ENTEBBE, Uganda – President Yoweri Museveni has received the body of the late Omukama, His Majesty King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV of the Tooro Kingdom.
King Oyo’s body arrived at Entebbe Airport on Friday, September 4, 2026, on board a chartered plane from the United States of America, where he died on August 27, 2026, while undergoing treatment.
A guard of honour was mounted at the airport as the body arrived in the country.
President Museveni laid a wreath on the casket—draped in both the national and Tooro kingdom flags—while the Uganda Police Band played solemn hymns.
Who were the other high-ranking officials present at Entebbe Airport
The head of state also signed the official condolence book and offered a brief address and prayer in Rutooro, wishing peace for the soul of the 34-year-old monarch.
High-ranking officials present included cabinet ministers, religious leaders, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, Princess Elizabeth Bagaya, and Tooro Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki.
A UPDF aircraft carrying the body of the late King Oyo and members of the royal family then took off en route to Humura Grounds in Kyegegwa District, at the edge of the Tooro Kingdom, where the solemn journey home will continue.
President Museveni eulogises King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV
From Kyegegwa, a road procession is expected to begin, giving the people of Tooro an opportunity to line the roads, pay their final respects and welcome their king home as he makes his final journey to Karuzika Royal Palace in Fort Portal.
“It is with a lot of sadness that, on behalf of all Ugandans, Maama Janet and 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 the young age of 34. How unfair life can be!! He was orphaned while still young, and he died young,” President Museveni mourned the late king.
In his short life on earth, President Museveni observed that King Oyo had shown that he had the potential to work well with the Central and Local Governments to develop Tooro.
“What a loss to Tooro and Uganda. Some months back, Her Royal Highness Kemigisa, Nyinomukama, came to tell me that the Muzzukulu Oyo had very aggressive cancer. The government supported them to go to Germany and then to the USA, where he died,” President Museveni posted on his official X account (formerly Twitter) while eulogising the fallen monarch.
King Oyo, who became king of Tooro at the age of three in 1995, was the 13th Omukama of the Tooro Kingdom.
His Majesty King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV’s ascent to power
He famously held the Guinness World Record as the world’s youngest reigning monarch after the sudden passing of his father, King Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III.
Because he was a toddler when he became king, a board of regents (including his mother, Queen Best Kemigisa, and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi) oversaw the kingdom’s affairs until he took full control upon turning 18 in 2010.
He served as the cultural figurehead for over two million people in the Tooro Kingdom, one of the constitutional traditional monarchies in southwestern Uganda.
King Oyo was not publicly married, creating initial uncertainty regarding who would inherit the throne. While Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Akiiki and the Queen Mother announced that Oyo left behind a young son to serve as his heir, leaders of the royal Babiito clan have expressed surprise, sparking a public disagreement over who will legally succeed him.
Last week, President Museveni declared three days of national mourning from Friday, September 11, to 13, 2026, with the Omukama to be laid to rest on Saturday, September 12, 2026.
