Former Ugandan TV news anchor crowned king after succession dispute

A journalist and former television news anchor has been crowned monarch of a Ugandan kingdom following a bitter royal row.

Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma succeeded his cousin, King Oyo ​Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who became the world's youngest reigning monarch at the age of just three in 1995.

Oyo, who was not married and was not ⁠publicly known to have children, died aged 34 last month in the US, where he was receiving cancer treatment.

His death on 27 August sparked a feud, with his mother claiming a previously undisclosed son should be on the Tooro kingdom's throne.

A 21-member committee from its ruling clan, known as the Babiito, looked at a group of eligible princes and picked Kijanangoma, who previously worked at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation.

He took the new royal name Edward Rukidi Nyabongo in a traditional ceremony that included a bull being killed and a hen's blood being sprinkled in Tooro's capital Fort Portal.

Uganda is a republic, ruled ‌by an elected head of state, but four pre-colonial kingdoms remain as influential symbols ‌of identity and heritage despite not having any political power.

There are reports that Uganda's central government pushed through the clan's decision over the objections of the queen mother, Best Kemigisa.

She had said Oyo left behind a young son whose identity would be unveiled at the right time, casting doubt on the legitimacy of Nyabongo and the decision of the Babiito to pick him.

Local media cited scenes of disagreement, including a brief squabble over custody of the king's remains, at his funeral on 12 September.

Although Oyo's alleged son has not been revealed, purported photos of a "Baby Oyo" have appeared on social media.

But critics say if the child exists, he should have been introduced to the kingdom's elders while his father was alive.

Charles Kayondo Kamurasi, head of the royal Babiito clan and the ​traditional king-maker, said the clan did not know of any child and had followed Tooro's customs in choosing a successor.

"The child they are claiming to be there is not known," Mr Kamurasi told ‌media last week.

Kijanangoma is the 13th monarch of the Batooro people, marking the end of the succession dispute.

The coronation ceremony took place in Fort Portal, a remote town in western Uganda. Thousands watched it in person and on television.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni addressed the event, urging traditional leaders to promote local languages.

In a brief speech at his coronation, the new king pledged to be a unifying figure.

Before his enthronement, he told the New Vision newspaper that "heritage must be matched by discipline and hard work".

"My family never let me treat royal descent as an entitlement; it was presented to me as a duty to prepare for," he said.

(c) Sky News 2026: Former Ugandan TV news anchor crowned king after succession dispute