Tooro Hit Again as Prince Kijanangoma Dies Days after Omukama Oyo’s Burial

Tooro’s royal family has been plunged into fresh mourning after Prince David Kijanangoma Araali died from throat cancer, just days after the kingdom buried Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.

Prince David died at the Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala, where he had been undergoing treatment for stage-three throat cancer.

The prince had been fighting the disease while his family sought financial assistance to help meet the cost of his treatment, including efforts to raise money to enable him to travel to India for specialised medical care.

His family had earlier appealed to the public for financial support as they struggled to meet the expenses associated with his treatment.

Despite the efforts to secure further treatment, Prince David died in Kampala, adding another painful loss to a royal family still mourning the death of its long-serving monarch.

Prince David was a cousin of the late Omukama Oyo and a member of the Tooro royal family.

His death comes only days after Oyo was laid to rest at the royal tombs in Karambi, Fort Portal, on September 12.

Oyo died on August 27, 2026, after more than three decades on the Tooro throne. He became king in 1995 at the age of three following the death of his father, Omukama Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III.

But Oyo’s burial did not bring an end to the uncertainty surrounding the Tooro throne.

During the late king’s send-off, Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma was declared the new Omukama of Tooro, taking the name Omukama Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I.

Edward, a former Uganda Broadcasting Corporation news anchor and editor, had been selected by the Babiito clan succession committee to succeed Oyo.

The declaration, however, remains deeply contested within the royal family.

Members of Oyo’s immediate family have rejected the succession process, arguing that the late king left a will naming his son as his heir.

The dispute has also affected the formal recognition of the new monarch, with the government indicating that the succession question must be resolved before Edward can be formally gazetted as king.

Prince David’s death now adds another sombre chapter to an already turbulent period in Tooro.

The kingdom is still coming to terms with the loss of Oyo, while members of his family remain divided over the identity of his successor. The death of another royal family member, coming only days after the late king’s burial, has deepened the sense of grief surrounding the Tooro royal household.

Further details about Prince Kijanangoma’s funeral and burial arrangements are expected from the royal family.