Prince David Kijanangoma, elder brother to the newly selected King of Tooro, Edward Kijanangoma, has died after a long battle with cancer.
Edward announced his brother’s death in a statement shared on X, saying he was mourning the “untimely passing” of David.
“It’s with a heavy heart that I announce the untimely passing on of my elder brother Prince David Kijanangoma. Prince David has lost a long time battle to cancer.Rest in peace brother,” Edward said.
Prince David was a grandson of the late Omukama Sir George Rukidi III, through his father, the late Prince Christopher Paul Kiijanangoma. He was also the younger brother of Happy Kiijanangoma, who was killed in Fort Portal in 1995.
David’s death came days after his younger brother was selected by the Babiito royal clan as the successor to the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
The Babiito royal clan’s succession committee selected Edward Kijanangoma as the new King of Tooro on September 9, 2026.
The decision followed the death of King Oyo, who died on August 27, 2026, aged 34, after battling cancer.
Edward is a journalist, news anchor, and editor at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC). He is also a cousin of the late King Oyo.
Edward’s selection came after the royal clan undertook a process to identify Oyo’s successor.
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Edward Kijanangoma’s Royal Background
Edward is 56 years old and comes from the Babiito royal lineage. His father, Paul Kijanangoma, was a son of former Tooro King George Edward Rukidi.
Before being selected to succeed Oyo, Edward had already been involved in Tooro royal affairs.
In 2013, he organized a gathering of great-grandchildren of former Tooro kings, and He had also previously been offered one of Tooro’s historic palaces in Rwengoma.
The palace has traditional significance, with kings performing rituals there before proceeding to the main palace at Karuziika.
Following his selection and participation in traditional succession rituals, Edward outlined some of the priorities he would pursue if formally crowned.
He said he wanted to open the palace to all Tooro subjects, promote unity and revive public interest in the kingdom’s Empango celebrations.
He also said he wanted the kingdom to contribute to development across Tooro.
Although he has now been selected by the Babiito royal clan, his formal installation remains subject to the resolution of the succession dispute.
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Why Edward Has Not Been Gazetted
Although the Babiito royal clan selected Edward, the Ugandan government has not yet formally gazetted him as King of Tooro.
The delay stems from a dispute over who should succeed King Oyo.
Uganda’s Attorney General Kiryowa Mayanja said the government would not gazette Edward until the Tooro royal family resolved the succession dispute.
The government has therefore held back formal state recognition and associated support for the new monarch while the competing claims are being addressed.
Members of King Oyo’s immediate family have challenged Edward’s selection.
King Oyo’s mother, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, and his sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, have opposed the decision by the Babiito royal clan.
They have argued that King Oyo left a 2022 will naming his biological son as the rightful heir.
The reported existence of Oyo’s son has become central to the succession dispute, with the competing sides differing over whether he qualifies under Tooro’s traditional succession arrangements.
The government has said it must settle the dispute before it can proceed with gazettement.
Despite the lack of government gazettement, Edward has already taken part in traditional ceremonies associated with his selection.
During King Oyo’s burial on September 12, Edward performed a ritual in which the cast nine coffee berries into the late king’s grave.
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