From Newsroom to Royal Palace:

FORT PORTAL — For years, Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma was known to Ugandans primarily as a news anchor at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC).

On Wednesday evening, the story changed.

Kijanangoma, a member of the Babiito royal clan and a descendant of the Tooro royal family, was selected as the next Omukama of Tooro, succeeding the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.

His selection was announced at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal by Monsignor Isaiah Mayombo, who read a resolution reached by the Babiito royal succession committee. The announcement came less than two weeks after Oyo's death in the United States on August 27, aged 34.

The decision at Karuziika Palace

According to the statement from the office of the Musuuga, the head of the Babiito royal clan, a 21-member committee was constituted to oversee the search for Oyo's successor.

Reports from the announcement indicate that the resolution selecting Kijanangoma was signed by 19 members of the committee following consultations and consideration of his suitability for the throne.

The selection places the Babiito royal clan at the centre of the succession process, in keeping with the kingdom's traditional arrangements for choosing its monarch.

Kijanangoma will now undergo the traditional preparations required before his formal enthronement. The date and programme for the enthronement have not yet been announced.

From UBC news anchor to Omukama

Kijanangoma's selection carries an unusual modern twist.

Before being chosen for the throne, he worked as a news anchor at UBC. His transition from broadcasting news to becoming the subject of national and international headlines has made his selection one of the most striking developments in Tooro's royal history in recent years.

He is also firmly rooted in the royal lineage.

Kijanangoma is the son of the late Prince Christopher Paul Kijanangoma and grandson of Omukama Sir George David Rukidi Kamurasi III, linking him directly to the Tooro monarchy.

His selection therefore brings to the throne a royal descendant who had, until now, maintained a professional career outside the traditional institution.

A succession process shaped by uncertainty

The search for Oyo's successor unfolded while the kingdom was still mourning the late monarch.

Oyo died in the United States at the age of 34 after nearly 31 years on the throne. He became Omukama in September 1995 at the age of three following the death of his father, King Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III.

The succession process attracted considerable public attention, with other members of the royal family being discussed as possible successors.

Prince George Desmond Kamurasi, a cousin of the late king, was initially reported as a leading candidate. Later reports indicated that the succession process changed after his reported decision not to take up the throne, paving the way for the Babiito clan to consider another royal lineage.

The eventual choice was Kijanangoma.

His selection was made as Tooro prepared simultaneously for the final rites of the king he is set to succeed.

One king being buried, another preparing to reign

The timing gives the transition an unusually solemn character.

King Oyo's body returned to Uganda on September 4 and was taken to Karuziika Palace, where it has been lying in state during the official mourning period. The kingdom has been holding prayers and receiving mourners and delegations ahead of the burial.

Oyo will be buried on Saturday, September 12, at the Karambi Royal Tombs.

The burial date is significant because it falls on what would have been the 31st anniversary of his coronation. He was crowned on September 12, 1995, after ascending the throne at just three years old.

The official funeral programme will begin at St John's Cathedral in Fort Portal before the procession moves to Karambi.

According to the programme released by the kingdom, mourners are expected at the cathedral by 8am, with the main funeral service beginning at 9am. The procession will later proceed to the royal tombs, where Oyo will be buried according to Tooro's traditional rites.

A new chapter for Tooro

For the people of Tooro, the transition marks the end of an era and the beginning of another.

Oyo's reign began with a three-year-old king whose accession attracted international attention. He went on to become one of Uganda's most recognisable cultural leaders.

Now, the kingdom is preparing to welcome a successor whose public life has followed a very different path.

Prince Edward Kijanangoma comes to the throne from the world of journalism, but with a royal lineage stretching back generations.

The formal enthronement is still to come.

For now, as Tooro prepares to lay King Oyo to rest, the kingdom knows who will carry the crown forward.

The journalist has become the news — and he is set to become the next Omukama of Tooro.