Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki has appealed to the people of Tooro to remain united, calm and restrained as the body of the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV returns home for burial.
In a statement to the people of Tooro, Rwomiire said the Kingdom was entering a solemn period that required leadership, dignity and responsibility rather than arguments, speculation or competing narratives over the circumstances surrounding the death and final days of the 30-year-old monarch.
The Prime Minister said the immediate responsibility of the Kingdom leadership, cultural leaders, public officials and the people of Tooro was to ensure that the late King receives the honour and dignity befitting his position.
“We have lost our King. We have lost a son of Tooro whose life, leadership and service carried the name of our Kingdom far beyond our borders,” Rwomiire said.
He said the death of Oyo was a moment of profound grief for the people of Tooro, but warned that the pain and emotions surrounding the loss should not be allowed to create further divisions within the Kingdom.
‘Leadership requires us to rise above emotions’
Rwomiire’s statement comes at a sensitive moment for Tooro Kingdom, with attention focused on the return of the King’s body and preparations for his final rites.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that emotions were high among the people, but said the Kingdom’s leaders must demonstrate the kind of leadership expected during a national cultural mourning period.
“Moments like these require leadership, not posturing. They require less talking and more organising,” he said.
According to Rwomiire, the period surrounding the King’s death should not be dominated by disagreements over individuals or competing accounts of what happened.
He urged leaders to rise above personal emotions and focus on the wider interests of Tooro.
The Prime Minister said the people of Tooro were looking to their leaders for guidance and that the manner in which the Kingdom handles the King’s funeral would have implications beyond the immediate mourning period.
“The world is watching us, but more importantly, the people of Tooro are looking to us for leadership,” he said. He called upon Batooro to demonstrate the values for which the Kingdom is known, including dignity, respect, unity and love for Tooro.
Questions over King’s time abroad
A significant part of Rwomiire’s statement addressed questions that have emerged over the circumstances surrounding King Oyo’s time abroad and the information that was communicated to the public about his condition.
The Prime Minister said he was aware that questions had been raised over why the public was informed that the King was abroad for studies and later told that he was well.
Rwomiire offered an explanation, saying that the information was communicated in accordance with the late monarch’s express wishes and direction.
He said that as someone serving the King, he considered it his responsibility to respect Oyo’s wishes and protect his privacy.
“The information communicated to the public that His Majesty was abroad studying, and subsequently that he was well, was communicated in accordance with His Majesty’s express wishes and direction,” he said. Rwomiire said he had acted faithfully and respectfully in carrying out those wishes.
The statement is likely to provide an important explanation for those who have questioned the communication surrounding the King’s condition before his death.
The Prime Minister maintained that the decision to protect the King’s privacy was not intended to mislead the people of Tooro but was based on his responsibility to follow the monarch’s wishes. He further said he was confident that the King had acted in good faith.
Oyo hoped to return for Empango
According to Rwomiire, the late King remained hopeful about recovering and returning to Tooro to reunite with his people.
The Prime Minister said Oyo had been looking forward to coming home and participating in the 31st Empango celebrations.
“I am also confident that His Majesty acted in good faith. He was confident in his recovery and was looking forward to returning home and reuniting with his people for the 31st Empango,” Rwomiire said. He explained that the King did not want to cause unnecessary alarm among his subjects.
The statement therefore seeks to place the communication about the King’s health within the context of Oyo’s own expectations and wishes at the time.
It also offers a glimpse into the monarch’s hopes before his death, suggesting that he expected to overcome his health challenges and return to his Kingdom.
For many Batooro, the explanation is likely to form part of the wider discussion about the late King’s final days, particularly because his death came as a shock to a population that had expected his return.
‘Now is not the time to debate’
Despite acknowledging that there were other questions surrounding the King’s death and his time abroad, Rwomiire said the funeral period was not the appropriate moment to settle them.
He said such issues would have to be handled through the appropriate forums after the King has been laid to rest.
“Other matters have also been raised. This is neither the time nor the place to debate them,” he said. The Prime Minister warned that allowing such issues to dominate the mourning period could create unnecessary controversy and division at a time when the Kingdom should be united.
He said there would be a proper time and forum to address matters requiring clarification.
“For now, everything else is secondary,” he said. The position represents an appeal for the Kingdom to separate the immediate funeral responsibility from other potentially contentious questions that may require examination in the future.
Rwomiire said the priority should be to receive the King, mourn him and lay him to rest with dignity.
Appeal to media and social media users
The Prime Minister also directed his appeal beyond Kingdom officials, calling on the media, commentators and social media users to exercise restraint.
He warned that words spoken during moments of grief could have consequences long after the funeral.
He urged those discussing the King’s death to consider the impact their statements could have on the unity of Tooro.
“I therefore appeal especially to Kingdom leaders, cultural leaders, public officials, the media, commentators and everyone using social media to exercise restraint,” he said.
Rwomiire said disagreements that might appear manageable during a period of mourning could deepen divisions that could take years to repair.
He asked the public to choose words and actions that unite rather than divide the Batooro.
The appeal comes as social media has become an important platform for public discussion about the late King, his leadership and the circumstances surrounding his death.
The Prime Minister’s message seeks to discourage speculation and personal attacks and instead encourage responsible communication during the funeral period.
Royal Family asked to be given privacy
Rwomiire also appealed to the public and the media to respect the privacy of the Royal Family and those who were closest to King Oyo.
He said the grief of the family was deeply personal and that relatives and close associates should be allowed to mourn without unnecessary intrusion.
“Their grief is deeply personal, and they must be given the space to mourn without intrusion, unnecessary speculation or pressure to speak,” he said.
He called for the family’s privacy and dignity to be respected throughout the mourning period.
The appeal reflects the increasingly public nature of royal funerals, where family members, Kingdom officials and other individuals close to the deceased often come under intense public scrutiny. Rwomiire said the focus should instead remain on giving the late monarch a peaceful and honourable farewell.
‘Tooro must come first’
The Prime Minister framed the King’s funeral as a defining moment for the Kingdom and its people. He said future generations would remember not only that Tooro lost its King, but also how the people responded to his death.
He urged Batooro to ensure that the legacy of the mourning period is one of unity rather than conflict. “Future generations will remember not only that Tooro lost its King, but also how we conducted ourselves in this moment of grief,” Rwomiire said.
He said the people should be remembered as having chosen unity over division, service over posturing and leadership over controversy.
The statement therefore goes beyond an appeal for calm during the funeral. It presents the mourning period as a test of the Kingdom’s institutions, leadership and people.
With the return of the King’s body, attention is expected to shift from questions surrounding his final days to the formal ceremonies leading to his burial. Rwomiire said all Batooro should remain focused on the immediate responsibility before them.
“Our duty now is simple: to receive our King with honour, lay him to rest with dignity, and stand together as one people,” he said. The Prime Minister urged the people to remain united until the final burial rites are completed.
“Until His Majesty has been laid to rest, let us remain united and focused on giving him the peaceful and honourable farewell he deserves,” he said.
He concluded with a message that places the interests of the Kingdom above individual disagreements. “In all that we say and do, Tooro must come first,” Rwomiire said.
As the Kingdom prepares to receive the remains of Oyo, the statement places unity at the centre of the mourning process, while leaving wider questions surrounding the late monarch’s final days for a later time.
For now, Rwomiire wants the Kingdom to speak with one voice, protect the dignity of the Royal Family and ensure that the final journey of the 12th Omukama of Tooro is marked by the respect and honour expected of a king.
The challenge, however, will be translating the appeal into action at a time when grief, public interest and unanswered questions have combined to create intense attention around the Kingdom.
For the Prime Minister, the answer is clear: the funeral should come first, disagreements should wait, and the people of Tooro should demonstrate unity in honour of their fallen King.
Earlier tensions over the Kingdom’s leadership
The Prime Minister’s call for unity comes against the background of earlier tensions within the Tooro Kingdom leadership, particularly between Rwomiire and a section of the Kingdom’s cultural leadership headed by Omusuuga.
The disagreements have exposed differences over the management of the Kingdom’s affairs and, more importantly, the flow of information among the institutions responsible for safeguarding Tooro’s cultural traditions and the monarchy.
The tensions have become more sensitive following President Yoweri Museveni’s announcement that the late Omukama Oyo had left an heir.
The revelation has raised questions among some cultural leaders, who say they were not aware of the existence of an heir before the President’s announcement.
The cultural heads, particularly those led by Omusuuga, are understood to be concerned about how such information could emerge publicly without first being communicated to the relevant cultural institutions.
The issue is potentially significant because the question of succession to the Tooro throne is not merely a private family matter. It carries cultural and institutional implications for the Kingdom, whose traditional leadership structures have historically played a central role in determining and managing matters concerning the monarchy.
The President’s announcement has therefore added another layer of uncertainty at an already difficult moment for the Kingdom.
For cultural leaders who say they were unaware of the heir, the question is not only who the heir is, but also why information of such significance was not shared with them and what procedures will be followed regarding the succession.
The development has inevitably intensified scrutiny of the people and institutions that were closest to the late King during his final years.
It also comes at a time when questions have already been raised about communication concerning Oyo’s prolonged stay abroad, his health and the circumstances surrounding his final days.
Rwomiire seeks to put controversy aside
It is against this backdrop that Rwomiire has urged the various factions within Tooro to put aside their differences until after the funeral.
His statement appears designed, in part, to prevent the disagreements that have previously characterised relations between sections of the Kingdom’s leadership from spilling into the King’s funeral arrangements or becoming a source of further division.
By insisting that “there will be a proper time and forum” to address matters requiring clarification, the Prime Minister appears to be drawing a line between the immediate responsibility of burying the King and the potentially contentious questions surrounding the Kingdom’s future.
The succession question, in particular, could become one of the most important issues confronting Tooro after the burial.
The revelation that Oyo left an heir has potentially changed the conversation about the future of the monarchy, but the absence of publicly established details has left cultural leaders and the wider public seeking clarification.
Rwomiire’s statement does not directly address the reported heir. Instead, he maintains that other matters should not be allowed to distract the Kingdom from giving Oyo a dignified farewell.
This could provide temporary breathing space for the competing institutions, but it is unlikely to remove the questions that have already emerged.
Funeral first, succession later
The Prime Minister’s position is that the funeral should be allowed to proceed without being overtaken by the succession debate.
That message is particularly important because the return of Oyo’s body is expected to bring together members of the Royal Family, Kingdom officials, cultural leaders, government representatives and thousands of mourners.
Any open confrontation among the Kingdom’s leadership during the ceremonies could overshadow the farewell to a monarch who reigned for more than three decades.
Rwomiire therefore wants the focus to remain on mourning. But beyond the funeral lies a potentially complicated period in which questions about the future leadership of Tooro will have to be addressed.
Among them will be the status of the reported heir, the role of the Royal Family, the position of the cultural institutions and the process through which the next Omukama will be recognised.
For now, however, Rwomiire is asking all sides to hold their positions. His message is that the disagreements can be addressed later, but the opportunity to give King Oyo a dignified final farewell will come only once.
Stronger ending
The Prime Minister’s unity statement therefore comes at one of the most delicate moments in the recent history of Tooro Kingdom.
The Kingdom is mourning the death of a monarch who ascended the throne as a child and became one of the most recognisable traditional leaders in Uganda.
At the same time, unresolved questions about the King’s final days, the communication surrounding his health and the revelation that he reportedly left an heir have created a new layer of uncertainty.
For cultural leaders who say they were unaware of the heir, the President’s announcement has heightened the need for clarity. For the Kingdom administration, the immediate priority is to ensure that those questions do not derail the King’s funeral.
Rwomiire’s appeal is consequently both a mourning message and a call for a temporary truce among competing centres of authority.
He wants Batooro to remember Oyo not through the disagreements that may follow his death, but through his contribution to Tooro and Uganda.
Whether that unity will survive the funeral will depend largely on how the outstanding questions are handled afterwards.
For now, the Prime Minister’s message remains unequivocal: Tooro must come first, the King must be buried with dignity, and the difficult questions must wait.
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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