Uganda's King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who was previously the world's youngest monarch, has been buried among his royal ancestors. The burial took place as his Tooro kingdom aimed to resolve a succession dispute.
Oyo's appointed successor, news anchor Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, performed a ritual by casting nine coffee berries into the grave at the Karambi Royal Tombs. This act signified the formal transfer of power in the western Ugandan kingdom.
King Oyo died last month at the age of 34 in the United States, where he was receiving cancer treatment. He had gained global attention in 1995 when he ascended to the throne at the age of three.
The burial occurred 31 years after Oyo's coronation and followed days of disagreement within the royal family. A committee of the royal clan announced on Wednesday that Kijanangoma, a 56-year-old news anchor and editor at state broadcaster UBC, had been chosen as king. However, Oyo's immediate family stated that his previously unknown son should succeed him, as per his will. Supporters of Kijanangoma's succession claim that Oyo's family has not provided basic information about the alleged son.
Ugandan authorities reportedly pushed through Kijanangoma's succession on Friday, according to a source familiar with crisis talks. The archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, called for unity among mourners.