Govt gazettes Nyabongo I as Omukama of Tooro

By  U R N

New Agency

Uganda Radio Network

The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has formally gazetted His Highness Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I as the new Omukama of Tooro.

The process completes the government's recognition of his succession to the throne despite controversy over the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV's purported will and reported biological son.

The notice, signed by Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Henry Tumukunde on October 12, 2026, was published as General Notice No. 2204 in the Uganda Gazette of October 16. It recognises Nyabongo as Omukama with effect from September 29, the date of his coronation at Karuzika Palace in Fort Portal.

The notice states that the succession process was completed in accordance with "the established cultural norms, customs and traditions of Obukama Bwa Tooro."

It further states: "By the powers conferred upon me by the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, Article 246 (1) and the Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act, 2011 Cap. 242, Section 5," Tumukunde quotes the provision governing publication of the declaration in the national Gazette.

The notice quotes the law as follows: "where a Traditional or Cultural Leader has been declared to exist in any area of Uganda in accordance with the culture, customs and traditions or wishes and aspirations of the people, the Minister shall cause the declaration to be published in The Uganda Gazette."

The gazettement follows weeks of disagreement over who should succeed Oyo, who died in the United States on August 27, aged 34, after reigning for more than three decades.

The dispute emerged before his burial on September 12, after members of the royal family challenged the Babiito clan's selection of Nyabongo, then known as Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma.

At the centre of the disagreement was a purported will dated September 14, 2022, in which Oyo reportedly named a biological son as his preferred successor, provided the child was lawfully recognised as his son.

The document also provided for his cousin, Prince Komwiswa Yoweri, to succeed him under specified circumstances.

The late king's mother, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, and sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, challenged the clan's decision, arguing that the succession process disregarded the purported will.

The clan, however, maintained its decision to select Kijanangoma. The disagreement placed the government in a difficult position as officials sought to ensure that Oyo was buried with dignity while the competing succession claims remained unresolved.

The dispute also raised questions about the application of Uganda's laws governing traditional leadership and the relationship between statutory provisions, royal wishes and customary succession practices.

In a legal opinion dated September 12 and addressed to President Yoweri Museveni, Attorney General Sam Mayanja advised that Oyo's purported will should guide the succession process and that its validity could only be challenged in court.

Mayanja argued that the existence of a succession dispute meant the government should not immediately gazette Kijanangoma as king.

"The Babiito clan say they have decided, but even if you are the elders, if your decision does not effectively resolve the issue, the law says you must go to court," Mayanja was quoted as saying.

He also argued that a court could determine whether the reported son existed and whether he qualified to succeed Oyo.

The Attorney General's initial position was therefore that the dispute needed to be addressed before formal government recognition.

However, the government subsequently announced that it accepted the outcome of the customary succession process.

Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao later said the process of enthroning a king was not complete until the monarch's name appeared in the national Gazette.

Mao said he would coordinate with the Attorney General to advise the President on the dispute. He stressed that where a succession conflict existed, it had to be addressed before the new king was gazetted.

"Enthroning any King does not end until their name is put in the national gazette," Mao was quoted as saying by the Monitor on September 14.

The government later announced on September 24 that it had accepted the outcome of the customary succession process and was processing the gazettement.

On September 24, State Minister for Gender and Culture Mary Kuteesa Kamuli said the government had concluded that the succession process complied with the kingdom's customary, constitutional and statutory procedures and was processing the Gazette notice.

She said the Babiito clan had selected Kijanangoma on September 9 and that the Tooro Kingdom Supreme Council endorsed the decision on September 15.

"The Government of Uganda therefore affirms that a clear and orderly customary, constitutional and statutory process for the transition and formal recognition of the new Omukama of Tooro has been satisfied," Kamuli said. 

The October 16 publication now formally records that recognition.

However, the Gazette notice does not expressly determine the validity of Oyo's purported will or establish the status of the reported biological son.

Tumukunde, had during Oyo's burial, emphasised that the succession process needed to follow the law.

"We shall be following section 15 of the constitution, then of the Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act, 2011 and in that case if there is any dispute, the law provides on what exactly supposed to be done," he said.

Tumukunde's comments came as the government mediated between the royal family and the Babiito clan to prevent the succession dispute from disrupting the burial.

The minister also called attention to the need for a clear legal framework to guide succession disputes in traditional institutions, given the potential for disagreements between customary procedures, family claims and statutory requirements.

The burial proceeded but the succession controversy continued as the government considered whether the customary process had met the legal requirements for formal recognition.

Nyabongo was crowned on September 29 at Karuzika Palace in the presence of President Museveni.The gazettement now formally recognises him as Omukama of Tooro. 

It records the government's position that the succession process was completed in accordance with the kingdom's cultural norms and traditions, while leaving the reported will and the claims surrounding Oyo's son outside the express scope of the notice.