Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has broken her silence on the bitter succession dispute that followed the death of her son, former Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, accusing some members of the kingdom of rushing to install a new king before his burial.
In a statement issued after the death and burial of King Oyo, Kemigisa said a committee to choose a successor was formed only hours after her son died, while his body was still being transported home.
She said the family was later confronted with a second declaration of a king shortly after King Oyo’s Will was read to members of the royal family, Musuga and representatives of the Babiito clan.
“Only hours after my son’s death, a committee was started to choose a new king. While my son’s body was still making its journey home to Tooro, a new king was announced,” Kemigisa said.
She added that another king was announced a few days after the family arrived at Karuziika Palace, with King Oyo’s burial still pending.
According to the Queen Mother, the developments were particularly painful because the family had wanted the late king to be buried peacefully before the succession question was addressed.
“Throughout this painful period, I had one simple wish: let us first bury my son peacefully and with dignity. Let a mother mourn her child. Let Tooro mourn its King. Then, when he has been laid to rest, let questions of succession be addressed calmly, lawfully and respectfully,” she said.
Kemigisa said celebrations following the announcement of a new king took place only metres from where her son’s body lay.
“As a mother, that was extraordinarily painful,” she said.
Oyo’s child
The Queen Mother also disclosed that the family had initially hoped King Oyo’s child would return to Uganda with them from the United States, where the late king died while receiving treatment.
She said concerns later emerged over exposing the child to what she described as a tense and polarised succession dispute.
“Ultimately, the child did not return with us,” she said, adding that no child should be placed in circumstances where returning to his father’s homeland could expose him to hostility and conflict.
The question of Oyo’s alleged biological child has become central to the succession dispute. Members of Oyo’s family have previously maintained that the late king had expressed his wishes regarding succession, while the Babiito leadership has maintained that the traditional process for selecting a successor was followed.
Kemigisa said she and her representatives held discussions with government leaders, the Musuga and representatives of the Babiito clan before the burial.
She said the parties reached what she described as a clear understanding that Oyo would be given a dignified burial and that succession disputes and rituals would not take place during the burial.
An MOU was reportedly signed to that effect.
However, Kemigisa said the understanding was not honoured at Karambi, an experience she said left her devastated.
She said the events caused her and her daughter, Princess Ruth Naemere Komuntale Farquharson Akiiki, profound distress.
“I will carry those memories for the rest of my life. Despite the dispute, I did not want anger to define the future of Tooro,” she said.
“I do not want anger to have the final word. I want gratitude, faith, hope and service to have the final word,” she said.
Thanks Museveni
The Queen Mother also thanked President Yoweri Museveni for supporting King Oyo throughout his life and reign.
She said Museveni knew Oyo from childhood and supported him during the difficult early years of his reign and during his illness.
“During my son’s illness, and finally as we planned to bring him home and give him the dignified farewell he deserved, the President provided support to our family,” she said.
Kemigisa also revealed that Museveni had agreed to serve as patron and founding chairman of the King Oyo Memorial Foundation.
She said the foundation would provide a platform for continuing Oyo’s work and preserving his legacy.
“To those who stood with our family and supported the wishes that King Oyo expressed in his Will, please, be at peace,” she said.
“My son served a living God. He believed in God throughout his life, and our family continues to put our faith and trust in Him.”
Oyo legacy projects
Kemigisa said she and Princess Ruth had committed themselves to protecting and building Oyo’s legacy through projects intended to benefit Tooro and Uganda.
Among the projects is the proposed King Oyo Tooro Museum, which she said would preserve the late king’s personal belongings and important objects from his life and reign.
The museum, she said, would also preserve the wider history and culture of Tooro and strengthen Fort Portal’s tourism sector by creating opportunities for guides, artists, craftspeople, hotels, local businesses and young people.
Kemigisa said Oyo donated about 50 acres of land to government during his lifetime for development of a stadium.
She said the family wanted the project completed so that young people could develop sporting talent and communities could benefit from sporting events, careers and other opportunities. The family also plans to establish the King Oyo Research and Teaching Hospital in Tooro.
Kemigisa said the proposed facility would include cancer and HIV research centres and would combine treatment, training, research and early detection.
“King Oyo’s own journey with illness strengthened our determination to contribute to the fight against diseases that continue to take too many Ugandan lives,” she said.
“If work carried out in my son’s name helps another mother keep her child, then his legacy will have performed one of its greatest acts of service.”
The family also plans to preserve and expand Oyo’s existing farm at Bugaaki into a centre for agricultural education, innovation and community outreach.
The centre is expected to support schools, young people and farmers to learn modern farming, agribusiness and value addition. Kemigisa said the projects were not intended to be monuments bearing Oyo’s name but rather practical ways of putting his legacy to work for the people.
“This is how Princess Ruth and I want to mourn King Oyo: not only with tears, but with service,” she said.
Appeal for peace
Oyo, who became Omukama in 1995 at the age of three following the death of his father, King Patrick Matthew David Kaboyo Olimi III, died on August 27, aged 34, while receiving cancer treatment in the United States.
His death triggered a succession dispute within the Tooro royal family and Babiito clan. The Babiito succession committee selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijanangoma Nyabongo as Oyo’s successor, a decision that has been contested by members of Oyo’s immediate family.
Kemigisa did not directly endorse the rival succession claims in her statement but said Oyo’s wishes would continue to matter to the family.
“King Oyo’s wishes will always matter to us. We will honour his memory, protect his legacy and continue the work to which he devoted his life,” she said.
She urged those supporting her family to remain peaceful and respect lawful processes.
“We will continue to seek peace, to respect lawful processes and to trust God with what is beyond our hands,” she said.
Kemigisa also appealed to young Ugandans to draw inspiration from Oyo’s life, saying his experience demonstrated that age should not prevent young people from serving and making a difference.
“My son became King when he was only a little boy. He did not choose the enormous responsibility that came to him so early in life, but year after year, I watched him grow into it,” she said.
She said she and Princess Ruth would continue serving Tooro and Uganda while working to ensure that the love shown to Oyo is transformed into projects that benefit future generations.
“My son has finished his earthly journey, but his story has not ended,” Kemigisa said.
“Let us build rather than divide. Let us serve rather than fight. Let us give our children something greater than the disagreements of today.”
