A social media statement claiming that the late Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV’s son, reportedly known as Prince Jacksonville Jacob Oyo, will arrive in Uganda next week and be presented at Karuziika Palace has sparked fresh interest in the continuing succession dispute in Tooro Kingdom.
According to the statement circulating online, Prince Jacksonville Jacob Oyo would reportedly fly from the United States on Monday and be presented to the Tooro Kingdom leadership and the people at Karuziika Palace on September 23, 2026.
The announcement was attributed to Prince Yoweri Komwiswa and was circulated through an X account using the handle @yowerikomwiswa1. However, a fact-check published by The Pearl Times found that the account could not be authenticated as belonging to Prince Komwiswa.
The account has since been suspended by X, making it impossible to rely on the post itself as proof that Prince Komwiswa actually issued the announcement. The publication therefore concluded that the statement should not be treated as an official communication from him.
The viral statement reportedly read that Prince Jacksonville Jacob Oyo would fly in from America and be presented to “Musuuga and entire Tooro kingdom” at Karuziika Palace on Wednesday, September 23.
The message also invited media houses and kingdom stakeholders to attend the alleged presentation. Its circulation immediately attracted attention because the identity and whereabouts of Oyo’s alleged son have become central to the dispute over who should succeed the late king.
The existence of a biological son has been publicly mentioned by members of Oyo’s family and Tooro Kingdom officials since the king’s death. Reuters reported that Oyo’s sister and mother opposed the selection of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, saying a 2022 will identified Oyo’s son as his heir.
The late king died on August 27, 2026, aged 34, after undergoing cancer treatment in the United States. He was buried at the Karambi Royal Tombs in Fort Portal on September 12, while the question of his successor remained disputed.
The succession dispute intensified after the Babiito royal clan’s succession committee selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the person to succeed Oyo. Kijanangoma is a cousin of the late king and a journalist with Uganda Broadcasting Corporation.
Oyo’s immediate family challenged that decision, pointing to the late king’s will. Reports on the 2022 will say it provides that if Oyo was survived by a son who was lawfully recognised as his biological child at the time of his death, that son would be his heir to the Tooro throne.
