Uganda: King Oyo laid to rest, Edward Rukidi ascends the Tooro throne

King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV was laid to rest on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at the royal tombs of Karambi in Fort Portal, western Uganda. His successor, Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, then performed the rite marking his ascension to the head of the Tooro kingdom.

The new monarch cast nine coffee beans into the grave, a gesture that formalizes the transfer of the throne according to local tradition. The ceremony concluded nine days of mourning and official funerals organized by the Ugandan government.

Oyo passed away at the age of 34 in the United States, where he was receiving treatment for aggressive cancer. His remains were repatriated to Uganda on September 4 before being displayed at the royal palace of Karuziika.

The Babiito clan’s succession committee had designated Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma on September 9. A cousin of the late king, the new sovereign is also a journalist and editorial manager at the public broadcaster Uganda Broadcasting Corporation.

This designation is contested by the queen mother Best Kemigisa and Princess Ruth Komuntale, Oyo’s mother and sister. They claim that a 2022 will names a son of the deceased as the heir, a claim whose details have not been made public.

Tooro is one of the traditional kingdoms recognized in Uganda. Its rulers do not exercise executive political power but maintain an important cultural role within their communities.

Oyo ascended to the throne in 1995 at the age of three, becoming the youngest reigning monarch in the world. His burial took place exactly thirty-one years after his coronation, celebrated on September 12, 1995.