Journalist Kijanangoma to be crowned king of Toro in Uganda — BBC News

In Uganda, Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma Nyabongo II is to be crowned king of the historic Kingdom of Toro. The 56-year-old Kijanangoma worked for more than two decades as a journalist, presenter and editor at the state broadcaster. He is to take the throne following the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.

According to BBC News, Oyo became king of Toro in 1995 at the age of three following his father's death. At the time, he was the world's youngest monarch. Last month, Oyo died of cancer at the age of 34.

Dispute over the successor

Kijanangoma's selection has been accompanied by a dispute over succession. By tradition, the throne is to pass to the recognized son of the deceased king. Oyo's close relatives said that he left behind a young son and a will in which he named the child as the next king.

The boy has not been publicly presented, and the 21-member committee of the Babiito clan that elects the monarch did not recognize him as the heir. The late king's mother, Queen Best Kemigisa, insisted that her son's will should have been carried out. According to her, the child, who was in the US state of Texas, did not return to Uganda because of the tense and polarized dispute.

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Charles Mwanguhya, the information minister of the Kingdom of Toro, said that Oyo's son had not been presented anywhere and that the crown had passed to another branch of the ruling clan. Kijanangoma and the late Oyo were relatives: both are grandsons of the 11th king of Toro, George David Matthew Kamurazi Rukidi III, who ruled from 1928 to 1965.

Coronation and government support

The coronation ceremonies begin at midnight. The new king is to walk about four kilometres to the official Karuziika royal palace, where traditional rites will take place, including a symbolic fight and blessings from representatives of the Babiito clan.

The Ugandan government supported the clan's choice. Attorney General Sam Mayanja said that the kingdom had been allowed to hold the coronation because no official complaint had been filed against Kijanangoma. President Yoweri Museveni is expected to attend the ceremony.

Uganda's traditional kings have no formal political powers, but retain cultural influence in their communities. The kingdoms were abolished in 1967 and restored under Museveni's rule in the early 1990s.