Ugandans at large, and all those who have felt this loss,” said Tayebwa.
King Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma finally ascends to the throne
Meanwhile, fresh video footage has emerged online this evening showing King Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, the newly selected Omukama of Tooro, leaving the Karambi Royal Tombs after performing the final burial ritual for his late cousin, Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
The emotional moment came just hours after Musuuga Charles Kamurasi, head of the Babiito royal clan, publicly declared Prince Edward Kijanangoma the new Omukama during the farewell service for the late King at St. John’s Cathedral in Fort Portal on Saturday, September 12, 2026.
Addressing mourners, Kamurasi said the Babiito royal clan had reached an agreement on the next king and formally announced Prince Edward as Oyo’s successor.
“I want to inform you, the people of Tooro and Uganda at large, that we have a king. We sat down and agreed on one thing: the King is Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma. Whatever we have done, we have done within the laws of Uganda and the culture of Tooro,” Kamurasi said.
The Tooro Kingdom succession question remains unanswered
Prince Edward, a cousin of the late King and former UBC news anchor, was selected by the Babiito succession committee following Oyo’s death on August 27, 2026, at the age of 34 after battling cancer.
His appearance at the Karambi Royal Tombs to perform the final rites has drawn renewed attention as the succession dispute continues to unfold.
However, the declaration has not been accepted by all members of the royal family.
The late King Oyo’s immediate family has continued to reject the succession decision, maintaining that consultations over his successor had not been concluded.
As Tooro mourns the loss of King Oyo, the kingdom now enters a highly sensitive transition, with the question of who will ultimately occupy the Tooro throne remaining at the centre of a growing royal dispute.
