Whether the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba left a heir or not is a question to contend with as the revelation that he left behind a son in the United States threatens to cast a shadow over next week’s coronation of the new Tooro King.
Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has confirmed that her late son, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, had a child who remained in the United States as the royal family returned his body to Uganda for burial.
In a lengthy statement released on Tuesday, Kemigisa said the family had initially planned to bring Oyo’s child from Texas on the same flight that carried the late monarch’s body to Uganda.
“Before leaving Texas, our family had hoped that King Oyo’s child would return on the same plane with us,” Kemigisa said.
“However, as events unfolded in Tooro, concerns grew about bringing a child into a tense and polarised succession dispute. Ultimately, the child did not return with us.”
The revelation comes just days before Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma is expected to be formally inaugurated as the new Omukama of Tooro, following his selection by the Babiito royal clan.
Kemigisa did not disclose the child’s name, age, mother or whether he has been formally recognised under Tooro’s traditional succession arrangements.
She also did not say whether the child was specifically identified in Oyo’s reported will, although her daughter, Princess Ruth Komuntale, has previously claimed that the late king left instructions providing for his son to succeed him.
The revelation could therefore add another layer to an already bitter succession dispute, although the question of whether the child is eligible to inherit the Tooro throne remains unresolved in the information made public by the royal family.
The Babiito clan has instead selected Kijanangoma as the successor, with the process being defended on the basis that Tooro’s kingship follows established customs and traditions.
Kemigisa said she was deeply saddened that the dispute had made it impossible for Oyo’s child to return to his father’s homeland.
“Whatever disagreements existed, no child should ever be placed in circumstances where returning to his father’s homeland could mean being drawn into hostility and conflict,” she said.
Her statement also revived her criticism of the timing of the succession process, which she said began only hours after Oyo’s death while arrangements were still being made to bring his body home.
According to Kemigisa, the succession committee was constituted before Oyo’s burial and another king was announced after his body had arrived at Karuziika Palace.
She said the developments occurred after the family had engaged government officials and Babiito representatives and believed there was an understanding that succession rituals would not take place during Oyo’s burial.
“The understandings reached before the burial were not honoured, and the events of those final moments caused my daughter, Princess Komuntale, and me profound distress,” she said.
Despite the disagreement, Kemigisa appealed to Oyo’s supporters to remain peaceful and pursue lawful processes.
“We will continue to seek peace, to respect lawful processes and to trust God with what is beyond our hands,” she said.
The Queen Mother’s revelation comes as preparations intensify for Kijanangoma’s coronation, with the ceremony expected to formally usher in a new chapter for the kingdom.
But the identity and status of Oyo’s child now hang over the transition, particularly because the child has remained outside Uganda and away from the succession contest.
Kemigisa concluded her statement by again referring to the child as part of Oyo’s continuing legacy.
“My son has finished his earthly journey, but his story has not ended,” she said. “His mother is still here. His sister is still here. His child is still here. His people are still here.”
The family has also announced plans for a King Oyo Memorial Foundation, with President Yoweri Museveni expected to serve as its patron and founding chairman.
The foundation will pursue a museum, an international stadium, a research and teaching hospital and the expansion of Oyo’s Bugaaki farm into a model farm.
However, with the coronation approaching, Oyo’s previously undisclosed son has emerged as an important and unresolved element of the kingdom’s succession story.
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