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KAMPALA: A journalist on Tuesday was crowned king of a traditional monarchy that lost its onetime \u201cboy king\u201d last month, triggering widespread grief and a succession dispute in Uganda\u2019s Tooro Kingdom.<\/p>\n
The journalist is a prince who had long been employed as a broadcaster and editor with Uganda Broadcasting Corp. He picked the regnal name of Edward Rukidi Nyabongo. He performed rituals overnight, was ushered into the palace and was formally unveiled to his followers on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Traditional kingdoms were banned in the 1960s, after Uganda\u2019s independence from British colonial rule, by a republican president who said that he wanted to unify the country. They were restored in 1993.<\/p>\n
Traditional leaders don\u2019t wield any formal authority in this East African country and are legally barred from engaging in partisan politics. But they wield immense authority among their people as guardians of traditional culture.<\/p>\n
The coronation ceremony in Fort Portal, a remote town in western Uganda and not far from the Congo border, was watched by thousands in person and on televised broadcasts. Speaking at the event, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni urged traditional leaders to promote local languages.<\/p>\n
In a brief speech at his coronation, Nyabongo pledged to be a unifying figure for all his people. Before his enthronement, the monarch told the local New Vision newspaper that \u201cheritage must be matched by discipline and hard work. My family never let me treat royal descent as an entitlement; it was presented to me as a duty to prepare for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nyabongo wasn\u2019t particularly high in the line of succession, but elders within the kingdom\u2019s ruling clan, known as the Babiito, selected him from a pool of eligible princes after King Oyo Nyimba\u2019s death from cancer at age 34 in August without a publicly known heir.<\/p>\n
The queen mother, Best Kemigisa, disputed that decision and charged that the written will of King Oyo hadn\u2019t been followed in the selection of Nyabongo.<\/p>\n
Kemigisa said that Oyo left behind a young son whose identity would be unveiled at the right time, casting doubt on the legitimacy of Nyabongo and the decision of the Babiito to choose him. Local media cited scenes of disagreement \u2014 including a brief squabble over custody of the king\u2019s remains \u2014 at Oyo\u2019s Sept. 12 funeral.<\/p>\n
Although Oyo\u2019s alleged son has yet to be revealed, purported photos of a \u201cBaby Oyo\u201d have flooded social media, giving hope to devotees of the deceased monarch. But critics say that the child, if he exists, should have been introduced to the kingdom\u2019s elders while his father was still alive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have demonstrated that these are the norms of the kingdom,\u201d Nicholas Sengoba, a prominent political analyst in Uganda, said of the Babiito\u2019s selection of Nyabongo. \u201cMany of these positions may not be popular.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oyo was crowned in 1995, at the age of 3, after his father\u2019s death. He was a curious child in colorful robes and an object of adoration for his hundreds of thousands of followers.<\/p>\n
At his coronation, he went through a series of tribal rituals and was led into the royal cemetery to perform a coming-of-age ceremony: successfully tossing nine coffee beans into his father\u2019s tomb.<\/p>\n
Oyo once held the unofficial title of the world\u2019s youngest king, a mesmerizing figure even for world leaders introduced to him at national events, including South Africa\u2019s Nelson Mandela. Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi was one of those who befriended the Tooro royal family as if they were part of his extended family. Qaddafi made multiple trips to Uganda and supported Oyo and Kemigisa for years before Qaddafi\u2019s death in October 2011.<\/p>\n
Oyo was guided by regents appointed by the kingdom until he became an adult at 18.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n