A journalist has been crowned king of Uganda’s Tooro Kingdom, a traditional monarchy plunged into grief and a succession dispute following the death of its “boy king” last month.

Prince Edward Rukidi Nyabongo, long employed as a broadcaster and editor with the state-run Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, took his regnal name after performing night-time rituals before being ushered into the palace.

He was formally unveiled to his subjects on Tuesday in Fort Portal, a town in western Uganda near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Uganda’s traditional kingdoms were abolished in the 1960s by a republican president seeking to unify the newly independent country, but were restored in 1993.

While cultural monarchs hold no constitutional powers and are barred from partisan politics, they retain significant influence as custodians of tradition and identity.

Speaking at the ceremony, President Yoweri Museveni urged traditional leaders to promote local languages.

Nyabongo, in a short address, promised to be a unifying figure and told the New Vision newspaper that “heritage must be matched by discipline and hard work”, describing royal descent as a duty rather than an entitlement.

Nyabongo was not high in the line of succession. Elders of the ruling Babiito clan selected him from a pool of eligible princes after King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV died of cancer in August at the age of 34, reportedly without a publicly acknowledged heir.

The queen mother, Best Kemigisa, has challenged the decision, claiming Oyo left a young son whose identity will be revealed “at the right time”. The prospect of a “Baby Oyo” has stirred supporters on social media and raised questions over the legitimacy of Nyabongo’s coronation.