Former UBC journalist Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma has been installed as the new Omukama of Tooro, taking the regnal name Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I, in traditional rituals at Karuziika Palace. President Museveni presided over the coronation ceremony.
Tooro Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has revealed that escalating leadership disputes following the death of King Oyo forced the royal family to leave his child in the United States.
Tooro Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has revealed that an intense succession dispute following the passing of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV forced the royal family to keep the late King's child in Texas.
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.
Princess Ruth Komuntale has revealed that her brother, the late King Oyo, was diagnosed with angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer, in October 2025 after more than a year of unexplained pain and incorrect diagnoses.
In a powerful historical coincidence, Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV was laid to rest on 12 September 2026 — exactly 31 years after he was installed as King of Tooro as a three-year-old on the same date in 1995.
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.
Tooro Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has claimed that the royal family is under house arrest at Karuziika Palace after royal guards were removed and troops deployed, just days before the burial of King Oyo.
Tooro Kingdom has released the official burial programme for the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, restricting formal speeches to four speakers and setting a tightly timed schedule for the interment at Karambi Royal Tombs on 12 September.
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.
As Tooro Kingdom begins official mourning for Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, legislators from the region have called on the Government to establish a regional cancer institute in Fort Portal named after the late King, arguing that his death exposes the urgent need for accessible screening and treatment services beyond Kampala.
The body of the late Omukama of Tooro, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, arrived at Entebbe International Airport on 4 September 2026 and was received by President Yoweri Museveni before being transported to Karuziika Palace, marking the start of the official nine-day mourning period.
The Royal Succession Committee of Tooro Kingdom has selected 36-year-old George Desmond Kamurasi as the proposed successor to the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, with formal proclamation expected after the King’s burial on 12 September.
Tooro Kingdom has constituted a 21-member committee of Babiito clan elders to identify and formally announce the successor to the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
President Yoweri Museveni has directed that the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV be accorded an official burial and that national flags fly at half-mast for three days. He also confirmed that the King left behind a young boy as heir.
Tooro Kingdom has officially announced the death of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. The 34-year-old monarch passed away on Thursday evening. Buganda Kingdom has expressed solidarity with the people of Tooro.
