Uganda lays 'boy king' Oyo to rest amid succession row

Uganda has concluded a nine-day period of mourning for King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, with a funeral for the Tooro Kingdom's late monarch due to take place in the western city of Fort Portal on Saturday.

Oyo, who once held the unofficial title of the world's youngest king, ascended the throne as a young child in 1995 and died last month of cancer aged just 34, with his death prompting a bitter succession dispute.

How is Oyo to be laid to rest?

The casket carrying the king's body, which was draped in the blue-and-yellow Tooro flag, was carried by hearse from the royal palace in Fort Portal in a procession accompanied by royal guards dressed in orange tunics and beating wooden sticks.

The ceremony in St. John's Cathedral was to be attended by hundreds of mourners, including senior Ugandan government officials.

After the service in the cathedral, Oyo was to be buried at the site of the royal tombs.

At the burial ceremony, tradition dictates that the successor should throw nine coffee berries into the grave.

Dispute over Oyo's successor

However, the question of that successor has aroused considerable controversy, and it was in doubt until late on Friday who would carry out that rite.

On Wednesday, a committee made up of members of the royal clan announced it had chosen Oyo's cousin, Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, as the new king.

Kijanangoma, 54, is a news anchor and editor at state broadcaster UBC.

But the immediate family of the late king said that the latter's will had called for a son who was born out of wedlock and has yet to be identified to succeed him.

Additionally, there have been claims on social media that there are at least two possible heirs alleged to be Oyo's children.

Those supporting Kijanangoma say Oyo's family has so far failed to come up with concrete information on the alleged son, while traditionalists also favor the choice of an adult as new monarch.

A source with knowledge ⁠of ​crisis talks on the matter said authorities had managed to get Kijanangoma officially accepted as successor on Friday.

Beloved traditional monarchs

Queen Mother Best Kemigisa said in a statement that the succession battle undermined the family's ability to mourn the king's death.

"I also appeal to those fighting over the throne: Please, there will be time for all of that," she said. "Let us grieve and bury my son King Oyo."

Although Uganda is led by an elected head of state, it still possesses several kingdoms that were restored in 1993 after being banned for some three decades following the country's independence from British colonial rule.

The monarchs of such kingdoms are often beloved but hold no formal power. Instead they are seen as guardians of traditional identity and heritage.