Former TV anchor Edward Nyabongo I crowned 13th King of Uganda's Tooro Kingdom

Midnight rituals in Fort Portal

Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a 56-year-old former television news anchor and editor at the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, was crowned the 13th monarch of the Batooro people on Tuesday. Taking the royal name Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I, the new king completed traditional coronation rituals in the kingdom's capital of Fort Portal. Between midnight and 3 a.m., he marched to Karuziika Palace and participated in a symbolic mock battle for the crown to begin 24 hours of ceremonies. The accession rites included the slaughter of a bull and the sprinkling of blood from a hen before crowds of residents and visiting delegations from other Ugandan kingdoms, including Buganda. He addressed his subjects during the enthronement, pledging to act as a unifying figure for the entire Tooro community.

Succession dispute within the royal clan

The coronation concluded a dispute that began after the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV on 27 August 2026. King Oyo, who was crowned at age three and recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's youngest reigning monarch, died of cancer in the United States at age 34 without a publicly acknowledged heir. A 21-member committee from the royal Babiito clan selected Prince Edward, a cousin of the late monarch and grandson of King George David Rukidi III, from a pool of eligible royals. The selection was contested by Oyo's mother, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, and sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, who said Oyo left a will naming an undisclosed young son as heir. The clan committee dismissed the claim, stating the alleged child had never been presented to kingdom elders or given traditional royal preparation.

Constitutional role and state presence

Uganda is a constitutional republic where traditional monarchies hold cultural influence but possess no formal political power. President Yoweri Museveni, who restored traditional kingdoms in 1993 after they were abolished in the 1960s, attended the enthronement ceremonies in Fort Portal and called on cultural leaders to champion local languages. During his address, Museveni explained his rationale for reinstating the kingdoms as cultural institutions.

“The problem was that the hereditary leaders wanted to continue exercising political power. But I also saw that entire sections of society were being left behind. And that was very dangerous.”

Delegations from across Uganda attended the ceremony, while traditional drums sounded throughout Fort Portal during the night.

Legal challenges and regional context

Despite the enthronement, two residents and a civil society organization submitted legal challenges against the succession process. A source familiar with the dispute stated that Uganda's central government supported the clan committee's decision over the objections of the Queen Mother. Before his coronation, the new monarch told the newspaper New Vision that his royal lineage carried duties rather than personal privilege.

“It was presented to me as a duty for which I had to prepare.”

The transition drew close attention across the region, which is situated near the Democratic Republic of the Congo and had experienced fatal palace clashes during the 2016 Kasese crisis in a neighbouring kingdom.