Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has broken her silence on the events surrounding the death, burial and succession of her only son, the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, saying the pain of losing her son has been compounded by the succession dispute that emerged before his burial.In a deeply emotional statement, Kemigisa said she had hoped her son would be allowed to rest peacefully before disagreements over who should succeed him were addressed.“My son has finished his earthly journey, but his story has not ended,” she said.The Queen Mother said that although Oyo was the King of Tooro to millions of people, he remained her son first.“I have lost my only son,” she said, describing the late monarch as her son before he became her King.She said the days following his death had brought overwhelming grief, but also an extraordinary outpouring of love from people across Tooro, Uganda, Africa and beyond.Kemigisa thanked the thousands of people who gathered at the airport, lined the roads as Oyo’s body returned home, travelled to Fort Portal and attended prayers and mourning ceremonies.She also expressed gratitude to President Yoweri Museveni for supporting the royal family during Oyo’s illness and for assisting with arrangements to bring his body back to Uganda.According to Kemigisa, Museveni had known Oyo since childhood and supported him throughout his 31-year reign.The President has also agreed to serve as Patron and Founding Chairman of the King Oyo Memorial Foundation.Succession dispute emergesBut beneath the grief, Kemigisa said, the family was confronted with a succession dispute that she found deeply painful.She said the family wanted to concentrate on mourning their son and giving him a dignified burial before addressing questions about who would succeed him.According to the Queen Mother, that did not happen.“Only hours after my son’s death, a committee was started to choose a new king,” she said.Kemigisa further claimed that while Oyo’s body was still being brought back to Tooro, a new king was announced.She said another announcement followed shortly after King Oyo’s Will was read to members of the Royal Family, the Musuuga and representatives of the Babiito Clan.The Queen Mother said celebrations surrounding the succession developments took place close to where her son’s body lay.“As a mother, that was extraordinarily painful,” she said.The succession process has since produced competing positions within the royal establishment.The Babiito succession committee selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as successor, while Kemigisa and Princess Ruth Komuntale have challenged that process and maintained that King Oyo’s wishes regarding succession should be respected. (Ahmed Mugume Reports)“I wanted my grandson to come home”Kemigisa also addressed the circumstances surrounding King Oyo’s child.She said the family had initially hoped that Oyo’s child would return to Tooro on the same plane with them.However, she said concerns arose over bringing the child into what she described as a tense and polarised succession dispute.“Ultimately, the child did not return with us,” she said.The Queen Mother said the situation left her deeply saddened, arguing that whatever disagreements existed, a child should not be exposed to hostility or conflict while returning to his father’s homeland.The identity and succession status of the child have become central issues in the wider dispute.Tooro Kingdom has publicly presented King Oyo’s 2022 Will as providing for his biological son to be first in line to the throne, subject to Ugandan law and Tooro customs and traditions. (Ahmed Mugume Reports)Kemigisa says agreement was reached before burialThe Queen Mother said that before Oyo’s burial, she and representatives of the family engaged Government leaders, the Musuuga and representatives of the Babiito Clan.According to her, the discussions resulted in an understanding that Oyo would first be given a dignified burial and that succession disputes and rituals would not take place during the burial period.She said a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to that effect.However, Kemigisa said the understandings reached before the burial were not honoured.She said what happened during the final ceremonies at Karambi Royal Tombs left her and her daughter, Princess Ruth Komuntale, devastated.“I will carry those memories for the rest of my life,” she said.Despite the pain, the Queen Mother said she did not want anger to define her response.“I want gratitude, faith, hope and service to have the final word,” she said.She calls for calm over Oyo’s WillKemigisa also appealed to those supporting the wishes contained in Oyo’s Will to remain peaceful.She urged them to trust in God and avoid turning the succession disagreement into a source of division.The Queen Mother said Oyo was a man of faith who believed in God throughout his life.“We have no doubt that God has a good plan for Tooro, for our family and for the generations that will come after us,” she said.The statement comes amid continued disagreement over the succession of the Tooro Kingdom following Oyo’s death.The Babiito succession structure has endorsed Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma, while the late King’s immediate family has challenged the process and pointed to his reported Will and the succession provisions concerning his son. (Ahmed Mugume Reports)“Let us build rather than divide”Despite the dispute, Kemigisa said she did not want her son’s legacy to become defined by conflict.Instead, she called on the people of Tooro and everyone who loved King Oyo to turn their grief into something constructive.“Let us build rather than divide. Let us serve rather than fight. Let us give our children something greater than the disagreements of today,” she said.She pledged that she and Princess Ruth would continue working to preserve Oyo’s memory and advance the causes he believed in.His love for Tooro, she said, must continue to build.His belief in young people must continue to create opportunities.His compassion must continue to serve others.“Princess Ruth and I will never stop standing for King Oyo’s legacy. We will never stop serving Tooro. We will never stop serving Uganda,” she said.“There is room in his legacy for all of us”The Queen Mother also thanked those who had stood with the family during what she described as the darkest days of their lives.“To everyone who has held my family through the darkest days of our lives, from the bottom of a grieving mother’s heart: Mwebale muno. Thank you,” she said.“Thank you for loving my son.“Thank you for standing with us.“Thank you for remembering him.”She then issued a final invitation to those who loved the late monarch.“And now, let us build his legacy together.”Kemigisa ended her statement by praying for the people of Tooro and Uganda and asking that her son’s soul rest in eternal peace.“May God bless you.“May God comfort the people of Tooro.“May God bless Uganda.“And may the soul of my beloved son, His Majesty Rukirabasaija Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukiidi IV, rest in eternal peace.”The Queen Mother’s statement adds a deeply personal dimension to an already complex succession dispute, placing the grief of a mother alongside the competing customary and family positions over who should carry forward the Tooro crown. The competing claims remain unresolved, with the Babiito succession process and the late King’s reported wishes representing different positions in the dispute.The post “My Son’s Story Has Not Ended”: Queen Mother Kemigisa Breaks Silence on King Oyo Succession Row was written by the awesome team at Campus Bee.