President Yoweri Museveni has directed that the late Omukama of Tooro, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, be accorded an official burial, with Ugandan flags to fly at half-mast for three days in honour of the fallen monarch.
King Oyo died on Thursday night, August 27, 2026, at the age of 34 following a battle with an aggressive form of cancer, bringing to an end a reign that began when he was only three years old.
In a condolence message to the people of Uganda, Museveni described the death of the young monarch as a profound loss to both the Tooro Kingdom and the country.
“It is with a lot of sadness that, on behalf of all Ugandans, Maama Janet and myself, I extend our most heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family of Tooro and to all Ugandans on account of the death of the prominent Muzzukulu, His Highness Oyo, the King of Tooro, at such a young age of 34. How unfair life can be! He was orphaned while still young and he has died young,” Museveni said.
Flags to fly at half-mast
The President ordered that King Oyo receive an official burial and directed that all Ugandan flags be flown at half-mast for three consecutive days.
The mourning period will cover the day before the burial, the burial day and the day after.
“I direct that H.H. Oyo be given an official burial and, for three days, all the flags fly at half-mast. The three days are: the day of the burial, the day before and the day after. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” Museveni said.
The directive places the death of the Tooro monarch among the country’s significant national moments, with state institutions expected to observe the official mourning arrangements.
Museveni praises Oyo’s leadership
Museveni also praised King Oyo for maintaining cooperation with both the Central Government and local authorities in efforts to advance development in Tooro.
“In the short life on earth, he had shown that he had the potential to work well with the Central and Local Governments to develop Tooro. What a loss to Tooro and Uganda,” he said.
The President said Oyo had also avoided turning the cultural institution into a platform for sectarian politics, urging other cultural leaders to follow what he described as a constructive approach.
“H.H. Oyo worked well with the Central Government, thereby avoiding the mistake of trying to use the Cultural Institutions that were restored by the NRM to promote sectarianism. It would be good if all the Cultural leaders understood the importance of this,” Museveni said.
Government supported cancer treatment abroad
Museveni revealed that the Government became involved in supporting the Royal Family after Nyinomukama Best Kemigisa informed him that the King had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.
“Some months back, Her Royal Highness Kemigisa, Nyinomukama, came to tell me that the Muzzukulu Oyo had cancer that was very aggressive. The Government supported them to go to Germany and then the USA, where he died,” Museveni said.
The disclosure comes as tributes continue to pour in for a monarch whose life was closely intertwined with the modern history of the Tooro Kingdom.
Young heir left behind
Despite the death of the King, Museveni said the Tooro royal line continues, revealing that Oyo left behind a young son who is expected to become his heir.
“Fortunately, in a telephone call, Her Royal Highness Kemigisa told me that H.H. Oyo left a young boy heir who will be introduced to the public at the right time,” he said.
The announcement adds a new chapter to the succession of the Tooro monarchy, which Oyo inherited as a young child following the death of his father, Omukama Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III.
A reign that began in childhood
King Oyo ascended the Tooro throne in 1995, aged just three, following the death of his father. His coronation made him one of the world’s youngest monarchs and, over the decades that followed, he grew into one of Uganda’s most prominent cultural leaders.
His death at 34 closes a 31-year reign that spanned his entire childhood, youth and early adulthood.
For Tooro, his passing marks the end of an extraordinary royal era and the beginning of another, as the kingdom prepares to mourn its longest-serving modern monarch while awaiting the formal introduction of his young heir.
