Princess Ruth Nsemere Komuntale has rejected the announcement of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the next Omukama of Tooro, describing the succession developments as “stupid drama” and insisting that the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV left behind a legitimate heir.
Komuntale’s intervention has thrown fresh uncertainty into the succession of the Tooro Kingdom, coming shortly after Prince Kijanangoma was announced as the successor to Oyo, who died in the United States last month aged 34 after battling cancer.
The princess, speaking after news of Kijanangoma’s selection broke, disputed the suggestion that the Babiito clan succession process had produced a final decision on Oyo’s successor.
According to Komuntale, the meeting at which Kijanangoma was reportedly selected did not conclusively settle the question of who should occupy the Tooro throne. She said another meeting had been scheduled, suggesting that the process was not yet complete when the announcement was made.
Her most forceful objection, however, centred on the existence of an heir whom she says Oyo left behind.
Komuntale maintained that the royal family knows that the late king had a legitimate successor, effectively challenging the decision to name another member of the royal family as king.
She also accused those pushing the succession developments of attempting to take advantage of the period of mourning following Oyo’s death.
“So please for the love of my brother. Just be at peace. He was a very peaceful man. A very humble man. So I just don’t want these evil vultures to come and steal what he worked so hard for. So I’ll continue to stand with my brother. May his soul rest in peace and let us grieve in peace. Stop this stupid drama, stop it,” Komuntale said.
The remarks amount to one of the strongest public challenges yet to the announcement of Kijanangoma, who is himself a member of the Tooro royal family and has been presented as the new king following a succession process involving members of the Babiito clan.
Royal family split emerges
Komuntale’s rejection has also been backed by other prominent members of the Tooro royal family, including Princess Elizabeth Bagaya, adding a new dimension to an already contested succession process.
The disagreement follows weeks of uncertainty after Oyo’s death.
In the days after the king died, statements from members of the kingdom’s leadership and royal family indicated that Oyo had left behind a son who could potentially succeed him.
That claim became central to the succession debate as preparations for Oyo’s burial and mourning ceremonies continued.
The succession question subsequently took a dramatic turn when a Babiito succession committee selected George Desmond Kamurasi as the next Omukama. Kamurasi was presented as a cousin of Oyo and a member of the wider royal lineage.
That announcement itself attracted controversy, with questions raised about the status of Oyo’s reported son and whether the prince had been considered in the succession process.
The latest announcement naming Kijanangoma has now reopened the dispute, with members of the royal family publicly questioning both the procedure and the legitimacy of attempts to install a successor while the question of Oyo’s heir remains unresolved.
Kijanangoma announcement sparks new controversy
Kijanangoma, a prince of Tooro and a news anchor and editor at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation TV, emerged as the latest name in the rapidly changing succession saga.
His selection came after the earlier announcement of Kamurasi, creating an unusual situation in which competing claims and announcements have emerged within days of Oyo’s death.
Komuntale’s account directly challenges the finality of the latest announcement. She insists that the meeting cited as the basis for Kijanangoma’s selection did not actually confirm a successor and that another meeting was expected.
Her position also underscores the importance of establishing the identity and status of Oyo’s reported heir before any successor is installed.
For now, the dispute has moved beyond questions of individual candidates and into a broader contest over who has the authority to determine the next Omukama, how the Babiito succession process should be conducted and whether Oyo’s son has a claim that must be considered before another prince assumes the throne.
Komuntale’s appeal was therefore not simply a rejection of Kijanangoma. It was also a call for the royal family and Tooro subjects to allow the kingdom to mourn Oyo without what she described as efforts by “evil vultures” to take control of the succession.
As the royal family remains divided over the process, the future of the Tooro throne remains unsettled despite the announcement of Kijanangoma as Oyo’s successor.
The Pearl Times understands that gender, labor and social development minister Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde is in Tooro to resolve the standoff, and he attended a meeting involving Omusuuga Charles Kamurasi and Charles Oyo who announced the selection of Kijanangoma. Komuntale said no mention of Kijanangoma was made during the meeting.
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