From the Guardian · · 2m
A secret son, a will, and a throne in dispute
The world's youngest king died at 33, and his will named an heir nobody had ever seen.
In brief
The world's youngest king died at 33, and his will named an heir nobody had ever seen. Tooro's throne now hangs on whether a son no one can verify counts under custom, will, or law. Originally reported by the Guardian.
A king dies at 33
King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV died on 27 August in the US, where he was being treated for cancer. He had ruled the kingdom of Tooro since he was three.
Crowned as a toddler
Oyo took the throne in 1995 after his father's death, becoming the world's youngest reigning monarch at age three.
The committee picks a newsreader
On Wednesday the royal clan's succession committee named Oyo's cousin, Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, as crown prince. He anchors and edits news at public broadcaster UBC.
The will says otherwise
Hours later, Oyo's sister Princess Ruth Komuntale told a press conference the will named a son, whose existence nobody outside the palace had known about.
“I appoint him as my heir to the throne of the kingdom of Tooro”
Soldiers around the palace
The Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa Akiiki, denounced a "self-appointed group of clan members" and said troops replaced the royal guards, leaving the family unable to leave or receive visitors.
“We cannot leave or receive people freely”
Nobody has seen the boy
Journalist Andrew Mwenda, a relative of the family, says no photo of the son has been produced and no details about his mother's family shared. In Tooro, only a son born to an officially married queen can succeed.
The goalkeeper who said no
Prince George Desmond-Kamurasi, who plays for London amateur club South East Dons, was also in contention. The committee says he turned the throne down over other commitments.
Slow down, says the PM
Prime minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki urged restraint, arguing succession should be settled through custom, law and institutions, not rival announcements. Oyo is to be buried Saturday at the Karambi royal tombs.
“not through competing announcements, confrontation, or attempts to establish facts on the ground while our king still awaits burial”
Thrones without power
Uganda's kingdoms were abolished in 1967 and restored by Museveni in 1993. They hold no political authority but huge social sway, and Tooro joins the Zulu royals in a public succession fight.
The bottom line
Tooro's throne now hangs on whether a son no one can verify counts under custom, will, or law.
