Tooro Kingdom Names TV Presenter Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma As New Monarch

According to the BBC, royal elders in Uganda's Tooro Kingdom have named UBC TV news presenter Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the new monarch, triggering a succession dispute days before the burial of the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. Oyo, who ruled for more than three decades and was once the world's youngest reigning monarch, died last month aged 34 while receiving cancer treatment in the United States. The king's family rejected the announcement, saying Oyo left a 2022 will naming his young son as successor. Princess Ruth Komuntale said the family had been told the boy was the heir, while Queen Best Kemigisa said royal guards had been withdrawn and soldiers deployed around the palace, limiting the family's movement. She urged President Yoweri Museveni and the army to let the family mourn and bury Oyo in peace on Saturday. The succession committee said Kijanangoma, 56, had been chosen after consultation and due diligence, with 19 members signing the resolution. It said the customary process required a royal child to be formally presented to elders before being considered for leadership. The committee also said Prince George Desmond Kamurasi had declined consideration for the throne.