The Tooro Kingdom in western Uganda has chosen a television news anchor as its next monarch, weeks after the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who was once recognized as the world’s youngest reigning monarch.
On Wednesday, the royal clan’s succession committee announced that Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a news editor and presenter at state broadcaster UBC, will succeed to the throne. The announcement came during a press briefing in Fort Portal, the kingdom’s capital.
The selection immediately stirred controversy. Earlier, the kingdom’s Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire had said the unmarried Oyo Nyimba left behind a son who was the rightful heir. Hours later, Princess Ruth Komuntale, Oyo’s only sister, rejected Kijanangoma’s appointment. Speaking alongside the queen mother Best Kemigisa, she said her brother’s will named his son as heir, and outlined a second choice if the son could not take the crown.
“My brother left behind a will which stated very clearly that the next person in line is his son, that’s the heir to the throne,” Komuntale told reporters.
Oyo Nyimba died on August 27 in the United States at age 34 while receiving treatment for cancer. His body was flown back to Uganda last Friday. Burial preparations are underway for Saturday at the royal tombs near his palace in Fort Portal.
Oyo took the throne in 1995 at just 3 years old and was listed by Guinness World Records as the youngest reigning monarch. A video from his coronation shows the small boy in oversized royal robes, playing with a toy on his chair. During his reign, he also served as a U.N. goodwill ambassador focused on HIV and AIDS awareness.
While Uganda is a constitutional republic, Tooro is one of its historic kingdoms and still holds significant cultural and social influence in the region.
