A more than two-hour standoff erupted at Karambi Royal Tombs on Saturday as Queen Mother Best Kemigisa initially refused to allow the burial of her son to proceed over disagreement on who would perform the traditional nine coffee beans ritual, according to reports.
From his death in the United States on 27 August 2026 to his burial at Karambi Royal Tombs exactly 31 years after his coronation, the story of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV has been marked by grief, a bitter succession battle, high-level rituals, public tension and many unanswered questions that still hang over the Tooro Kingdom.
Reports that Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma has rejected the Tooro throne are circulating, but no verified public statement from the UBC news anchor has emerged as the succession crisis intensifies one day before King Oyo’s burial.
The Babiito royal clan has selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a news anchor and editor with Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, as the new Omukama of Tooro following the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV
The family of the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV has rejected the announcement of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the new King of Tooro, insisting the late monarch left a will identifying his son as the rightful heir.
