King Oyo buried in Uganda amid successor dispute
King of Toro Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV was buried in Fort Portal in western Uganda. He ascended the throne in 1995 at the age of three and was for a long time the world’s youngest monarch. The burial took place at the Karambi royal tombs amid a dispute over the late ruler’s successor, The Guardian World reports.
Ceremony in Karambi
Oyo’s designated successor, Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a news anchor and editor at state broadcaster UBC, threw nine coffee berries into the grave. The ritual signified the official transfer of power in the Toro kingdom.
The royal guard in orange cloaks escorted the hearse carrying Oyo’s coffin through the streets of Fort Portal to the royal tombs. Thousands of people joined the procession on foot. The burial was held 31 years after Oyo’s coronation.
Oyo died last month in the United States, where he was receiving cancer treatment. He was 34. Before the burial, during a church service, his sister Ruth Komuntale remembered her brother as a reserved but cheerful man. Oyo was also a UN goodwill ambassador and advocated for the fight against HIV and AIDS.
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Dispute over the throne
On September 9, the royal committee, which includes clan members, announced that it had selected Kijanangoma as the new king. At the same time, the late monarch’s closest relatives said that the throne should pass to his son, whose existence had not previously been publicly disclosed. They said this was allegedly Oyo’s own wish in his will.
Kijanangoma’s supporters claim that Oyo’s family has not provided basic information about the monarch’s alleged son. A source familiar with the crisis negotiations said that Uganda’s authorities secured approval of Kijanangoma’s succession on September 11. A government spokesperson was unavailable for comment.
During the ceremony, Archbishop of the Church of Uganda Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu called on the sides to unite, warning that words spoken in grief could cause pain, division and conflict. Oyo himself ascended the throne after a lengthy succession dispute that was resolved by a court.
