KAMPALA, Uganda- The body of Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV has returned to Uganda, marking the beginning of final funeral rites for the monarch who became the world’s youngest reigning king after ascending the throne at the age of three.
King Oyo’s remains arrived at Entebbe International Airport on Friday, September 4, 2026, aboard a chartered flight from the United States. President Yoweri Museveni was at the airport to receive the body and pay his respects to the late monarch.
The 34-year-old king died in the United States on August 27, after receiving treatment for an aggressive form of cancer. His death brought an end to a reign that lasted nearly 31 years.
Oyo was crowned Omukama of Tooro in 1995 following the death of his father, King Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III.
His accession at the age of three earned him international recognition as the world’s youngest reigning monarch, a distinction associated with him throughout his reign.
Following the ceremony at Entebbe, the body is being airlifted to Kyegegwa District in western Uganda before being transported by road to Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal, the seat of the Tooro Kingdom.
The procession is expected to pass through Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo and Kabarole before entering Fort Portal.
Authorities have allowed mourners to line the route to bid farewell to the king, while police and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces will manage security and traffic.
The arrival of the remains at Karuziika Palace marks the start of the kingdom’s nine-day official mourning period.
The body will lie in state at the palace, where members of the public will be allowed to pay their respects and prayers will be held each evening.
King Oyo is scheduled to be buried at the Karambi Royal Tombs on September 12, a date that would have marked the 31st anniversary of his coronation.
The funeral date carries particular significance for the Tooro Kingdom because Oyo was crowned on September 12, 1995, at just three years old.
This year, the same date will instead mark his final farewell.
His death has also opened questions over the future succession of the Tooro monarchy.
Tooro Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki has said the late king left behind a young son, but members of the Babiito royal clan have said they were not aware of the reported heir and that traditional processes would be required to establish the succession.
Ugandan leaders have continued to pay tribute to Oyo, with Parliament remembering him as a monarch who championed education, health, youth empowerment and development during his long reign.
The return of his body now begins the final chapter of the remarkable story of a boy king who inherited a throne at three and remained one of Africa’s best-known traditional rulers for more than three decades.
