Uganda to Observe Three Days of National Mourning for King Oyo

President Yoweri Museveni has ordered a period of three days of national mourning and an official burial for the departed Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV of Tooro Kingdom. The young king passed away on Thursday at the age of 34, following a struggle with cancer.

During the mourning period, national flags will be flown at half-mast on the day preceding the burial, on the burial day itself, and on the day immediately following. President Museveni described King Oyo’s death as a profound loss for both Tooro and Uganda, highlighting the late king’s potential to collaborate with government entities for the kingdom’s development.

The President also noted his relief that King Oyo leaves behind a young son, who will be presented as the heir at an opportune moment. This information was shared with Museveni by King Oyo’s mother, Best Kemigisa, the Nyinomukama of Tooro.

Museveni recalled that the government provided support for the royal family’s efforts to secure medical treatment for King Oyo, initially in Germany and subsequently in the United States, where he ultimately succumbed to his illness. He commended King Oyo for his cooperative relationship with the Central Government and for steering clear of the misuse of restored cultural institutions for divisive purposes.

“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,” Museveni stated, urging other cultural leaders to follow this model to foster development and unity.

President Museveni extended his deepest condolences, on behalf of himself, the First Lady, and the people of Uganda, to the Tooro royal family and the kingdom’s populace. He expressed his sorrow at the king’s premature passing, noting the king’s own experience of losing parents at a young age.

King Oyo ascended the Tooro throne in 1995 at the tender age of three, following the death of his father, Omukama Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III.

Source: The Observer (Uganda)