Prince David Kiijanangoma Araali, the elder brother of newly announced Tooro Omukama Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I, has died at the Mulago National Referral Hospital Cancer Institute after battling esophageal cancer.
His death comes barely weeks after the passing of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV on August 27, 2026, adding another emotional chapter to a royal family already divided over the succession to the Tooro throne.
Prince David was the son of the late Prince Paul Kiijanangoma, a grandson of former Tooro King George David Rukidi III, and a younger brother of the late Prince Patrick Happy Kiijanangoma.
Family members and kingdom supporters confirmed that the prince had been receiving treatment at the Mulago Cancer Institute, where his condition deteriorated after months of fighting stage three esophageal cancer.
Earlier this year, Prince David publicly appealed for Shs500 million to enable him travel to India for specialised treatment after exhausting treatment options at Nakasero Hospital and Mulago. The fundraising campaign attracted sympathy from many Ugandans, but he continued receiving treatment in Kampala as his health worsened.
His death comes at a time when the Tooro Kingdom remains at the centre of an intense succession dispute following King Oyo’s death.
Prince Edward Kiijanangoma, David’s younger brother and a former Uganda Broadcasting Corporation news anchor, was recently selected by the Babiito Royal Clan Succession Committee as Omukama Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I.
The selection followed a meeting of more than 100 princes and princesses at Karuziika Palace and was presented as the clan’s decision on who should inherit the throne.
However, the announcement immediately sparked resistance from sections of the royal family.
Queen Mother Best Kemigisa dismissed the selection, insisting that the process did not follow the kingdom’s established traditions and lacked her involvement. She has maintained that the succession should be handled through recognised cultural and constitutional procedures rather than decisions taken by a section of the royal clan.
The dispute prompted President Museveni to direct Security Minister Jim Muhwezi Katugugu to engage the competing factions and seek a peaceful resolution to the impasse.
Prince David himself had once been at the centre of Tooro’s leadership contest.
In 2015, he openly challenged King Oyo’s reign, declaring himself the rightful Omukama and establishing a parallel leadership structure at Rwengoma in Fort Portal. The move created divisions within sections of the kingdom but failed to gain lasting recognition. He later reconciled with King Oyo, ending the public rivalry that had marked one of the kingdom’s most turbulent periods.
His passing leaves Prince Edward mourning an elder brother at a time when he is also navigating one of the most contested transitions in Tooro’s recent history.
The Tooro Kingdom has suffered repeated losses within the royal family in recent weeks, with King Oyo’s death at the age of 34 after battling cancer in the United States, followed by the death of Prince David, another member of the lineage descending from King George David Rukidi III.
