Oyo Nyimba, who became internationally known in 1995 as the world’s youngest monarch, will be buried in western Uganda on Saturday as a dispute continues within the royal family over who should succeed him on the throne of the Tooro Kingdom.
King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV died last month in the United States at the age of 34, where he had been receiving cancer treatment.
He ascended the throne at just three years old following the death of his father, King Olimi III. His coronation made him the world's youngest monarch, with images of the young king wearing his crown and royal robes attracting international attention.
Thousands of people gathered outside the royal palace in Fort Portal, the kingdom's capital in western Uganda, this week to pay their respects to the late monarch. Many wore traditional white robes and barkcloth garments.
Succession dispute
Uganda has an elected head of state but retains several kingdoms that predate the British colonial period and continue to be regarded as important custodians of traditional identity and heritage.
Oyo's death has triggered a dispute over the succession. A committee made up of members of the royal clan announced on Wednesday that it had selected Oyo's cousin, Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a news presenter and editor at state broadcaster UBC, as the new king.
Oyo's immediate family, however, maintains that the late king's son should succeed him, in accordance with his will.
Oyo was unmarried and, until his death was announced, was not known to have had any children. On 27 August, the kingdom's prime minister announced that the monarch had fathered a son.
Journalist Andrew Mwenda, who is also a relative of the royal family, said on Thursday that Oyo's family had been unable to produce a photograph of the child and had declined to provide information about the mother's family.
The dispute had raised the prospect of delaying the burial because the new king is required to perform a key ritual during the ceremony. However, a source familiar with discussions over the crisis said national authorities had successfully advanced Kijanangoma's succession.
Source: ERTNEWS
