Journalist to be crowned king in Uganda after bitter succession dispute

ByBasillioh Rukanga and Bella Twine, BBC Focus on Africa.

Key points

• Kijanangoma was born in 1970 and raised at their family home at Kidukuru village in Fort Portal, regarding 300 km (186 miles) from Kampala.
• The kingdoms were abolished in 1967, but the administration under President Yoweri Museveni restored them in the early 1990s.
• A king must come from the Babiito clan, specifically the lineage of King George David Matthew Kamurasi Rukidi III, according to royal palace sources.
• He left the village to pursue further studies and graduated with a mass communication degree from Uganda's prestigious Makerere University in 1999.
• But Kijanangoma, 56, has now become the subject of media attention himself – his rise to the Tooro throne sparking controversy and widespread reactions beyond the country.

Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma Nyabongo II. This person is due to be crowned king of Uganda's Tooro kingdom afterwards, has long been a familiar face in the country.

As a long-serving anchor and editor at the state broadcaster, for plenty of Ugandans, he was known not as the heir to the throne, but as a storyteller.

Tooro is one of Uganda's four main officially recognised historical kingdoms. For the last 31 years, it has been headed by King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. This person was once known as a "boy king", after ascending to the throne as an infant.

After the death of his father, oyo became king in 1995 at the age of just three. Then the world's youngest monarch, he ruled until he died last month from cancer, aged just 34.

Notably, the coronation is a day for celebration, involving traditional practices starting from midnight. The new king then walks regarding 4km (2.5 miles) to the official Karuziika royal palace where he is crowned.

Meanwhile, a mock fight follows, to signify that kingship does not come straightforward, and he is then blessed by members of the royal Babiito clan, the Tooro kingdom's Information Minister Charles Mwanguhya informed the BBC Focus on Africa podcast.

He performs other ceremonies that signifies his assumption of the throne, before he sits on the throne and an actual crown placed on his head to signify his new authority, his new position as the new Tooro king. But the selection of Kijanangoma as king was far from straightforward.

According to tradition, a recognised son of the late king should succeed him. Close members of the royal family remarked Oyo had left a young son and a will with instructions that the child should be next on the throne.

But the son has never been made public to the public and nor was he recognised by the committee of 21 Babiito clan members who choose the king and eventually selected Kijanangoma.

For context, the late King Oyo was never publicly married, and little is known regarding his wife or their son.

Nonetheless his mother, Queen Best Kemigisa, argued that the late king's will ought to have been respected.

Nevertheless, the royal succession committee ignored her wishes, insisting their selection process was conducted in accordance with Tooro customs and traditions.

Meanwhile, the new king has thus discovered himself at the centre of a succession dispute, with Kemigisa and her close relatives unhappy with the outcome.

Kemigisa referred to Kijanangoma's selection as the "announcement of a second king" being "made after the will of King Oyo was read to members of the royal family".

"As a mother, that was extraordinarily painful, " she remarked, describing celebrations for the next king taking place "only metres from where my son's body lay".

Notably, the queen afterwards stated Oyo's son. This person was in the US state of Texas, had been due to return home but that could not happen against the backdrop of a "tense and polarised succession dispute".

"No child should be placed in circumstances where returning to his father's homeland could mean being drawn into hostility and conflict, " Kemigisa asserted in a post on X.

But according to the Tooro kingdom's information minister, the son being talked regarding "hasn't been presented anywhere, which means there is a growing acceptance that sad as it may be, King Oyo didn't leave a son behind".

While King Oyo inherited the crown from his father, Mwanguhya informed the BBC "the crown has moved to a different line within the ruling clan".

In practice, a king must come from the Babiito clan, specifically the lineage of King George David Matthew Kamurasi Rukidi III, according to royal palace sources.

Kijanangoma and the late King Oyo are cousins. Both are grandsons of Rukidi III, the 11th king, or Omukama. This person ruled the Tooro kingdom from 1928 to 1965.

Kijanangoma was among a number of residents who were considered for the role, including Prince George Desmond Kamurasi. This person plays football for one of the UK's best-known amateur clubs.

According to the succession committee, the South East Dons captain and goalkeeper declined the offer of the throne, citing other responsibilities.

While vowing to focus on unity and development, after he was formally confirmed, Kijanangoma promised that the palace would be open to the residents.

"I ask you for one thing – they have given me this title as king but I cannot work alone, I have to work with you, " he remarked.

Uganda's traditional kings have no formal political authority, but they retain cultural influence and command significant loyalty in the communities they lead.

For context, the country is home to four main kingdoms, the largest and most prominent being Buganda in the central region. It encompasses the capital Kampala.

In practice, the kingdoms were abolished in 1967, but the administration under President Yoweri Museveni restored them in the early 1990s.

Authorities stated this was to promote cultural pride and national unity, but the move has additionally been interpreted as a way of appeasing communities and fostering political loyalty.

Against the backdrop of the succession dispute, the administration backed the Babiito clan's choice of Kijanangoma. As there had not been a formal complaint against him, attorney General Sam Mayanja remarked the Tooro kingdom was cleared to go ahead with the coronation.

Meanwhile, the date of the coronation was confirmed by the administration and Museveni is scheduled to attend.

Notably, the president's son and the head of the military, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has additionally publicly backed Kijanangoma. "Long may he reign, " he posted on X. Kijanangoma's particularly name points to his royal heritage.

His father, the first Kijanangoma, was born in the year King Rukidi III became king. The king offered him the name. It means the "one who comes with the royal drum".

For context, the drum of royalty, foretold two generations earlier, is now returning to its bearer.

He worked as a broadcaster in a career spanning more than two decades, including in neighbouring Rwanda and at home, with the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation.

Meanwhile, the years spent engaging with the public, the interactions with leaders and the exposure to national affairs in his work as a journalist may yet serve him well as he returns to the community he came from, this time as their leader.

In short, journalist to be crowned king in Uganda after bitter succession dispute is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.