KAMPALA — President Yoweri Museveni has confirmed that Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV died after battling an aggressive form of cancer.
The Omukama died on Thursday at the age of 34 while receiving treatment in the United States, bringing to an end a nearly 31-year reign that began when he was just three years old.
In a message mourning the king, Mr Museveni said Queen Mother Best Kemigisa had informed him months ago that her son was suffering from a highly aggressive form of cancer.
He said the government had supported the Royal Family in efforts to secure treatment for the monarch, first in Germany and later in the United States.
Mr Museveni described King Oyo’s death as a loss to both Tooro and Uganda, saying the young monarch had shown potential to work with central and local governments on the development of the region.
“It is with a lot of sadness that I extend our most heartfelt condolences to the Royal Family of Tooro and to all Ugandans,” Mr Museveni said.
He also reflected on the circumstances of the king’s life, noting that Oyo had lost his father while still young and had himself died at a relatively young age.
King Oyo was born on April 16, 1992, and ascended the Tooro throne on September 12, 1995, following the death of his father, Omukama Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III.
His accession at the age of three made him the world’s youngest reigning traditional monarch, a distinction that brought international attention to the Tooro Kingdom.
For nearly three decades, he remained the cultural head of the Tooro people in western Uganda and played a prominent role in the kingdom’s cultural affairs.
Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki announced the king’s death on Thursday evening, describing it as an “immeasurable loss”.
The kingdom has said the succession of the crown is assured. It said King Oyo left behind a young prince who is expected to succeed him, but that the heir’s identity will be announced in accordance with Tooro customs and traditions.
King Oyo never married. He is survived by Queen Mother Best Kemigisa and his sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale.
Mourning and traditional rites have begun in Tooro, with arrangements for the king’s burial expected to follow the kingdom’s customs alongside official government arrangements.
