The late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV’s mother, Queen Mother Best Kemigisha, has reportedly collected several items from the royal palace, including curtains, bathtubs, mirrors and light bulbs, claiming that she personally purchased them while her son was still alive.
The reported removal of the items comes amid growing tensions within the Tooro Kingdom following the death of King Oyo on August 27, 2026, in the United States, where he had been receiving cancer treatment.
The 34-year-old monarch was subsequently laid to rest on September 12, 2026, at the Karambi Royal Tombs in Fort Portal, the traditional burial grounds of Tooro kings.
The dispute has centred largely on the question of who should succeed the late monarch.
According to reports, Queen Mother Kemigisha is deeply unhappy with the decision by Tooro royal clan elders regarding the succession, particularly their rejection of the late King’s reported wishes concerning his successor.
The late King was reportedly said to have identified a preferred successor in a will. However, royal clan leaders proceeded with a traditional succession process that resulted in Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma being selected to assume the role of Omukama.
During the September 12 burial ceremonies, Kijanangoma participated in the traditional ritual marking the transfer of authority.
The succession has remained disputed, with members of the late King’s family maintaining that he had left instructions concerning an heir. Reports have also referred to claims that Oyo had a son whose succession is being contested.
Against this background, Kemigisha’s reported decision to reclaim household items that she says she personally purchased has added another dimension to the disagreement surrounding the late King’s estate, his reported will and the future leadership of the Tooro Kingdom.
The developments follow the burial of King Oyo on September 12, 2026, exactly 31 years after he ascended the Tooro throne on September 12, 1995, at the age of three.
