Uganda’s King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who had been the world’s youngest monarch since he ascended the throne at three, was laid to rest in the Karambi Royal Tombs. The burial, held 31 years to the day after his coronation, marks the kingdom’s attempt to move past a bitter succession dispute.
Oyo’s appointed successor, news anchor Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, performed the formal handover by casting nine coffee berries into the grave. Kijanangoma, a cousin of the late king and editor at the state broadcaster UBC, was chosen by a committee of royal clan members after the family’s claim that Oyo had an unknown son.
The late king died last month at 34 in the United States, where he was receiving cancer treatment. A church service before the burial eulogised him as a reserved but jovial young man, with his sister Ruth Komuntale noting that he never lost his playful side.
Royal guards in orange shawls led the hearse through Fort Portal, the kingdom’s capital, to the tombs, while thousands of mourners joined the procession on foot. The event followed days of family bickering and the announcement that the late king’s immediate family had not provided evidence of the alleged son.
The new king inherits a considerable royal estate, including land and cash payouts from the central government. Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu urged unity, warning that grief could cause division and damage the king’s legacy. Oyo had also cultivated ties with former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who had donated to refurbish the palace.
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