President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has received the body of the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV at Entebbe International Airport, paying tribute to the fallen Tooro monarch and describing him as a good person and leader whose death has deeply saddened the country.
King Oyo’s body arrived at the VIP Terminal at exactly 12:00 noon aboard an aircraft from abroad. The solemn ceremony was attended by members of the Tooro Royal Family led by the Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa, Tooro Kingdom officials, government ministers and religious leaders.
President Museveni personally received the casket and paid his final respects to the late King. Speaking after the ceremony, the President expressed his sadness over the death of the monarch, whom he said he had known and supported from his childhood.
“Sorry for the loss of the grandchild, King Oyo. We looked after him, we took him to school, and he grew up, but now the Lord has taken him,” Museveni said.
The President revealed that the Queen Mother had first informed him about King Oyo’s illness during a meeting in November 2025, while the country was preparing for the General Elections. According to Museveni, she told him that the King was suffering from an aggressive form of cancer.
Museveni said he later supported efforts to secure specialised medical treatment for the young monarch, including treatment in Germany and later in the United States. Despite the efforts made to save his life, the treatment was unsuccessful.
“But they were unable to save the King,” Museveni said.
The President described King Oyo as a good person and leader who served the people of Tooro throughout his reign. He prayed for the late monarch’s soul to rest in peace.
“During his entire leadership as King of Tooro, he was a very good person and leader. May the Lord grant him eternal rest. Amen,” Museveni said.
The arrival of the body was marked by a solemn ceremony that brought together both national and Tooro cultural traditions. After the aircraft landed, President Museveni proceeded to the flagmast area where the casket was formally received.
The Uganda Police wrapped the casket in Uganda’s national colours and the colours of the Tooro Kingdom. It was then carried through a guard of honour mounted by the Uganda Police before being placed at a designated point in front of the President.
Museveni laid a wreath and paid his final respects as the Uganda Police Brass Band played solemn hymns. Members of the Cabinet, the Royal Family, Tooro Kingdom officials and religious leaders also came forward to pay their respects.
The President later met briefly with selected members of the Royal Family, including Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, at the Presidential Lounge.
Following the ceremony, the delegation accompanying the body, together with selected members of the Royal Family, boarded a helicopter heading to Kyegegwa District, where the late King’s final journey will continue.
King Oyo’s body will now be taken through a series of funeral activities as mourners across Tooro prepare to bid farewell to their monarch.
His official burial is scheduled for September 12, a significant date that would have marked the 31st anniversary of his coronation.
The ceremony at Entebbe marked the beginning of King Oyo’s final journey home. His death has brought together the Tooro Royal Family, kingdom officials, government leaders and thousands of mourners who are now preparing to honour a monarch who spent more than three decades as the symbolic head of the Tooro Kingdom.
