Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, Ex-TV Anchor, Becomes New King of Uganda's Tooro Kingdom

Key facts

• Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a former television news anchor, was crowned the 13th monarch of Uganda's Tooro Kingdom on 29 September 2026 in Fort Portal, ending a succession dispute.
• Kijanangoma succeeded King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, whose death from cancer at age 34 the previous month triggered a feud over the throne.
• Kijanangoma, aged 56, was selected by a 21-member committee of the royal Babiito clan and is the cousin of his predecessor Oyo Nyimba.
• He took the new royal name Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I in a traditional ceremony held in Tooro's capital, Fort Portal.
• Oyo Nyimba died in the United States on 27 August 2026 while receiving treatment for angiosarcoma, an aggressive cancer, and was buried on 12 September at Karambi Royal Tombs in Fort Portal.
• Oyo Nyimba drew global attention in 1995 when he was enthroned at age 3 after the death of his father.
• The coronation took place despite objections from Oyo Nyimba's mother, Best Kemigisa, and sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, who said the late king left a will naming a young son as heir.
• Born in 1970, Kijanangoma was raised in Kidukuru village in Fort Portal, graduated with a mass communication degree from Makerere University in 1999, and worked as a broadcaster for over two decades, including with the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) and in Rwanda.
• Uganda is a constitutional republic, but four pre-colonial kingdoms, including Tooro, remain officially recognised symbols of identity and heritage without political power.