Dispute over royal succession in Uganda: nine coffee beans and a missing palace key

W hen he succeeded his late father to the throne at the age of three, he was considered the youngest king in the world: Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV – known as King Oyo.

The Tooro Kingdom lies at the foot of the snow-capped Moon Mountains in western Uganda. Oyo was just three years old when his father died suddenly in 1995. The business was run by his mother until he was 18 years old. When he came of age in 2010, royals from all over Africa traveled to the Moon Mountains to witness the ceremony. In Uganda he was celebrated as an idol, especially among young people.

In 2019 he was nominated as one of the “Most Influential Africans”. He was the symbol that Africa's kingdoms, which only have cultural functions, have not gone out of fashion. Oyo campaigned for education, jobs and health awareness for young people.

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“This is an incredible loss for the royal family, for the people of Tooro and the Ugandan nation,” the prime minister of the Tooro kingdom said in late August. No reasons were given for his sudden death. Rumors had been circulating since July that the 34-year-old was ill and had flown to the USA. His sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, later explained on X that Oyo had been misdiagnosed in Ugandan clinics for more than a year and that the cancer had been detected too late. She blames the ailing health system for this. The mourning period lasts nine days. During this time, no one in the entire kingdom is allowed to have sex. Thousands traveled to Fort Portal last weekend for the funeral. There, in the garden of the royal palace, the kings are buried.

The elders of the Babiito clan, to which the king belonged, are responsible for observing the rites and also appoint the successor. He must place nine coffee beans in the grave as a side dish - in order to spiritually become the successor. But the succession dispute became heated. The reason: The Council of Elders appointed Crown Prince Edward Rukidi Nyabongo, a second cousin of Oyo, as his successor. He is a famous TV presenter on Uganda's state television station.

Oyo's mother and sister explained on The Babiito elders rejected this, insisting that they had the right to decide the succession. Oyo was not married and an illegitimate child would not be considered as king.

When the coffin was to be picked up from the palace, Oyo's mother, Best Kemigisa, refused to hand it over. She insisted that she was the one who had to put the nine coffee beans in the grave as she would now manage the business again until Oyo's son turned 18. There were dramatic scenes. Uganda's army quickly sent special forces to the palace to put the royal mother under “house arrest”. The body was buried, Crown Prince Edward placed the coffee beans inside and was officially proclaimed king on Tuesday. The coronation ceremony is scheduled to take place in two weeks.

Oyo's mother called in Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, who handed the affair over to the public prosecutor's office. She decided: The king's final will must be respected. Justice Minister Norbert Mao is now supposed to settle the dispute. He said clearly that there are laws “that must be followed.” It is still unclear whether the case will ultimately end up in court or will be settled internally through mediation. The whereabouts of the king's mother are a mystery. The council of elders declared that the keys to the royal palace had disappeared - no one could enter, not even the heir to the throne. Stella Nyanzi, a Ugandan poet who lives in Germany, is now asking on Facebook whether people are allowed to have sex again or not.