Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has revealed that King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, the late monarch of the Tooro Kingdom, died after battling an aggressive form of cancer.
Museveni disclosed the details while mourning the death of the 34-year-old king and announcing that the government would accord him an official burial.
The revelation provides the first detailed account from the Ugandan government about the illness that preceded the death of one of Africa’s best-known traditional monarchs.
According to Museveni, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa had informed him several months ago that King Oyo was battling aggressive cancer. The President said the government subsequently supported the royal family in seeking specialised medical treatment for the king abroad.
Museveni said the government assisted the Tooro Royal Family in taking the monarch abroad for medical care. King Oyo was first taken to Germany for specialised treatment before subsequently travelling to the United States, where he died.
The President’s account provides further insight into the efforts made to treat the young monarch before his death. Museveni described the death as particularly painful given Oyo’s young age and his long reign as the cultural leader of the Tooro people.
In his condolence message, the President reflected on the unpredictability of life and mourned the loss of the monarch.
“How unfair life can be!! He was orphaned while still young and he has died young,” he mourned.
The disclosure of Oyo’s illness comes after a period in which details surrounding his health had remained limited.
Following the king’s death, Museveni directed that Oyo receive an official burial. He also ordered national flags to fly at half-mast for three days as Uganda mourns the monarch.
The government will work with the Tooro Kingdom to organise the funeral and ensure that the late king receives the honours accorded to him. The decision reflects Oyo’s position as one of Uganda’s most prominent traditional leaders and his significance to the Tooro community.
Although traditional kings do not exercise political authority in Uganda, they continue to play an important cultural and social role among their communities.
Museveni also revealed that King Oyo left behind a young son who is expected to become his heir. The President said the child’s identity and details about his succession would be formally communicated by the Tooro Royal Family at an appropriate time.
Oyo had occupied the Tooro throne since childhood, making his reign one of the most remarkable in modern African royal history. He succeeded his father, King Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, after his death in 1995.
Oyo was only three years old when he became Omukama of Tooro. His coronation took place in 1995, when he was still a child.
