Uganda‘s traditional kingdom of Tooro has been plunged into a sucession crisis after the family of late monarch Oyo Nyimba rejected on Thursday other clan members’ choice of successor.
Although Uganda is a republic, it contains several ancient kingdoms whose leaders are still held in high regard as keepers of tradition and maintain significant social influence.
Oyo, who was also known by his regnal name Rukidi IV, became the world’s youngest monarch at the age of three in 1995 following the death of his father. His ascension celebrations were attended by longtime Ugandan strongman President Yoweri Museveni.
His reign was overseen by a series of relatives acting as regents until he turned 18 in 2010.
He died on August 27 at the age of 34 while undergoing cancer treatment in the United States.
Who are the main players in the succession fight?
On Wednesday, the royal clan’s succession committee named the late king’s cousin Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the next monarch.
Kijanangoma is a television anchor at public broadcaster UBC.
However, Oyo’s mother and sister announced on Thursday that they rejected this proposal, indicating that the king had left a will declaring his son his successor.
His mother Queen Kemigisa called the committee a “self-appointed group of clan members” who had named a new king despite knowing the contents of Oyo’s will.
She also accused the Ugandan military of placing her family under house arrest.
The identity of Oyo’s son and the son’s mother remains a mystery. A campaigner for HIV/AIDS prevention and environmental causes, he had not publicly acknowledged a son until Toroo’s Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki announced the boy’s existence after Oyo’s death.
The controversy grew after Andrew Mwenda, a well-known journalist and relative of Oyo’s, wrote on social media site X that a son could only succeed a father in Toroo if he was born to a queen, and said that the family had not produced so much as a picture of the boy.
Prime Minister Armstrong called for both sides to remain calm on Thursday, saying the process “should take place calmly and credibly, not through competing announcements, confrontation, or attempts to establish facts on the ground while our King still awaits burial.”
Oyo’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko
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