King Oyo’s Body to Arrive in Uganda as Tooro Kingdom Begins Official Funeral Programme
The body of the late Tooro monarch, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, is expected to arrive in Uganda on Thursday, marking the beginning of the official funeral programme for the king who died in the United States on August 27 at the age of 34.
King Oyo had ruled the Tooro Kingdom for nearly 31 years after ascending to the throne as a three-year-old following the death of his father, Omukama Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, in 1995.
President Yoweri Museveni previously revealed that Queen Mother Best Kemigisa had informed him several months ago that the king was battling an aggressive form of cancer.
According to Museveni, the government supported the royal family in efforts to secure specialised medical treatment for the monarch, first in Germany and later in the United States.
King Oyo’s body to be transported to Karuziika Palace
Following an official ceremony at Entebbe, the late king’s body is expected to be transported by helicopter to Kyegegwa District before being placed on an open carrier for a procession towards Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal.
Thousands of mourners are expected to line the route to pay their final respects to the fallen monarch.
However, officials are yet to release the full details of the procession route and security arrangements.
The Tooro Kingdom has clarified that the body will remain at Karuziika Palace throughout the mourning period, in accordance with royal traditions.
The Office of the Musuuga, the head of the Babiito royal clan, said the king’s body would be taken directly from the airport to Karuziika Palace.
“The body of His Majesty shall be transported from the airport directly to Palace, Karuziika, at Kabarole,” the office said.
Karuziika Palace designated as the official resting place
The kingdom further explained that Karuziika is King Oyo’s only official palace, while other properties associated with the royal family are considered residences.
As a result, the kingdom said there would be no further movement of the king’s body once it reaches Karuziika Palace.
“Karuzika Palace is therefore the sole and proper place at which the body of His Majesty will lie for the duration of the mourning period,” the kingdom stated.
The official nine-day mourning period will begin once the body arrives at the palace. This will also establish the reference date for the cultural ceremonies that will precede the king’s burial.
Tooro Kingdom prepares for King Oyo’s funeral
Funeral arrangements were agreed upon during a meeting held on August 28, bringing together representatives of Tooro’s clans and members of the Rukurato, the kingdom’s council.
Charles Kamurasi, the Musuuga and head of the Babiito clan, is overseeing the cultural rites, burial preparations and the succession process.
Meanwhile, Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire has suspended a Rukurato meeting that had been scheduled for Tuesday.
Rwomiire also directed kingdom officials to postpone activities and debates that were not considered necessary during the mourning period.
He said he was in Kampala engaging with government officials and other relevant authorities to coordinate the return and burial of the late monarch.
“At this solemn moment, there can be no greater priority for the Kingdom than bringing our King home and laying him to rest with the dignity, honour and respect befitting His Majesty,” Rwomiire said.
Tooro begins search for King Oyo’s successor
The kingdom has also established a committee of Babiito elders tasked with identifying and formally announcing King Oyo’s successor.
Earlier, Rwomiire indicated that the late monarch had left behind a prince whose identity would be revealed in accordance with Tooro traditions.
However, the Musuuga later said the royal clan was not aware of a biological heir, leaving the issue to be determined through the kingdom’s traditional succession process.
The succession question is therefore expected to be an important part of the activities surrounding the king’s death and burial.
Museveni grants King Oyo official burial
President Museveni has granted King Oyo an official burial and directed that national flags be flown at half-mast for three days.
The flags will be flown at half-mast on the day before the burial, the burial day and the day after.
King Oyo became one of the world’s youngest monarchs when he inherited the Tooro throne in September 1995 at just three years old.
He was formally crowned in 2010 after reaching adulthood.
His death at the age of 34 has sparked widespread mourning across Tooro and Uganda, with preparations now underway for a funeral befitting his long reign.
Further details regarding King Oyo’s burial date, public viewing arrangements, procession and other funeral ceremonies are expected to be announced by the government and Tooro Kingdom.
