The remains of the late Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV will arrive in Uganda on Friday as the Tooro Kingdom prepares to begin the final stages of mourning and traditional funeral rites.
Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister (Omuhikirwa) Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki confirmed the revised programme on Wednesday, ending earlier uncertainty over when the late monarch’s remains would return to Uganda.
The casket will be received at Entebbe International Airport, where President Yoweri Museveni is expected to pay his respects and convey condolences to the royal family before the body is transported to Tooro.
According to the revised programme, the remains will first be taken to Kyegegwa District before proceeding by road in a procession to Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal.
The return of the king’s remains will mark a significant transition in the mourning period, with traditional funeral ceremonies expected to shift to Tooro under the authority of the kingdom’s customary institutions.
Before the king’s remains arrive in Tooro, Parliament will on Thursday hold a special sitting to honour the late monarch and reflect on his contribution to Tooro and Uganda.
Parliament had already mourned King Oyo during its sitting on Tuesday, with Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth describing his death as a deeply painful loss to both Tooro and the country.
“When a king departs, it is not only a family that mourns, a kingdom mourns, a people mourn and the nation feels the loss,” Oboth said.
MPs also observed a moment of silence for the late king, while the Speaker announced that a motion would be brought before the House to pay tribute to his life and contribution.
Musuuga to Lead Traditional Funeral Rites
The royal funeral will also place the Babiito royal clan at the centre of the traditional rites, with the Musuuga, the head of the royal clan, expected to oversee key cultural arrangements.
Tooro Kingdom recently issued protocols governing the funeral and succession process, placing Charles Kamurasi, head of the Babiito royal clan, at the centre of the traditional arrangements.
The resolutions were reached during a kingdom meeting held at Karuziika Palace on August 28.
The royal clan has also clarified that, according to Tooro custom, the official mourning period begins when the king’s remains arrive at Karuziika Palace.
This creates a distinction between the national mourning activities taking place in Kampala and the traditional rites that will formally begin once the remains return to Tooro.
King Oyo Died at 34
King Oyo died at approximately 10pm on Thursday, August 27, 2026, according to an official announcement issued by the Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister.
The king had been receiving medical treatment in the United States. However, his family and the kingdom have not publicly disclosed the specific cause of death.
Earlier on August 27, Rwomiire informed the public that the king was in critical condition and appealed for prayers and goodwill before the kingdom announced his death hours later.
From Three-Year-Old King to National Figure
Born on April 16, 1992, Oyo became Omukama of Tooro following the death of his father, King Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, in 1995.
He was just three years old.
His accession on September 12, 1995 made him the world’s youngest reigning monarch, a distinction recognised by Guinness World Records.
Because of his young age, Oyo initially ruled under regents, with members of the royal family helping oversee the kingdom until he reached adulthood.
Over nearly 31 years on the throne, he grew from the internationally recognised “boy king” into a prominent cultural figure associated with cultural preservation, tourism, environmental conservation and development initiatives.
Who Will Succeed King Oyo?
As Tooro prepares to bury its king, attention is also turning to the question of who will inherit the throne.
Immediately after announcing Oyo’s death, Rwomiire said the late king had left behind a prince who would serve as his heir, although the identity would be revealed at the appropriate time in accordance with Tooro traditions.
The Babiito royal clan has maintained that it has a traditional role in determining the next monarch.
The kingdom has established a 21-member committee to participate in identifying Oyo’s successor, while maintaining that funeral and succession matters remain under the authority of the Musuuga.
For now, however, the immediate focus remains on bringing King Oyo’s remains back to the kingdom he inherited as a three-year-old.
His Friday arrival will usher Tooro into a new phase of mourning and traditional rites, as the kingdom prepares to bid farewell to a monarch whose reign spanned almost three decades.
