FORT PORTAL, Uganda — Tooro's royal succession dispute deepened on Thursday after Queen Mother Best Kemigisa rejected the selection of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma and alleged that troops had restricted the royal family's movement. Uganda's government denied that she was under house arrest, creating a new dispute over security arrangements two days before King Oyo's burial.
Who is Tooro's new king after King Oyo?
A Babiito clan group selected UBC journalist Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, but King Oyo's mother and sister dispute that decision and cite a reported will. Kijanangoma has not been enthroned, no court has ruled on the disagreement, and the kingdom remains in a contested transition.
Queen Mother challenges Kijanangoma's selection
In a statement reported on 10 September, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa said the royal family would not accept the selection made by a section of the Babiito royal clan. She said King Oyo had left a will setting out a succession plan and asked all sides to suspend the contest until after his burial.
The Monitor's account of the Queen Mother's statement said she objected to a new king being announced while the family was still mourning. She also accused troops of removing royal guards, surrounding the palace and limiting movement and visitors.
Those are allegations from the Queen Mother, not independently established facts. Nile Post reported the government's response, in which State Minister for Internal Affairs Juma Waneze denied that the royal family was under house arrest. He said security personnel had been deployed because authorities anticipated disorder around the succession dispute and burial.
No public court filing, detention order or independent access assessment was available by the time of publication. The precise extent of any restrictions therefore remains disputed.
Why the reported will matters
King Oyo's sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, had already rejected Kijanangoma's selection and said her brother left a will naming an heir. The full document, its legal status and the identity or eligibility of the reported heir have not been authoritatively established in public.
CIVIL SOCIETY
Tooro Succession Dispute Deepens Before Oyo Burial
Sep 11, 2026
Sep 11, 2026
5 min read
Published
Updated:
FORT PORTAL, Uganda — Tooro's royal succession dispute deepened on Thursday after Queen Mother Best Kemigisa rejected the selection of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma and alleged that troops had restricted the royal family's movement. Uganda's government denied that she was under house arrest, creating a new dispute over security arrangements two days before King Oyo's burial.
Who is Tooro's new king after King Oyo?
A Babiito clan group selected UBC journalist Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, but King Oyo's mother and sister dispute that decision and cite a reported will. Kijanangoma has not been enthroned, no court has ruled on the disagreement, and the kingdom remains in a contested transition.
Queen Mother challenges Kijanangoma's selection
In a statement reported on 10 September, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa said the royal family would not accept the selection made by a section of the Babiito royal clan. She said King Oyo had left a will setting out a succession plan and asked all sides to suspend the contest until after his burial.
The Monitor's account of the Queen Mother's statement said she objected to a new king being announced while the family was still mourning. She also accused troops of removing royal guards, surrounding the palace and limiting movement and visitors.
Those are allegations from the Queen Mother, not independently established facts. Nile Post reported the government's response, in which State Minister for Internal Affairs Juma Waneze denied that the royal family was under house arrest. He said security personnel had been deployed because authorities anticipated disorder around the succession dispute and burial.
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No public court filing, detention order or independent access assessment was available by the time of publication. The precise extent of any restrictions therefore remains disputed.
Why the reported will matters
King Oyo's sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, had already rejected Kijanangoma's selection and said her brother left a will naming an heir. The full document, its legal status and the identity or eligibility of the reported heir have not been authoritatively established in public.
That means the existence of a family claim can be reported, but the reported will should not be treated as a final ruling. The Associated Press account of the original selection also made clear that the process had become contested soon after the announcement.
XTRAfrica's existing Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma profile explains his broadcasting career and royal connection. It distinguishes selection by clan representatives from completed enthronement, a distinction that is now even more important.
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Babiito clan says its decision stands
The clan side has not withdrawn its choice. In a Pulse Uganda interview, Babiito spokesman Moses Musinguzi said those challenging the decision were free to go to court and that the selection process would continue.
Kijanangoma is a journalist and editor at the state-owned Uganda Broadcasting Corporation. His selection followed earlier reports that another royal, London-based goalkeeper George Desmond Kamurasi, had been considered. The rapid sequence contributed to conflicting headlines about who had actually become king.
For now, “selected successor” or “king-elect” is more accurate than treating Kijanangoma as an enthroned monarch. XTRAfrica's biography of King Oyo provides the wider background to the institution and the late monarch's 31-year reign.
Tooro premier calls for a pause
Tooro Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire has called for the rival camps to pause their public fight until after the funeral. ChimpReports quoted Rwomiire as saying the government could help provide guidance while the kingdom's customs and relevant law were considered.
His intervention does not resolve the succession. It underlines that several questions remain open: which royal authority had the power to make the selection, what legal weight the reported will carries, whether any court challenge will be filed, and when a formal installation could occur.
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King Oyo's burial is scheduled for Saturday, 12 September, at the royal tombs in Fort Portal. XTRAfrica has separately covered the return of his remains and funeral route.
The next authoritative development would be a documented agreement among the royal institutions, a court filing, an authenticated succession instrument or a formal enthronement decision. None had occurred by Thursday evening.
Security arrangements around the burial may also draw scrutiny after the competing accounts from the Queen Mother and government. Reporting should continue to separate what each side alleges from what has been independently verified.
Until those issues are resolved, Tooro has a publicly announced candidate but not an uncontested transition. The immediate priority urged by both the Queen Mother and the kingdom's prime minister is to complete King Oyo's burial before the succession fight advances further.
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