His coronation follows weeks of uncertainty over who would succeed King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who died in August.

Kijanangoma, 56, is a cousin of Oyo Nyimba. He took the royal name Edward Rukidi Nyabongo I during a ceremony held in Fort Portal on September 29, 2026. A 21-member council from the royal Babiito clan selected him as the new king.

The coronation featured traditional rituals, including the slaughter of a bull and the spilling of chicken blood. Nyabongo I also walked from midnight to 3 a.m. to Karuziika Palace, where he took part in a traditional contest for the crown.

Kijanangoma first became known as a journalist at Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC), where former colleagues described him as humble and approachable.

He later joined Rwanda Television, where he worked as an English-language news anchor.

His coronation comes following the death of Oyo Nyimba, who died on August 27, 2026, in the United States while receiving treatment for cancer. He was 34.

Oyo was buried on September 12 at the royal cemetery in Karambi, Fort Portal.

He ascended the Tooro throne in 1995 at the age of three following the death of his father. His young age and images of him wearing royal attire and a crown attracted international attention.

Oyo's mother, Best Kemigisa, and his sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, have said he left behind a young son and that a document indicates the child was designated as his successor.

Oyo had never married and no child of his was publicly known before his death. The child in question became known publicly only after his death.