Tooro Royal Family Rejects Babiito’s New King, Cites Late Oyo’s Will
The Tooro royal family has rejected the Babiito clan’s announcement of journalist Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the successor to the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, deepening the growing succession dispute in the kingdom.
Princess Ruth Komuntale, sister to the late King Oyo, described the announcement as disappointing and premature, arguing that it was made before ongoing consultations on the kingdom’s next Omukama had been concluded.
According to the royal family, the succession process is still being handled through consultations led by Gender Minister Henry Tumukunde, and the announcement by the Babiito clan allegedly bypassed the ongoing process.
The dispute has also brought the late King Oyo’s 2022 will into the spotlight. The will reportedly names his young son as the primary heir, putting the royal family’s position at odds with the Babiito succession committee, which selected Kijanangoma after deliberations involving 19 of its 21 members.
Kijanangoma, a journalist and former news anchor, is the son of the late Prince Christopher Kijanangoma and grandson of former Omukama George David Rukidi III.
The latest development has exposed deep divisions within the Tooro royal family and raised questions over whether the kingdom’s succession should follow traditional Babiito customs or the late King Oyo’s documented wishes.
The controversy comes barely two weeks after the death of King Oyo, who passed away on August 27, 2026, aged 34, after battling cancer.