President Yoweri Museveni has directed that the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV of Tooro be accorded an official burial and that Uganda observe three days of national mourning in his honour.
In a condolence message to the people of Uganda and the Tooro Kingdom, Museveni described the 34-year-old monarch’s death as a major loss to Tooro and the country, saying the king had demonstrated the potential to work with both central and local governments to develop the region.
Museveni said the national mourning period will cover the day before the burial, the burial day and the day after, during which all national flags will fly at half-mast.
“It is with a lot of sadness that, on behalf of all Ugandans, Maama Janet and myself, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family of Tooro and to all Ugandans,” Museveni said.
The president described Oyo as a prominent grandchild, or Muzzukulu, and expressed shock at his death at what he called such a young age.
“How unfair life can be!! He was orphaned while still young and he has died young,” Museveni said.
King Oyo, who ascended the Tooro throne as a child following the death of his father, King Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, in 1995, became one of Uganda’s most prominent cultural leaders.
Museveni said the late king had maintained a constructive relationship with the central government, arguing that this helped him avoid using the cultural institution to promote sectarianism.
He urged other cultural leaders to understand the importance of maintaining a similar approach.
The president also revealed that Oyo had battled an aggressive form of cancer before his death.
According to Museveni, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa had informed him months earlier about the king’s illness, after which government supported the royal family in seeking medical treatment first in Germany and later in the United States, where the king died.
The president further disclosed that King Oyo left behind a young son who is expected to become heir to the Tooro throne.
Museveni said the child would be introduced to the public at an appropriate time, following a telephone conversation with Queen Mother Kemigisa.
The revelation is expected to shape the next chapter of the Tooro monarchy, which has been under King Oyo’s leadership for more than three decades.
Museveni concluded his message by extending condolences to the royal family and the people of Tooro and praying for the late king’s soul to rest in eternal peace.
The death of King Oyo marks the end of the reign of one of Uganda’s youngest and longest-serving cultural monarchs, who assumed the throne as a child and remained at the centre of Tooro’s cultural affairs until his death at 34.
