Prince Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I has been installed as the new king of Uganda’s Tooro Kingdom, despite a dispute over whether the late King Oyo Nyimba left a son who should have inherited the throne.
Nyabongo, a former broadcaster and editor with Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, was chosen by elders of the Babiito royal clan after Oyo died on Aug. 27 aged 34. He was formally enthroned on Tuesday in Fort Portal as the 13th Omukama of Tooro.
The succession has drawn opposition from Oyo’s mother, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, who says the late king’s will identified a young son as his heir. She has said the child’s identity would be disclosed at the appropriate time.
The claim has raised questions among some members of the royal family and supporters of Oyo over the decision to install Nyabongo. Reports of a child described on social media as “Baby Oyo” have also circulated, although the succession institutions proceeded with Nyabongo’s selection.
The Babiito royal clan, which oversees the selection of the Tooro monarch, chose Nyabongo on Sept. 9. The kingdom’s Supreme Council later endorsed the decision, completing the succession process before Tuesday’s coronation. Uganda’s government said the process followed the kingdom’s recognised customs and traditions.
Nyabongo takes over a kingdom that Oyo led for 31 years after becoming monarch at the age of three. His childhood coronation attracted international attention and made him one of the world’s best-known young monarchs.
The new king has said he intends to promote unity in Tooro and has described royal status as a responsibility rather than an entitlement.
Uganda’s traditional kingdoms were abolished after independence but restored in 1993. They have no constitutional political authority, although they remain influential cultural institutions.
The Tooro Kingdom has hundreds of thousands of followers and is one of the country’s five recognised traditional kingdoms.
