King Oyo, once the world’s youngest monarch, to be buried in western Uganda amid succession feud
By Elias Biryabarema
KAMPALA, Sept. 12 (Reuters) – The late Ugandan monarch Oyo Nyimba, who drew global attention in 1995 when he ascended the Tooro Kingdom’s throne at age 3, was due to be buried on Saturday in western Uganda, even as a succession fight roiled the royal family.
Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV died last month at 34 in the United States, where he was being treated for cancer. His death closed a singular chapter for one of Uganda’s oldest traditional kingdoms and thrust its modern role—cultural anchor, political symbol and landholder—into sharp relief.
His coronation three decades ago, after the death of his father, King Olimi III, made him the world’s youngest reigning monarch. Images of a toddler in a crown and royal robes fascinated audiences worldwide and turned him into an unlikely global celebrity.
This week, thousands of mourners—some in traditional white tunics and bark cloth—filed past the royal palace in Fort Portal, the kingdom’s capital in western Uganda, to pay their respects.
SUCCESSION BATTLE
Uganda is led by an elected head of state, but it retains several kingdoms that predate the British colonial era. The country abolished its kingdoms in 1967 and restored them in the 1990s as cultural institutions with no sovereign political power, yet they remain powerful symbols of identity and heritage—and their internal disputes can quickly become matters of national attention.
Oyo’s death has plunged Tooro into a bitter succession battle. A committee of royal clan members announced Wednesday that it had selected Oyo’s cousin, Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a news anchor and editor at the state broadcaster UBC, as king.
But Oyo’s immediate family said his previously unknown son should succeed him, as stipulated in the late king’s will. Oyo never married and was not publicly known to have children until the kingdom’s prime minister said he had a son in an Aug. 27 statement announcing his death.
Andrew Mwenda, a prominent Ugandan journalist and relative of the royal family, said Thursday that Oyo’s family had not been able to produce a photograph of the son and had declined to disclose details about the boy’s maternal family.
The dispute threatened to delay the burial because the new king must be in place to perform a key ritual during the ceremony. But a source familiar with crisis talks said national authorities had successfully pushed through Kijanangoma’s succession.
A government spokesperson could not be reached for comment. Uganda’s military said Friday that it had increased security in the area to prevent trouble.
OYO WILL BE BURIED AMONG ROYAL TOMBS
Oyo himself came to the throne after a protracted succession battle that ended in court—a history that makes the current standoff especially sensitive for the kingdom.
He later became a U.N. goodwill ambassador who championed the fight against HIV and AIDS. He also cultivated close ties with former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, naming him a special adviser to the monarch. Gaddafi donated money toward refurbishment of the royal palace.
“We are sending a revered and loved leader, an icon, and we want to make sure the moment, the spectacle and rituals fit his stature,” Vincent Mugume, the kingdom’s spokesperson, told Reuters.
After a funeral service and eulogies at a local cathedral, Oyo will be buried at the site of the royal tombs, close to the palace.
Once the casket has been laid in the grave, the Omusuna—the traditional chief priest charged with burying Tooro’s monarchs—will guide the incoming king in the custom of casting nine coffee berries into the grave.
The 56-year-old Kijanangoma, who kept a lower profile as the succession battle played out, has been praised by those who know him for his humility.
“Someone you don’t get to find in scandals, someone who is so quiet,” Mary Tumwikirize, a colleague of Kijanangoma’s at UBC, said in a television interview. “It took me a very long time to actually know that he was a prince.”
Beyond the throne, the new king will inherit a considerable royal estate, including swaths of land and sizable cash payouts from the central government. The succession fight may also test how much influence Uganda’s government is willing to exert over traditional institutions—and how much legitimacy the new monarch can command among Tooro’s subjects.
(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Aaron Ross and Alex Richardson)