Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma Nyabongo II, a 56-year-old journalist and former anchor and editor at the state broadcaster, is set to be crowned king of Uganda's Tooro kingdom. For many Ugandans, Kijanangoma was known not as the heir to the throne, but as a storyteller. His rise to the Tooro throne has sparked controversy and widespread reactions beyond the country. Tooro is one of Uganda's four main officially recognised historical kingdoms.
The Tooro kingdom has been headed by King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who was once known as a "boy king", after ascending to the throne as an infant in 1995 at the age of just three. Oyo became king following the death of his father and ruled until he died last month from cancer, aged just 34. The coronation of Kijanangoma is a day for celebration, involving traditional practices starting from midnight.
The new king will walk about 4km to the official Karuziika royal palace where he will be crowned, followed by a mock fight to signify that kingship does not come easy. He will then be blessed by members of the royal Babiito clan and perform other ceremonies that signify his assumption of the throne. The selection of Kijanangoma as king was far from straightforward, with a dispute over a young heir whom the royal clan does not recognise.
According to tradition, a recognised son of the late king should succeed him, but the late King Oyo's son has never been revealed to the public and was not recognised by the committee of 21 Babiito clan members who chose Kijanangoma. The late King Oyo's mother, Queen Best Kemigisa, argued that the late king's will ought to have been respected, but the royal succession committee ignored her wishes.
The new king has thus found himself at the centre of a succession dispute, with Kemigisa and her close relatives unhappy with the outcome. Kemigisa described celebrations for the next king taking place "only metres from where my son's body lay" as "extraordinarily painful". The queen later said Oyo's son, who was in the US state of Texas, had been due to return home but that could not happen amid a "tense and polarised succession dispute".
The government has backed the Babiito clan's choice of Kijanangoma, with Attorney General Sam Mayanja saying the Tooro kingdom was cleared to go ahead with the coronation. President Yoweri Museveni is scheduled to attend the coronation, and his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has publicly supported Kijanangoma. Kijanangoma has promised that the palace will be open to the people, while vowing to focus on unity and development.
Kijanangoma's background and experience may serve him well as he returns to the community he came from, this time as their leader. Born in 1970 and raised at their family home at Kidukuru village in Fort Portal, Kijanangoma graduated with a mass communication degree from Uganda's prestigious Makerere University in 1999. He worked as a broadcaster in a career spanning more than two decades, including in neighbouring Rwanda and at home, with the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation.
Key points
- The coronation of Kijanangoma has sparked a succession dispute in the Tooro kingdom.
- The government has backed the Babiito clan's choice of Kijanangoma.
- Kijanangoma has promised to focus on unity and development as the new king.
