Government will not gazette Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma Nyabongo I as the new King of Tooro until the dispute over the succession to the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV is resolved, Attorney General Dr Sam Mayanja has said.
Mayanja said the declaration of Kijanangoma as King by Babiito clan elders does not bring the succession dispute to an end, given that the decision remains contested by members of the royal family.
In an interview with Bukedde TV, Mayanja said the matter must be resolved through mechanisms provided for under Ugandan law before the government can formally recognise the new King through gazettement.
“The Babiito say they have decided, but even if you are the elders, if your decision does not resolve the issue, the law says you must go to court. It is the court that will direct [King Oyo’s] purported son to be brought forward. That is when the truth will come out,” he said.
Mayanja’s position follows the controversy that erupted after the death of King Oyo on August 27, 2026, with the royal family maintaining that the late King left behind a biological son who, according to his will, should be the first heir to the Tooro throne.
The Babiito succession committee, led by Omusuuga Charles Kamurasi, however, selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma Nyobongo I as the successor, arguing that the committee had not been presented with evidence of, or introduced to, a son of the late King who could claim the throne.
Kijanangoma was subsequently announced as the new Omukama of Tooro at St John Cathedral in Fort Portal on Saturday, September 12, during the burial proceedings for King Oyo.
The announcement by Kamurasi was met with applause from mourners as he declared: “We have a King. We sat down and agreed on one thing: the King is Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma. Whatever we have done, we have done within the laws of Uganda and the culture of Tooro.”
However, the Attorney General had earlier advised the government to suspend aspects of the traditional succession ceremony pending resolution of the dispute.
In an opinion dated September 12, 2026, addressed to the President, Mayanja said succession to the Tooro throne is governed by the Constitution of Uganda, the Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act, and the customs and traditions of the Batooro.
Mayanja cited Section 4 of the Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act, which provides that a person may be installed as a traditional or cultural leader where allegiance is derived from birth or descent in accordance with the customs and traditions of the people concerned.
He further relied on the late King Oyo’s will, dated September 14, 2022, in which the former King reportedly named his biological son as his first heir if he was alive and lawfully recognised as his son at the time of Oyo’s death.
According to Mayanja’s opinion, Oyo’s will states that if the King was survived by a son “lawfully recognized as my biological son,” the son would be appointed heir to the Kingdom of Tooro.
The will further named Prince Komwiswa Yoweri, son of Omusuuga Charles Kamurasi, as the heir and successor in the event that Oyo had no son able to succeed him, or if his son died, became permanently incapacitated, or was otherwise unable to assume the duties of the throne.
Mayanja said the validity and contents of the will can only be challenged and determined by a court of law.
“King Oyo’s will should be followed. Its validity can only be challenged in the courts of law,” he recommended.
He also advised that the traditional ceremony in which nine coffee beans are thrown into the grave of a deceased King by his successor should have been suspended because of the unresolved succession dispute.
Despite the advice, the Babiito elders proceeded with the traditional customs during Oyo’s burial, leading to a confrontation at the burial ceremony, with Queen Mother Best Kemigisa reportedly attempting to halt the proceedings for nearly two hours.
Mayanja said the dispute must now be taken through the appropriate legal process.
He explained that once the succession question is resolved, the relevant authorities should communicate the decision to the Minister of General Duties, who would then write to the Attorney General for approval before the new King can be gazetted.
The development means that although Kijanangoma has been declared King by the Babiito succession committee and has begun performing some royal duties, his formal recognition by the government remains on hold until the competing claims to the Tooro throne are settled.
