A section of journalists has been blocked from accessing Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal ahead of the send-off of the late Omukama of Tooro, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Security agencies initially told journalists that access restrictions were linked to a ban on mobile phones at the palace.
However, some journalists who attempted to enter the venue without their phones were also denied access, raising questions about the reason for the restrictions. Members of the public attending the send-off have also been required to leave their phones at the entrance before accessing the palace.
Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke, who spoke to a section of journalists gathered at the main entrance to Karuziika Palace, said the matter was beyond his control.
The restrictions come against the backdrop of tensions within the Tooro royal family following the death of King Oyo and a dispute over his successor. The late king died on August 27, 2026, aged 34, while receiving treatment in the United States.
Following his death, disagreements emerged between members of Oyo’s immediate family and the Babiito clan over his succession, particularly allegations surrounding the contents of his will.
The late king’s family has reportedly maintained that Oyo left a will providing for his biological son to succeed him.
The Babiito clan, however, proceeded with its succession process and announced Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma as the next Omukama of Tooro.
The selection has deepened divisions within the royal family, with members of Oyo’s family questioning the process and insisting that the late king’s wishes should be respected.
The succession dispute has added tension to preparations for the burial and send-off of King Oyo, who ascended the Tooro throne in 1995 at the age of three and reigned for more than three decades.
The latest restrictions at Karuziika Palace have therefore attracted heightened attention as journalists and members of the public gather to pay their final respects to the late monarch.
