Less than a month after the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, the Tooro monarchy appears to be entering a dramatically different communication era—with the new King Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I increasingly taking his royal message straight to the internet.
For a kingdom traditionally associated with palace announcements, cultural institutions, radio and television, the emerging style is difficult to miss.
The new administration appears increasingly comfortable with social media, with online platforms being used to communicate with Batooro, rally support and generate public interest in the September 29 coronation at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal.
In simple terms, the new King is beginning to look less like the distant monarch of the old royal communication model and more like a modern social-media royal—a development that has already prompted comparisons to a king slowly becoming a TikToker.
The contrast with the late King Oyo is striking.
Oyo, who died in the United States on August 27, 2026, aged 34, ruled Tooro for more than three decades after ascending the throne as a three-year-old in 1995. During his reign, major royal and cultural events were largely communicated through established kingdom structures, the Prime Minister’s office, television networks, radio stations and other mainstream channels.
The emerging approach under Edward is considerably more direct.
Instead of waiting for traditional media to carry the palace message, the new administration and its supporters are increasingly turning to digital platforms to reach subjects and mobilise attendance for royal activities.
The timing has made the shift even more noticeable.
The kingdom is attempting to organise a major coronation barely one month after Oyo’s death, moving at extraordinary speed from mourning, burial and succession controversy to fundraising, mobilisation and preparations for a new king’s enthronement.
The Uganda Media Centre announced on September 24 that Edward’s coronation would take place on September 29, with President Yoweri Museveni expected to attend. Ugandans at home and in the diaspora were also invited to participate in the historic ceremony.
And the money involved is substantial.
The coronation organising committee has set a fundraising target of Shs925 million to finance the ceremony, which is expected to combine religious proceedings, royal functions and traditional rituals.
That figure has added another layer to the growing debate surrounding the new administration.
Earlier in September, a separate proposal for a Shs500 million appreciation fund for Tooro’s Omusuuga, Charles Kamurasi Akiiki, had emerged. The proposal reportedly included Shs200 million for a vehicle and another Shs300 million for welfare-related needs.
