NAIROBI, Kenya- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has directed that the late King of Tooro, His Highness Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, be accorded an official burial and ordered national flags to fly at half-mast for three days in his honour.
Museveni announced while mourning the 34-year-old monarch, who died on Thursday while receiving medical treatment in the United States.
The President said the three-day period will cover the day before the burial, the burial day and the day after.
Museveni also revealed that King Oyo left behind a young son who is expected to become his heir.
According to the President, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa informed him about the heir during a telephone conversation.
He said the young boy will be introduced to the public at the appropriate time, in accordance with the traditions of the Tooro Royal Family.
“Fortunately, in a telephone call, Her Royal Highness Kemigisa told me that H.H. Oyo left a young boy heir that will be introduced to the public at the right time,” Museveni said.
The revelation provides an early indication of succession within the Tooro Kingdom following the death of King Oyo, who ascended the throne in 1995 at just three years old following the death of his father.
He went on to reign for more than three decades and became one of Uganda’s most prominent traditional leaders.
Museveni also praised the late King for maintaining what he described as a constructive relationship with the Central Government.
“H.H. Oyo worked well with the Central Government,” Museveni said, arguing that the monarch avoided using restored cultural institutions to promote sectarianism.
He urged other cultural leaders to follow what he described as King Oyo’s approach, saying cultural institutions should not be used to advance sectarian interests.
The President’s remarks come as Uganda mourns the death of a monarch who had been a central cultural figure in Tooro since childhood.
Museveni had earlier disclosed that Queen Mother Kemigisa told him months ago that King Oyo was suffering from an aggressive form of cancer.
He said the government supported the royal family in seeking treatment first in Germany and later in the United States, where the King died.
King Oyo’s death now leaves the Tooro Kingdom preparing for a transition, with the identity and public introduction of his young heir expected to become an important part of the kingdom’s next chapter.
