Journalist crowned king of Uganda's Tooro Kingdom amid succession dispute

Uganda's traditional kings have no formal political authority, but they retain cultural influence and command significant loyalty in the communities they lead.

The country is home to four main kingdoms, the largest and most prominent being Buganda in the central region, which encompasses the capital Kampala.

The kingdoms were abolished in 1967, but the government under President Yoweri Museveni restored them in the early 1990s.

The government said this was to promote cultural pride and national unity, but the move has also been interpreted as a way of appeasing communities and fostering political loyalty.

Amid the succession dispute, the government backed the Babiito clan's choice of Kijanangoma. Attorney General Sam Mayanja said the Tooro kingdom was cleared to go ahead with the coronation, as there had not been a formal complaint against him.

The date of the coronation was announced by the government with President Museveni attending the ceremony.

The president's son and the head of the military, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has also publicly supported Kijanangoma. "Long may he reign," he posted on X.

Kijanangoma's very name points to his royal heritage.

His father, the first Kijanangoma, was born in the year King Rukidi III became king. The king gave him the name, which means the "one who comes with the royal drum".

The drum of royalty, foretold two generations earlier, is now returning to its bearer.

Kijanangoma was born in 1970 and raised at their family home at Kidukuru village in Fort Portal, about 300km (186 miles) from Kampala.

He left the village to pursue further studies and graduated with a mass communication degree from Uganda's prestigious Makerere University in 1999.

He worked as a broadcaster in a career spanning more than two decades, including in neighbouring Rwanda and at home, with the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC).