BABIITO CLAN QUESTIONS OYO’S PURPORTED SON AS SUCCESSION DISPUTE DEEPENS
The Babiito royal clan of Tooro has questioned the existence and readiness of a purported son of the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, whose reported claim to the throne has become central to the kingdom’s succession dispute.
Fr Charles Oyo, spokesperson for both the 21-member succession committee and the Babiito clan, said unanswered questions remain about the child identified in the late king’s reported 2022 will as his preferred heir.
The remarks came a day after Attorney General Dr Sam Mayanja advised President Yoweri Museveni that the late king’s will should guide the succession process and that the matter could be taken to court if it could not be resolved through traditional mechanisms.
Fr Oyo said the Babiito elders were not concerned by the legal advice, noting that it was sought by the President and addressed to him.
The late King Oyo died on August 27, 2026, aged 34. Following his death, the Babiito clan constituted a 21-member succession committee, which later selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the new Omukama.
The selection, however, has been challenged by some members of the late king’s royal family, who point to the reported will in which Oyo is said to have named his biological son as his preferred successor, with Prince Komwiswa Yoweri reportedly listed as a fallback heir.
But the Babiito clan says it has not been presented with sufficient evidence concerning the purported son.
Fr Oyo questioned why the child had not been seen publicly, particularly during his father’s funeral.
According to the clan, a person expected to inherit the Tooro throne should have been introduced to the royal family and the wider kingdom or, at the very least, attended the funeral of his father.
The Babiito leadership therefore maintains that it has followed the customary succession process and does not recognise the matter as a succession dispute under Tooro tradition.
The controversy has also raised questions about the Tooro Kingdom Constitution, the Traditional Rulers (Restoration of Assets and Properties) Act and the legal role of cultural institutions in the selection of traditional leaders.
Documents relating to a pre-burial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) are also part of the wider controversy. The agreement reportedly restricted discussions on succession before King Oyo’s burial.
Although the Babiito clan has selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, the government has not formally gazetted him as Omukama, while objections from members of the late king’s family continue.
The disagreement has left Tooro facing an uncertain transition, with the Babiito clan standing by its customary process and the late king’s family maintaining that his reported wishes should be respected