KING OYO’S BODY TO RETURN THURSDAY

King Oyo

PML DAILY

The body of the late Tooro King, Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, will return to Uganda on Thursday this week from the United States, where the 34-year-old monarch died while receiving specialised medical treatment.

Hajji Yunus Kakande, the Permanent Secretary in the President’s Office, said the remains will be received by President Yoweri Museveni before being transported to Kyenjojo District, where the King’s subjects will be given an opportunity to view and pay their last respects to their fallen monarch.

From Kyenjojo, the body will be taken to Fort Portal, the traditional seat of the Tooro Kingdom, where King Oyo will be laid to rest.

The arrangements come as Uganda continues to mourn the death of the young monarch, who passed away at approximately 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 27, 2026, following a period of critical illness.

In a condolence message issued on Saturday, President Museveni described King Oyo’s death as a major loss to Tooro and Uganda, particularly because of his young age.

“It is with a lot of sadness that, on behalf of all Ugandans, Maama Janet and myself, I extend our most heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family of Tooro and to all Ugandans on account of the death of the prominent Muzzukulu, His Highness Oyo, the King of Tooro at such a young age of 34,” Museveni said.

“How unfair life can be!! He was orphaned while still young and he has died young.”

The President revealed that the King had been battling an aggressive form of cancer and that Government supported the Royal Family in seeking specialised treatment abroad.

Museveni said Queen Mother Best Kemigisa had informed him months earlier about Oyo’s illness.

“Some months back, Her Royal Highness Kemigisa, Nyinomukama, came to tell me that the Muzzukulu Oyo had cancer that was very aggressive,” he said.

According to Museveni, the Government subsequently supported the Royal Family to take the King to Germany for treatment before he was later moved to the United States, where he died.

The revelation provides further details about the health condition that preceded the kingdom’s announcement that the monarch was critically ill and its subsequent appeal for prayers.

Museveni said Oyo had demonstrated considerable potential during his reign and had worked well with both the Central Government and local governments in efforts to develop Tooro.

“In the short life on earth, he had shown that he had potential of working well with the Central and Local Governments to develop Tooro. What a loss to Tooro and Uganda,” he said.

King Oyo left a young heir

Amid the grief surrounding the monarch’s death, Museveni also disclosed that King Oyo left behind a young boy who is expected to become the heir to the Tooro throne.

The President said Queen Mother Kemigisa revealed the development during a telephone conversation and that the boy would be introduced to the public at an appropriate time.

“Fortunately, in a telephone call, Her Royal Highness Kemigisa told me that H.H. Oyo left a young boy heir that will be introduced to the public at the right time,” Museveni said.

The revelation provides reassurance about the continuity of the Tooro royal line following the death of a monarch who ascended the throne as a three-year-old child.

Oyo became Omukama in 1995 following the death of his father, King Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III. He went on to reign for more than three decades, becoming one of Uganda’s longest-serving cultural leaders.

Official burial ordered

Museveni has directed that King Oyo be accorded an official burial in recognition of his contribution to Tooro and Uganda.

He also directed that all national flags be flown at half-mast for three days in honour of the deceased monarch.

“The three days are: the day of the burial, the day before and the day after,” Museveni said.

The President also praised Oyo for maintaining a working relationship with the Central Government and cautioned other cultural leaders against using cultural institutions to promote sectarian interests.

“H.H. Oyo worked well with the Central Government, thereby avoiding the mistake of trying to use the Cultural Institutions that were restored by the NRM to promote sectarianism,” Museveni said. “It would be good if all the Cultural leaders understood the importance of this.”

The death of King Oyo has triggered widespread mourning across Tooro and Uganda, with political, cultural and religious leaders, institutions and members of the public paying tribute to the late monarch.

As preparations for his official burial get underway, attention is also expected to turn to the future of the Tooro monarchy and the eventual introduction of the young heir left behind by King Oyo.

The Tooro Kingdom had earlier assured the public that the institution would continue despite the death of the young monarch.

Written by newsroom-radiopacis