Supreme Council Edward Rukidi Nyabongo
By Joseph Kiggundu
The First Son and Chief of Defense Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has vowed to be the first military general to salute the new king of Tooro Kingdom .
This comes hours after Tooro Kingdom chief prince (Musuuga) Charles Kamurasi who doubles as head of the Babiito Royal Clan, declared the kingdom’s new ruler before the Tooro Supreme Council.
The council is the top organ of Tooro Kingdom.
“I will be the first UPDF officer to salute the new Omukama of Tooro ,HIS MAJESTY Nyabongo I ,in a few days.His coronaton will be a day of great joy” Gen Muhoozi posted on his X .
On Tuesday ,the Musuuga declared Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I as new king during a sitting at Muchwa Headquarters in Fort Portal City.
“I announce to you the next king of Tooro who will succeed Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru IV. His name is Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I,” Kamurasi told the sitting.
Tuesday’s session marks a further step in a succession process that has unfolded in stages since King Oyo’s death.King Edward’s coronation is set for September 29.
The Babiito clan’s succession committee first named Prince Edward as the preferred successor on September 9, and Kamurasi publicly declared him king three days later, during Oyo’s funeral service at St John’s Cathedral on September 12.
The new monarch performed traditional rites at the Karambi Royal Tombs that same day and addressed his subjects for the first time on September 13, pledging to restore the kingdom “to its former glory.
Tuesday’s appearance before the Supreme Council formalises that process at the institutional level, positioning the clan to move into coronation planning.
King Edward, 14th Omukama of Tooro by the kingdom’s count, is a son of the late Prince Christopher Paul Kijanangoma and a grandson of former king George David Rukidi III. Before his elevation, he worked as a senior news anchor and editor at the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) and had kept a comparatively low public profile within the royal family. He is a cousin of the late King Oyo.
The succession has not been without contention. Oyo’s immediate family, including his sister Princess Ruth Komuntale had pushed back against the clan’s choice, citing a will they said named the late king’s own son as heir.
Queen Mother Best Kemigisa and Princess Komuntale both spoke at Oyo’s funeral ,but avoided addressing the succession question directly.
King Oyo died on August 27 in Dalla Texas, United States, where he had travelled for cancer treatment, at the age of 34. He had ascended the throne in 1995 at age three, making him the world’s youngest reigning monarch at the time, and reigned for 31 years before his burial at Karambi on September 12 — the same date that would have been his coronation anniversary.