Uganda royal family under 'house arrest' in succession row
A Ugandan Queen Mother and family of the late Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV have been placed under practical house arrest at their palace following a fierce succession dispute.
Kampala, Uganda - The mother of former Ugandan monarch Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV is under house arrest with other royal family members, alleging a succession dispute. King Oyo, who ruled the Tooro Kingdom for three decades before his death from cancer in the United States, was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's youngest reigning monarch at just three years old.
The Babiito royal clan's selection committee recently announced Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a UBC news anchor, as the successor to King Oyo's cousin. However, Princess Ruth Komuntale, the late king's sister, contends she was wrongfully held captive and accuses "evil vultures" of scheming against her and the Queen Mother. A will reportedly drafted by King Oyo in 2022 designates a biological son as heir, a claim that caught many in the Tooro elite by surprise.
Tooro's elite question how a king could father a son outside of a legitimate marriage. President Yoweri Museveni's son and army chief General Muhoozi Kainerugaba is increasingly influential in Uganda's political landscape. Queen Mother Best Kemigisa released a statement on Thursday, asserting that troops forcefully removed royal guards and are now on heightened alert around the palace, describing their current situation as "house arrest."
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