Following the sudden death of the 34-year-old King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, the traditional kingdom of Tooro in Uganda found itself at the center of an acute dynastic crisis. The late monarch had once gained worldwide fame by becoming the youngest reigning king when he ascended the throne at the age of just three.
The funeral ceremony, held on 12 September 2026, was overshadowed by a fierce power struggle between the royal committee and the closest relatives of the deceased.
The Unexpected Choice and Refusal of the London Goalkeeper
Matters of dynasty and succession in Tooro are traditionally handled by a special royal committee, the Babiito. The committee's first and primary choice was the 36-year-old George Desmond Kamurasi, a cousin of the late king.
Kamurasi, who has spent most of his life in the United Kingdom, is the captain and goalkeeper of the amateur football club SE Dons, which plays only in the ninth division of the English football league.
In a closed vote, his candidacy was supported by 15 of the 18 committee members, but the footballer himself declined the crown. According to committee representatives, Kamurasi cited personal commitments and an unwillingness to return to palace politics.
The Alternative Candidate and the Split in the Family
After the athlete's refusal, the committee put forward a new candidate — Prince Edward Rukidi Kijjanangoma, who works as a news anchor and editor at the Ugandan state television channel UBC.
It was he who was officially declared the new ruler, but this decision was categorically rejected by the family of the late monarch, which led to a deep split within the dynasty.
The situation escalated to the limit: the late king's sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, publicly accused "evil vultures" of conspiring against her and the queen mother, Best Kemigisa. According to the princess, because of the power struggle that unfolded, she and her relatives were effectively placed under house arrest.
The Mysterious Will and the "Unknown Son"
The family's main argument against the committee's decision was a will that they claim King Oyo drew up back in 2022. In this document, the monarch allegedly named his "own son" as his sole legal heir, deliberately without stating his name. This information came as a complete surprise to the Tooro elite, since no one had previously known of this heir's existence, and he had not been included in the initial lists of contenders for the throne.
The Committee's Position and Calls for Mourning
Despite the family's loud protests, the Babiito Royal Committee continues to defend the legitimacy of its choice. The head of the committee, Omusuuga Charles Kamurasi, stated that all procedures were carried out in strict accordance with the culture and centuries-old traditions of Tooro, and called on subjects to remain calm.
Meanwhile, the queen mother made an emotional appeal to those involved in the dispute. In her statement, she emphasized that political intrigues were depriving the family of the opportunity to give the deceased a dignified send-off. "Please, all of this will have its time later," the queen mother's address notes. "Give us the opportunity to mourn and bury my son, King Oyo."
