President Yoweri Museveni has revealed that he was informed about the late Omukama of Tooro, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV’s battle with cancer nearly a year before the monarch died, as he led the country in paying tribute to the young king.
Museveni made the revelation while delivering his eulogy for King Oyo, whose remains were repatriated to Uganda yesterday and received at Entebbe International Airport before being flown to Kyegegwa for the start of his final journey to Tooro.
According to Museveni, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa personally informed him about the king’s illness in November 2025, during the presidential election campaigns.
“The Queen Mother visited me in November 2025 during the election campaigns and told me about the aggressive cancer that had started disturbing the King,” Museveni said.
The revelation offered the first detailed indication from the President about when he became aware of the monarch’s deteriorating health.
King Oyo subsequently travelled to the United States for medical treatment, where he died, triggering an outpouring of grief across Tooro and Uganda.
Museveni receives king’s body
The President was at Entebbe International Airport to receive the remains of the monarch, who had ruled Tooro for 31 years after ascending the throne as a child.
The arrival brought an emotional end to the period in which the kingdom mourned its king from afar.
Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, Princess Elizabeth Christobel Edith Bagaaya and King Oyo’s sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, accompanied the remains as they returned to Uganda.
After delivering his eulogy, Museveni saw off the body as it departed Entebbe aboard a military helicopter for Kyegegwa.
The remains were taken to Humura Primary School, from where they began the journey towards Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal.
The journey provided thousands of Batooro with an opportunity to pay their final respects to a king who had been part of their lives for more than three decades.
Hundreds line Fort Portal highway
Hundreds of mourners lined the Fort Portal highway from Humura Primary School in Kyegegwa towards Fort Portal as the body of King Oyo made its way home.
Men, women, children and elderly Batooro gathered along the roadside, many standing in silence as the convoy carrying the remains passed.
For many of those who lined the road, King Oyo was the only Omukama they had known.
He was crowned while still a child and grew into adulthood under the watch of the kingdom and the wider Ugandan public.
His death therefore represents not only the loss of a traditional ruler but the end of an era for a generation that grew up alongside him.
A mother loses her king
The death has been particularly painful for Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, who has now lost both her husband and her son.
Messages of sympathy have poured in for the Queen Mother, with mourners describing the immense personal burden she now carries.
King Oyo was her only son, and following the death of her husband, former Omukama Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, she became the central maternal figure around whom much of the royal family and kingdom rallied.
With Oyo’s death, the Queen Mother is now left with her daughter, Princess Ruth Komuntale, as her surviving child.
One emotional tribute urged Ugandans to pray for the Queen Mother, saying she had lost her husband and then her son.
The appeal reflected the wider mood surrounding the king’s return: while the nation mourns a monarch, a mother is grieving the loss of her child.
Muntu praises Oyo’s faith
Former presidential candidate and retired army commander Maj Gen (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu also paid tribute to the late king, highlighting his Christian faith.
“It’s rare for earthly kings to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. To see an earthly god submit himself to the King of Kings is bold,” Muntu said.
His remarks reflected one of the defining aspects of Oyo’s public life — the intersection between his traditional responsibilities as Omukama and his Christian faith.
The young king was known for his public Christian identity, something that drew attention during his reign.
Otto questions death of young king
Former Aruu County MP Odonga Otto expressed disbelief at the death of King Oyo at such a young age.
Speaking on a talk show, Otto said the monarch’s death had left him questioning why God would take away someone so young.
“The other day I told God that he should have consulted us on who to go. I don’t know why he took King Oyo at such a young age,” Otto said.
His remarks captured the shock felt by many Ugandans who had watched Oyo grow from the young monarch crowned in 1995 into a mature traditional leader.
End of a 31-year reign
Oyo’s death brings to an end one of the most unusual reigns in Uganda’s modern history.
He became Omukama at a very young age following the death of his father, Kaboyo Olimi III, and spent 31 years as the head of the Tooro Kingdom. For much of that period, his life unfolded in the public eye.
Batooro watched him attend school, grow into adulthood, take on greater responsibilities and become increasingly involved in the affairs of his kingdom.
His death abroad has nevertheless added another dimension to the mourning.
Questions have been raised about the circumstances surrounding his treatment outside Uganda, while traditionalists have expressed concern about a king dying away from his ancestral land. The return of his body has therefore carried deep cultural significance for Tooro.
Succession hangs over mourning
Even as the kingdom mourns, attention is increasingly turning towards the question of succession.
President Museveni’s earlier remarks that King Oyo left an heir have generated debate among Tooro cultural leaders, some of whom have indicated that they were not aware of such an heir.
The issue threatens to become one of the most sensitive questions facing the kingdom following the burial.
For now, however, the emphasis remains on mourning and according the late Omukama the final rites befitting a king. As the body travelled from Humura towards Karuziika Palace, the crowds lining the highway offered a powerful demonstration of the affection in which Oyo was held. The boy king who ascended the throne in 1995 had finally returned home.
But for the people of Tooro, his return marks the beginning of a farewell to a monarch who grew up with them, ruled alongside them and became inseparable from the modern story of their kingdom.
Author Profile
- Charles Gazza Kodili is a seasoned journalist with over 20 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication. He’s currently the Chief Editor at the Investigator.
Charles can also be reached via; Tel: +256 774 108978
Email: [email protected]
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