Body of world's youngest traditional king returns home to Uganda amid succession row

The body of a popular traditional ruler who was the world's youngest reigning monarch has been flown home to Uganda where President Yoweri Musveni was amongst the mourners gathered at Entebbe airport to pay their respects.

King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV died in the US last week aged 34 after receiving treatment for an aggressive form of cancer .

The Tooro king will be buried next Saturday - the day he had hoped to celebrate the anniversary of his coronation. He had ascended the throne aged just three and was crowned when he turned 18.

The return of his body marks the start of the Tooro kingdom's official nine-day mourning period amid a growing dispute over who should succeed him.

Uganda is governed by an elected president and parliament, but it has several traditional kingdoms that continue to have significant cultural influence despite not having political power.

Oyo, who Guinness World Records listed as the world's youngest reigning monarch , external , ruled over more than two million people. He was the 13th monarch of a kingdom that was founded in the early 19th Century.

After a brief ceremony at the airport, his body was flown by military helicopter to Kyegegwa in western Uganda, where the Tooro Kingdom is located, before being taken by road to the royal palace in Fort Portal.

It will lie in state at Karuziika Palace for the mourning period and members of the public will be allowed to pay their respects and prayers will be held there each evening.

On Thursday, Uganda's parliament held a special tribute to King Oyo, with MPs remembering him as a modernising monarch who championed education, health and opportunities for young people.

Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja described him as a "symbol of unity" and praised his work raising awareness about HIV and Aids among young people.

Opposition MPs also paid tribute, with acting opposition leader Patrick Nsamba Oshabe saying: "Heritage and development were never rivals in his hands."

President Museveni has ordered an official burial for the monarch and national flags will fly at half-mast for three days around the funeral.

On Wednesday, the Tooro kingdom's Prime Minister, Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki, said the king had asked officials not to disclose the seriousness of his illness because he believed he would recover and return to his people.

He said the monarch had hoped to return home for this year's Empango - the annual celebration of his coronation - on 12 September.

"He was confident in his recovery," Akiiki said.

His death has triggered uncertainty over the future of the monarchy as Oyo was not officially married.

But Akiiki has said the king had a young son, whose identity would be revealed later in accordance with Tooro customs.

President Museveni also said the king's mother, Queen Best Kemigisa, had told him that her son had left an heir.

But Charles Kamurasi, who is head of the Babiito royal clan from which Tooro's kings are chosen, said he knew nothing about the reported child, prompting an unusual public disagreement among senior figures in the kingdom.

Others within the royal clan have questioned why they were apparently unaware of the child.

"The prime minister is not supposed to talk about the king's heir. It is a cultural process," one royal clan member was quoted as saying by Uganda's state-owned New Vision newspaper.

"How can we, blood relatives, not know of the child, and the prime minister says he knows? That is totally out of order," the clan member added.

Akiiki has since appealed for the dispute to be dealt with privately, saying he wanted to meet other elders to resolve their differences.

"Words spoken in moments of grief can deepen divisions that may take years to repair," he warned.

The Ugandan government has also intervened, urging people not to spread speculation about the succession on social media.

Culture Minister Henry Tumukunde said Ugandans should rely on official information from the government and the Tooro Kingdom, adding that any dispute would be dealt with under law governing traditional and cultural leaders.

"The whole world is watching how Uganda mourns its king," he said, urging people to show "restraint and respect".

The Tooro Kingdom follows a hereditary system in selecting its monarch.

King Oyo ascended the throne in 1995 and became an international curiosity because of his young age.

Before his burial, a church funeral service will be held at a local church.

His body will then be carried in a traditional procession to the Karambi Royal Tombs, with burial is expected to be completed by 14:00 local time.

According to Tooro tradition, kings are not buried in the evening.

More BBC stories from Uganda:

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Dancing with Shakira at World Cup was 'very, very, very, very, very good' - Ghetto Kids

The 'shadow army' helping Uganda's long-serving president keep an iron grip on power

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