Uganda buries 'youngest' king amid succession row

Several thousand people gathered on Saturday in Uganda to pay final respects to a king once recognised as the world's youngest monarch, with the president urging unity amid a fight over who will succeed him.

King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who ascended to the throne at the age of three and reigned over the African country's Tooro Kingdom for 31 years, died recently at the age of 34 while receiving cancer treatment in the United States.

Guinness World Records had recognised him as the world's youngest reigning monarch.

"He had a gift to make people laugh," his sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, told a burial ceremony at Saint John's Cathedral in the city of Fort Portal in western Uganda.

"He always knew how to brighten my day," she said, sobbing.

Oyo's death has sparked a fierce succession dispute, with the late king's mother charging that she and other members of the royal family had been put under effective house arrest.

A selection committee from the Babiito royal clan announced on Wednesday that Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a news anchor for the public broadcaster UBC, had been chosen to succeed his cousin as king.

That was opposed by the late king's sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, who accused "evil vultures" of conspiring against her and the Queen Mother.

She produced a will, which she said was drafted by the king in 2022, designating "a biological son" as heir, without giving his name.

This came as a surprise to many in the Tooro elite, who had never heard of the son, and did not include his name in the succession vote.

- 'Unity over division' -

As the king was buried on Saturday, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni urged unity.

"Once the matter of the new king of the Batoro is settled, we will be happy to work with him, just as we did with His Highness Oyo," he said in a statement read out during Saturday's ceremony.

"I call on the Batoro to use peaceful and lawful means to resolve this issue and to favour unity over division."

The Babiito royal clan, which traditionally presides over and determines matters relating to royal lineages, succession, and family affairs, defended its choice on Saturday.

"We have done everything in observance of the culture and traditions of Tooro. We must all preserve peace and serenity," the head of the clan, Omusuuga Charles Karumasi, said.

Uganda is a republic but officially recognises four traditional kingdoms, which serve mainly as cultural institutions with limited political power.