King Oyo, once world's youngest monarch, to be buried in western Uganda

KAMPALA, Sept 12 - Uganda's Tooro Kingdom prepared on Saturday to bury its late king, Oyo Nyimba, long the world's youngest monarch, following days of a bitter succession battle within the royal family.

Royal guards clad in orange shawls and beating wooden sticks led the hearse carrying Oyo's casket in a solemn procession through the streets of the kingdom's capital, Fort Portal, in western Uganda.

King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV made global headlines in 1995 when he took the throne at age 3. Images of the toddler king donning a crown and royal robes sparked curiosity and adoration around the world.

He died last month at 34 in the United States, where he was receiving treatment for cancer.

His casket, draped in the blue-and-yellow Tooro flag, was driven from the royal palace to St. John's Cathedral for a ceremony before hundreds of mourners, including senior Ugandan government officials and delegations from chiefdoms in neighbouring countries.

Uganda is led by an elected head of state but retains several kingdoms that pre-date the British colonial era and are seen as bulwarks of traditional identity and heritage. Oyo went on to become a U.N. goodwill ambassador who championed the fight against HIV and AIDS.

"Although he became king and carried responsibilities far beyond what most people ever experience, he never completely lost the young boy who loved to have fun," said his sister, Ruth Komuntale, in her eulogy.

SUCCESSION BATTLE THREATENED TO DELAY BURIAL

After the cathedral service, Oyo will be buried at the site of the royal tombs. The Omusuna, the traditional chief priest charged with burying Tooro's monarchs, will guide the incoming king in the custom of casting nine coffee berries into the grave.

Whether the new king would be in place to perform that mandatory rite had been in doubt.

A committee consisting of members of the royal clan announced on Wednesday it had chosen Oyo's cousin, Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, a news anchor and editor at state broadcaster UBC, as king.

But Oyo's immediate family said his hitherto unknown son should succeed him, as called for in the late king's will. Oyo never married and was not known to have any children until the kingdom's prime minister said he had a son in the August 27 statement announcing his death.

Supporters of Kijanangoma's succession say Oyo's family has not been able to produce basic information about the purported son.

A source with knowledge of crisis talks over the matter said Ugandan authorities had successfully pushed through Kijanangoma's succession on Friday. A government spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Stephen Kazimba Mugalu, called for unity within the royal family.

"Words spoken in grief can cause pain, division and conflict," he told mourners. "It can even destroy the legacy of the king we are mourning."

LATE KING WAS CHAMPION OF FIGHT AGAINST HIV, FRIEND OF GADDAFI

Oyo himself took the throne after a protracted succession battle that finished in court.

In addition to his ceremonial responsibilities and campaigning against HIV and AIDS, Oyo cultivated close ties with former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, whom he named a special adviser to the monarch. Gaddafi donated money towards refurbishment of the royal palace.

The 56-year-old Kijanangoma, who maintained a lower profile as the succession battle played out, has been described by fellow Ugandan journalists as quiet and humble.

Besides the throne, the new king will inherit a considerable royal estate including swathes of land and sizeable cash payouts from the central government. REUTERS