Uganda’s King Oyo Nyimba has been laid to rest as a dispute continues over who should succeed him as monarch of the Tooro Kingdom.
Oyo died last month from cancer at the age of 34.
He was buried on Saturday following a nine-day mourning period.
However, questions over the future leadership of the kingdom remain unresolved.
King Oyo laid to rest
Oyo was buried alongside his ancestors following a funeral service at an Anglican cathedral in Fort Portal, western Uganda.
He became king of Tooro in 1995 when he was only three years old.
For years, he was widely known as one of the world’s youngest monarchs.
Africanews, citing the Associated Press, reported that Oyo was guided by regents until he reached adulthood.
His death has now opened a sensitive debate over succession.
Tooro elders select possible successor
Elders from the Babiito ruling clan say Oyo did not declare an heir to them.
However, other accounts within the kingdom claim he left behind a son.
The alleged son has not been publicly identified. As a result, competing claims about possible heirs have circulated.
A committee of Tooro elders announced on Wednesday that it had selected a prince who works as a journalist to succeed Oyo.
However, members of Oyo’s immediate family have challenged the process.
Royal family challenges succession process
Oyo’s sister, Ruth Komuntale, criticised the elders’ announcement.
Queen Mother Best Kemigisa also appealed for the succession dispute to be put aside while the family mourned Oyo.
Meanwhile, the royal family says Oyo left a will that the elders failed to consider.
The disagreement could eventually reach Uganda’s courts.
Therefore, the person selected by the elders should not yet be treated as an undisputed successor.
Traditional kingdoms remain influential
Uganda’s traditional monarchs do not hold formal political power.
The country’s traditional kingdoms were abolished after independence. However, they were restored in 1993.
Today, their monarchs serve mainly as cultural figures and are not permitted to engage in partisan politics.
Despite those limits, traditional kingdoms remain important institutions for many communities.
For Tooro, attention will now turn to how the succession dispute is resolved following King Oyo’s burial.