Uganda: Traditional Kingdom Plunged into Succession Crisis
[DW] A royal succession committee and the family of late King Oyo Nyimba of Toroo have put forward competing candidates. Questions have been raised as to whether the late monarch indeed had a son as his family claims.
The traditional kingdom of Tooro in Uganda is currently in a succession crisis following the death of King Oyo Nyimba, also known as Rukidi IV. The late monarch passed away on August 27 at the age of 34 while receiving cancer treatment in the United States. His family and a royal succession committee have put forward competing candidates for the next king.
The royal clan's committee nominated Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a television anchor, as the new monarch on Wednesday. However, Oyo's mother and sister rejected this proposal, stating that the king had left a will naming his son as his successor. They accused the committee and the Ugandan military of refusing to acknowledge the will and placing them under house arrest.
The identity of Oyo's son remains unknown, as no photos or public acknowledgment of his existence have been made before the monarch's death. The controversy deepened when journalist Andrew Mwenda claimed on social media that the son could only succeed if he was born to a queen and no pictures of the boy exist. Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong urged both sides to remain calm, emphasizing that the selection process should occur calmly and credibly, without confrontations or attempts to establish facts while the king is still awaiting burial.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
