FORT PORTAL — The Tooro Kingdom succession saga has entered another dramatic phase after Queen Mother Best Kemigisa reportedly handed over the keys to Karuziika Palace, clearing the way for Babiito elders and kingdom officials to begin preparations for the installation of the new king.
The reported handover comes only days after the burial of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, whose death plunged the kingdom into an increasingly contentious succession process.
Oyo died in the United States on August 27, 2026, aged 34, after reigning for more than three decades. He ascended the Tooro throne in 1995 at only three years old following the death of his father, Omukama Patrick Matthew David Kaboyo Olimi III.
The reported departure of the Queen Mother from Karuziika Palace could mark a significant administrative development as the kingdom prepares for the coronation of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, who is expected to reign as Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I.
The Babiito Royal Clan selected Kijanangoma after its 21-member succession committee initially approached London-based footballer and royal prince George Desmond Kamurasi, who declined the throne. The Tooro Supreme Council subsequently endorsed Kijanangoma as king-designate.
But the succession has not been without fierce disagreement.
Members of Oyo’s immediate family, including Queen Mother Kemigisa and Princess Ruth Komuntale, have questioned the process used to select the next monarch. They have maintained that the late king left a 2022 will that they say identifies a biological son as his preferred successor.
The reported will has become one of the central issues in the dispute, with legal questions emerging over how the document should interact with Tooro customs and the framework governing traditional institutions.
At the same time, the security situation around Karuziika Palace became another point of contention during the mourning period.
The Queen Mother had raised concerns about the presence and deployment of security personnel around the palace, with reports characterising the restrictions as a form of lockdown or house arrest.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces, however, rejected that description.
The UPDF said it had not withdrawn the Tooro Royal Guards and denied that residents of the palace were under lockdown or house arrest. The military said it had instead reinforced security because of the large crowds associated with the royal events and security concerns linked to the proximity of threats from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
With the Queen Mother now reportedly handing over the palace, attention is shifting rapidly toward the next stage of the royal transition.
Omusuuga Charles Kamurasi, head of the Babiito Royal Clan, has already announced that Kijanangoma’s coronation will take place on September 29, 2026, at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal. The announcement followed the endorsement of Kijanangoma by the Tooro Kingdom Supreme Council.
Kamurasi said the kingdom’s Supreme Council had endorsed Nyabongo I before the Babiito clan proceeded to set the coronation date.
The preparations are expected to involve Babiito elders, kingdom officials, cultural leaders and other stakeholders as the palace is readied for the ceremony.
The succession dispute, however, remains unresolved in the eyes of some members of the royal family.
The competing positions have placed Tooro at a delicate crossroads: the Babiito clan and Supreme Council are proceeding with preparations for Kijanangoma’s enthronement, while members of Oyo’s family continue to raise questions surrounding the late monarch’s reported wishes.
The reported handover of Karuziika Palace therefore carries significance beyond the physical control of the royal residence.
It comes as the kingdom moves from mourning into preparations for a new reign, while questions over the late king’s reported will, succession customs and the authority of the selection process continue to shape one of the most closely watched royal transitions in Uganda.
For now, all eyes are on Karuziika Palace, where preparations for September 29 are expected to accelerate as Tooro moves toward the formal enthronement of Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I.
