A T.V. journalist is crowned king of a traditional monarchy in Uganda

KAMPALA, Uganda — A journalist was crowned king of a traditional monarchy on Tuesday after it lost its onetime “boy king” last month, triggering widespread grief and a succession dispute in Uganda’s Tooro Kingdom.

The journalist is a prince who had long been employed as a broadcaster and editor with Uganda Broadcasting Corp. He picked the regnal name of Edward Rukidi Nyabongo. He performed rituals overnight, was ushered into the palace and was formally unveiled to his followers on Tuesday.

Traditional kingdoms were banned in the 1960s, after Uganda’s independence from British colonial rule, by a republican president who said that he wanted to unify the country. They were restored in 1993.

The coronation ceremony in Fort Portal, a remote town in western Uganda and not far from the Congo border, was watched by thousands in person and on televised broadcasts. Speaking at the event, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni urged traditional leaders to promote local languages.

In a brief speech at his coronation, Nyabongo pledged to be a unifying figure for all his people. Before his enthronement, the monarch told the local New Vision newspaper that “heritage must be matched by discipline and hard work. My family never let me…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world