Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki has called for healing, reconciliation and institutional renewal following the burial of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, urging the kingdom to put aside personal interests and place Tooro first.
With the final rites for King Oyo now complete, Tooro Kingdom is being urged to move beyond mourning and begin the difficult work of rebuilding trust, strengthening its institutions and healing the divisions exposed during one of the darkest periods in its recent history.
In a message of appreciation to the people of Tooro and everyone who supported the late king’s final journey, Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki said the kingdom’s immediate duty had been to ensure that King Oyo was laid to rest with the dignity and honour befitting the Crown.
“Our responsibility during these difficult days was clear: whatever else was happening around us, we had to see this journey through with the dignity, respect and honour befitting our King,” Akiiki said.
He said the period surrounding the king’s death had placed an enormous responsibility on the kingdom’s leadership, which had to organise a dignified farewell while simultaneously dealing with the pain of losing its monarch.
Prime Minister apologises for shortcomings
Akiiki acknowledged that the funeral arrangements and wider response to the king’s death were not flawless.
“We recognise that everything may not have been done perfectly,” he said, describing the moment as unprecedented for the generation that had to organise it.
He said grief, pressure and the enormity of the responsibility sometimes affected decisions and communication.
“Where we fell short of expectations, where communication could have been better, or where anyone felt disappointed by our actions or omissions, I offer my sincere apologies,” Akiiki said.
But he stressed that any shortcomings should not be interpreted as a lack of respect for the late king.
“We were a people grieving an immense loss while doing everything within our ability to honour our King,” he said.
Special tribute to Prince Jonathan Bala
The Prime Minister gave particular recognition to Prince Jonathan Bala, King Oyo’s Principal Private Secretary, praising his loyalty and service to the late monarch during the difficult period.
Akiiki said Bala carried an enormous personal and official responsibility and remained committed to the king until the very end.
“He carried an enormous personal and official responsibility, often under very difficult circumstances, and continued to serve with dedication until the very end,” he said.
The Prime Minister also thanked the Royal Family, the Government of Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, religious and cultural leaders, organising committees, the media, kingdom leadership, clans and Masaza, volunteers, businesses and partners.
He extended his appreciation to Ugandans across the country, members of the diaspora and friends of Tooro beyond Uganda’s borders.
Whether through money, food, transport, professional expertise, prayers, time or simply their presence, Akiiki said, all those who supported the funeral became part of King Oyo’s final journey.
‘Another journey begins’
But with the king now laid to rest, Akiiki said Tooro must confront the questions left behind by the painful period.
“Now that we have laid His Majesty to rest, another journey begins,” he said.
That journey, according to the Prime Minister, must be about learning, refocusing, rebuilding and healing.
He called on the kingdom to examine what the crisis revealed about its institutions and leadership, strengthen what worked, address what failed and rebuild trust where it had been strained.
“There will be difficult conversations ahead,” Akiiki said, noting that institutional questions would require wisdom and clarity.
He also acknowledged that people would have different opinions about the future of the kingdom.
But he warned that those differences should never become greater than the kingdom itself.
‘This is not the time for winners and losers’
For Akiiki, the transition following King Oyo’s death should not become a battle for personalities, positions or individual interests.
“This is not the time for winners and losers,” he said. “It is the time for responsible leadership, humility and reconciliation.”
The Prime Minister said the death of King Oyo should serve as a reminder that individual positions are temporary, while the kingdom itself must endure beyond the people who lead it.
“His Majesty’s passing should remind us that positions are temporary, but Tooro remains,” he said.
“Personal ambitions pass, disagreements pass and generations pass, but the responsibility of preserving this Kingdom for those who come after us endures.”
His message ended with a simple principle that he said should guide Tooro in the days ahead:
“Tooro comes first.”
Above personalities.
Above positions.
Above disagreements.
Above individual interests.
For Tooro, the burial of King Oyo may have closed a chapter of mourning. But as Akiiki’s message makes clear, the harder chapter—healing the kingdom, rebuilding trust and protecting its future—has only begun.
