The Tooro Kingdom coronation has been thrown into uncertainty after a last-minute application was filed before the Fort Portal High Court seeking to stop the planned September 29 installation of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma.
The application was filed by two Batooro, Derick Alitugabira and Juliet Kangume, together with Walezi Wa Katiba, a group that advocates for the rule of law and good governance.
The applicants are represented by Messrs Thomas and Michael Advocates.
They are asking the High Court to issue an interim order stopping the planned installation until their main case challenging Kijanangoma’s selection is heard and determined.
The application comes just one day before the scheduled ceremony, at a time when preparations for the new Tooro King have already been underway.
The legal challenge centres on claims about the wishes of the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV regarding who should succeed him.
According to the applicants’ court filings, Oyo left a written Will setting out his wishes concerning the Tooro royal succession.
The applicants claim that the alleged Will directed that Oyo’s son should succeed him.
They further claim that the late King named his cousin as the alternative successor if his son was unavailable.
The court challenge therefore questions the selection of Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma and asks that the planned installation be temporarily halted.
Tooro Kingdom coronation challenged over alleged succession wishes
The applicants have also brought former Queen Mother Best Kemigisa into the legal dispute. They allege that Kemigisa previously stated that the late King left behind a son.
On that basis, they want the court to compel her to produce the alleged heir. The identity and whereabouts of the alleged heir have not been provided in the available information.
The applicants argue that allowing the September 29 ceremony to proceed could result in changes to the leadership of the kingdom that may be difficult to reverse before their main case is decided.
They also claim they could suffer irreparable damage if the interim order is not granted.
At the same time, the applicants argue that temporarily stopping the ceremony would not unfairly prejudice the respondents.
The application therefore places the planned installation before the Fort Portal High Court while the applicants pursue their challenge to Kijanangoma’s selection.
However, the court had not yet heard or determined the emergency application at the time of the source material.
There had also been no confirmed decision indicating whether the September 29 ceremony would proceed, be postponed or be stopped.
A succession dispute following Oyo’s death
The legal challenge comes after the death of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
His death set the stage for the succession process that has now led to preparations for Kijanangoma’s planned installation.
The applicants’ case is based largely on their interpretation of an alleged written Will attributed to the late King.
The validity and contents of that alleged Will have not been independently established in the information available for this report.
Likewise, the claim that Oyo left behind a son remains an allegation contained in the applicants’ case.
The court application does not, on its own, establish that the alleged heir exists or that the person would legally be entitled to the Tooro throne.
Those questions form part of the issues raised by the applicants in their challenge.
The dispute also comes at a significant moment for the Tooro Kingdom, with preparations for the September 29 royal ceremony already underway.
The planned ceremony is intended to install Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the next Tooro King, although the court application now seeks to prevent that installation until the substantive challenge is determined.
No response from the respondents to the application is provided in the available information.
What happens to the Tooro Kingdom coronation?
The immediate issue is whether the Fort Portal High Court will intervene before the planned September 29 ceremony.
The applicants have asked for temporary orders while their wider challenge to Kijanangoma’s selection is considered.
However, no court ruling on the emergency application had been issued at the time of reporting.
The source also does not provide a confirmed hearing date or time for the application.
As a result, the status of the planned Tooro Kingdom coronation remained unresolved at the time of reporting.
For the Tooro Kingdom, the court application has introduced a legal dimension into an already closely watched succession process following the death of Omukama Oyo.
Until the High Court considers the application and issues a decision, the September 29 installation remains the subject of an unresolved court challenge.
