# Journalist becomes Tooro king amid succession row > Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a BBC broadcaster, has been crowned king of Uganda's Tooro kingdom after the death of his young cousin, sparking a family dispute over the rightful heir. - Title: Journalist becomes Tooro king amid succession row · BBC News - Summary: Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a BBC broadcaster, has been crowned king of Uganda's Tooro kingdom after the death of his young cousin, sparking a family dispute… - Keywords: edward rukidi kijanangoma, tooro kingdom, uganda, succession dispute, king oyo nyimba kabamba iguru rukidi iv, queen best kemigisa, babiito clan, coronation, yoweri museveni, news, world, Journalist - Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx7v4glz50elo - Published: 2026-09-28T23:44:49.094+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: edward rukidi kijanangoma, tooro kingdom, uganda, succession dispute, king oyo nyimba kabamba iguru rukidi iv, queen best kemigisa, babiito clan, coronation, yoweri museveni, news, world ## BBC journalist crowned Tooro king Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, fifty-six, a long-serving anchor and editor at Uganda's state broadcaster, has been crowned king of the Tooro kingdom on September twenty-ninth, twenty twenty-six. ## Tooro kingdom and its young predecessor Tooro is one of Uganda's four main officially recognised historical kingdoms. King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV had ruled for thirty-one years after becoming king aged three in nineteen ninety-five, until his death last month from cancer, aged thirty-four. ## Coronation ceremonies begin at midnight Kijanangoma performed various ceremonies and walked about four kilometres to the official Karuziika royal palace where he was crowned. Traditional practices included a mock fight to signify that kingship does not come easy. ## The late king's will and hidden son According to tradition, a recognised son of the late king should have succeeded him. Close royal family members said King Oyo left a young son and a will instructing that the child should be next on the throne, but the son was never revealed publicly. ## Succession committee ignores the will The committee of twenty-one Babiito clan members who choose the king selected Kijanangoma instead. They insisted their selection process was conducted in accordance with Tooro customs and traditions, ignoring the late king's wishes. ## Queen Best Kemigisa's pain and protest The late King Oyo's mother, Queen Best Kemigisa, called Kijanangoma's selection the announcement of a second king made after the will was read. She described it as extraordinarily painful, with celebrations happening metres from her son's body. > As a mother, that was extraordinarily painful. ## The son in Texas cannot return home Queen Best Kemigisa said Oyo's son, who was in the US state of Texas, had been due to return home but could not amid a tense and polarised succession dispute. She said no child should face hostility and conflict upon returning to his father's homeland. > No child should be placed in circumstances where returning to his father's homeland could mean being drawn into hostility and conflict. ## Information minister dismisses the son claim The Tooro kingdom's information minister Charles Mwanguhya told the BBC that the son being talked about hasn't been presented anywhere, suggesting growing acceptance that King Oyo did not leave a son behind. ## Kijanangoma and Oyo are cousins Kijanangoma and the late King Oyo are cousins, both grandsons of Rukidi III, the eleventh king who ruled the Tooro kingdom from nineteen twenty-eight to nineteen sixty-five. A king must come from the Babiito clan, specifically from Rukidi III's lineage. ## Other candidates considered and declined Kijanangoma was among several people considered for the role, including Prince George Desmond Kamurasi, who plays football for one of the UK's best-known amateur clubs. The South East Dons captain and goalkeeper declined the offer, citing other responsibilities. ## New king promises unity and development After his formal announcement, Kijanangoma promised the palace would be open to the people while vowing to focus on unity and development. He said he could not work alone and needed to work with his people. > I ask you for one thing - they have given me this title as king but I cannot work alone, I have to work with you. ## Government backs the succession Uganda's government backed the Babiito clan's choice of Kijanangoma. Attorney General Sam Mayanja said the Tooro kingdom was cleared to go ahead with the coronation as there had not been a formal complaint. President Yoweri Museveni attended the ceremony. ## Journalist's career prepares him for kingship Kijanangoma was born in nineteen seventy and graduated from Makerere University in nineteen ninety-nine with a mass communication degree. He worked as a broadcaster for more than two decades, including in Rwanda and at the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, building connections he said he would use to get good things for his people. ## Key takeaway Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a fifty-six-year-old BBC journalist, was crowned king of Uganda's Tooro kingdom on September twenty-ninth, twenty twenty-six, but the succession is disputed by the late king's mother, who says her son left a will naming a different heir.