President Yoweri Museveni has congratulated Omukama Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I on his coronation, expressing confidence that the former television newsreader will perform well as the new cultural leader of the Tooro people.
Speaking at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal during the coronation ceremony, President Museveni said he had followed Nyabongo’s career on television and was impressed by his ability to read news in English.
“I want to congratulate His Highness Nyabongo. I have been watching him read the news as a good newsreader in English, so I am sure he will do a good job in this,” Museveni said.
The President’s remarks brought a lighter moment to a ceremony that was otherwise marked by emotion and remembrance, coming barely a month after the death of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. Museveni also presented Nyabongo I with 100 cows as a coronation gift, adding a significant personal gesture to the formal state presence at the historic ceremony.
The President arrived at Karuziika Palace as chief guest as thousands of Batooro, cultural leaders, government officials, politicians and invited guests gathered to witness the formal installation of the new Omukama.
The coronation marked a new chapter for Tooro following the death of King Oyo on August 27, 2026, aged 34, after a battle with cancer.
For Museveni, however, the occasion was also a moment to reflect on the late king and the unfinished correspondence between the two leaders.
The President said he had been saddened by Oyo’s death and burial and later discovered a letter the late monarch had written to him on June 15, 2026, weeks before his death.
The revelation gave a poignant dimension to Museveni’s speech, as he moved between mourning the former king and congratulating the new one.
‘He will do a good job’
Museveni’s description of Nyabongo as a “good English newsreader” was one of the most memorable moments of his address.
The President said Nyabongo’s previous experience communicating with the public through television would be useful in his new role.
“I have been watching the Omukama on TV reading news, he’s a good newsreader in English. I’m sure he will do a good job as Omukama,” Museveni said.
Nyabongo, formerly known as Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, worked as a television journalist before his selection by the Babiito royal clan as successor to the late Oyo.
His transition from newsroom to royal palace has attracted considerable attention because the new king now occupies one of Uganda’s most prominent traditional institutions.
The coronation was the culmination of a succession process that began after Oyo’s death. The Babiito Royal Clan selected Nyabongo on September 9, after which the Rukurato, the supreme council of the kingdom, endorsed the succession on September 15. Government subsequently acknowledged the process.
The ceremony at Karuziika followed several traditional rites that began the previous night, including the symbolic transfer of authority and rituals reserved for the royal institution.
Museveni remembers Oyo
While congratulating Nyabongo, Museveni made it clear that the coronation could not be separated from the memory of Oyo.
The late king had ascended the Tooro throne in 1995 at the age of three, becoming one of the world’s youngest monarchs. His 31-year reign came to an abrupt end with his death in the United States in August.
Museveni had attended Oyo’s coronation in 1995 and later returned to Karuziika in 2010 when the young king reached adulthood.
At the new king’s coronation, the gathering observed a moment of silence in honour of Oyo, with Nyabongo also paying tribute to his predecessor in his address.
Nyabongo said he wanted to honour Oyo’s memory and recognise the work he had done for Tooro and Uganda. “I want to salute the memory of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV for the wonderful work he did when he was King,” Nyabongo said.
The new king’s words reflected the delicate transition from a monarch whose reign began when he was a child to a successor selected through the traditional Babiito process following his death.
Nyabongo thanks Babiito
In his first major address as Omukama, Nyabongo thanked the Babiito royal clan for entrusting him with the throne.
“I thank the Babiito for entrusting me with the throne and Musuuga Charles Kayondo Kamurasi for upholding the dignity of the Tooro Kingdom,” he said.
His tribute to Kamurasi was significant because the Omusuuga, as head of the Babiito royal clan, played a central role in the succession process.
Nyabongo also thanked the clan leadership for what he described as its cooperation during a difficult period.
His speech was framed around responsibility rather than entitlement, with the new king presenting his reign as an opportunity to unite the kingdom and build its future.
“Karuzika is open, come and we develop Tooro together,” Nyabongo said.
The invitation was directed beyond the royal family and Babiito to the wider Batooro community and friends of the kingdom. It also came against the backdrop of disagreements that emerged following Oyo’s death over who should succeed him.
The succession dispute included claims surrounding a purported son of the late king whose identity has not publicly been disclosed. The Babiito clan maintained that the traditional succession process had been followed in selecting Nyabongo.
Nyabongo’s emphasis on development and opening Karuziika to all therefore provided a message of reconciliation at a time when sections of the royal family remain divided over the succession.
Tumukunde pays tribute to Oyo
Gender, Labour and Social Development Minister Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde Kakurugu used his address to pay tribute to the late King Oyo while encouraging the new monarch to focus on the future.
Tumukunde described Oyo as a balanced, principled and selfless leader whose contribution extended beyond Tooro.
“I thank the Babiito clan for their great cooperation, especially Omusuuga, for remaining balanced, principled and selfless,” Tumukunde said.
He added that despite the difficult circumstances surrounding the transition, the Omusuuga had remained steadfast.
“Despite the circumstances under which he operated, which could have swayed him in either direction, he remained steadfast and principled,” Tumukunde said.
The minister also described Oyo as an outstanding leader and an important national asset.
“The late King Oyo was balanced, principled and rather selfless as an Ugandan. The circumstances he was operating in could have biased him left or right, but he stuck to principle. He was certainly a very outstanding leader and a great asset to Uganda and Tooro,” Tumukunde said.
The minister then turned his attention to Nyabongo, urging him not to allow the past to determine the future of his reign.
“I wish you a great future. Forget history and move forward. Leaders must always look ahead,” Tumukunde told the new Omukama.
His message captured one of the central themes of the coronation: the need for Tooro to move beyond the grief and disagreements surrounding Oyo’s death and begin a new phase under Nyabongo.
A new chapter for Tooro
The coronation was the first major public ceremony to formally place Nyabongo at the centre of the Tooro institution following weeks of uncertainty over succession.
The programme included a church blessing at St John’s Cathedral before the new king returned to Karuziika for the main coronation. President Museveni arrived at about 11am for the main ceremony, which included speeches, traditional rites and the formal crowning.
The royal drums and regalia, which had been turned upside down following Oyo’s death as a sign of mourning, were restored as part of the transition to a new reign. Traditional rituals, including a mock battle at the Mugabante entrance to Karuziika, symbolised the transfer of authority. The ceremony therefore carried both mourning and celebration.
For the Batooro, the death of Oyo ended a 31-year era in which an entire generation had grown up knowing him as their king. The arrival of Nyabongo now opens another chapter.
Museveni’s presence reinforced the historical relationship between the Ugandan state and the Tooro institution, while his gift of 100 cows provided a traditional gesture of goodwill to the new monarch.
But his most significant message was contained in his confidence that Nyabongo would succeed.
“I am sure he will do a good job,” Museveni said. For Nyabongo, the task now moves beyond the coronation ceremony.
He inherits a kingdom carrying the emotional weight of Oyo’s death, the memory of a long reign and the divisions exposed during the succession debate. His response has been to extend an invitation to all.
“Karuzika is open, come and we develop Tooro together,” he said. That message, coupled with Tumukunde’s call to “forget history and move forward”, set the tone for the beginning of Nyabongo I’s reign.
As the royal drums sounded again at Karuziika and the new king assumed his place, Tooro formally turned the page from the era of Oyo to the reign of Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I.
Author Profile
- Charles Gazza Kodili is a seasoned journalist with over 20 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication. He’s currently the Chief Editor at the Investigator.
Charles can also be reached via; Tel: +256 774 108978
Email: [email protected]
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