The planned coronation of Prince Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I as the new Omukama of Tooro has been thrown into uncertainty after a last-minute court application sought to stop Tuesday’s installation ceremony.
The application was filed at the High Court in Fort Portal by two Batooro, Derick Alitugabira and Juliet Kangume, together with Walezi Wa Katiba, a civil society organisation focused on constitutionalism, rule of law and accountable governance.
Through Thomas & Michael Advocates, the applicants are seeking an interim order restraining the coronation scheduled for September 29, 2026, until a substantive case challenging the legitimacy of Nyabongo’s selection is determined.
The application comes just hours before the highly anticipated ceremony at Karuziika Palace, where Nyabongo is scheduled to be formally installed as Tooro’s new king.
Petition challenges succession process
At the centre of the court dispute is an alleged written Will left by the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who died in the United States on August 27 at the age of 34.
According to the applicants, the late King had indicated in the alleged Will that his son should succeed him and, if his son was unavailable, the throne should pass to his cousin.
The petitioners argue that this alleged instruction was not followed when the Babiito royal clan selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as Oyo’s successor.
The Babiito clan selected Kijanangoma on September 9, after which the Tooro Supreme Council endorsed him on September 15. Government subsequently announced that he would take the official royal name Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I.
The applicants are now asking the court to examine whether that succession process was lawful and consistent with the late monarch’s alleged wishes.
Queen Mother drawn into legal battle
Former Tooro Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has also been named among the respondents.
The applicants allege that Kemigisa had previously indicated that King Oyo left behind a son. They want the court to compel her to produce or identify the alleged heir.
The issue of whether Oyo had a son has been at the heart of the succession controversy since his death. Reuters previously reported that Kemigisa and Princess Ruth Komuntale had objected to Nyabongo’s selection, citing an alleged Will naming Oyo’s son as heir.
Kemigisa has also publicly called for unity within Tooro following her son’s death, urging Batooro not to allow disagreements over succession to deepen divisions in the kingdom.
Applicants want coronation stopped
The petitioners are asking the High Court to issue an interim order preventing Nyabongo, his agents or anyone acting on his instructions from proceeding with Tuesday’s coronation or any subsequent installation based on the disputed selection.
The application argues that proceeding with the ceremony before the substantive case is heard could create changes to the kingdom’s leadership that would be difficult to reverse.
The applicants further argue that they could suffer irreparable harm if the temporary order is not granted, while maintaining that the respondents would not be prejudiced by suspending the ceremony.
Court decision could determine Tuesday ceremony
The legal challenge arrives after weeks of preparations for Nyabongo’s installation.
Tooro Kingdom has already released a detailed programme for the September 29 coronation, including traditional rites at Karuziika Palace.
Government had earlier confirmed that the succession process had been completed through the recognised traditional institutions of Tooro. The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development said the Babiito Clan selected Nyabongo before he was endorsed by the Rukurato, the kingdom’s Supreme Council.
But the new court application places that process before the judiciary.
As of Monday evening, the High Court in Fort Portal had not yet heard or determined the emergency application. The outcome could therefore determine whether Tuesday’s coronation proceeds as scheduled or is temporarily suspended while the broader succession dispute is considered.
For now, the kingdom’s carefully prepared transition from the late King Oyo to Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I remains subject to a court decision on the eve of the ceremony.
