culture 3 September 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Musuuga to formally receive King Oyo's body at Karuziika Palace
The remains of Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV are set to arrive in Uganda on Friday, with the cultural reception at Karuziika Palace to be led by Omujwera Musuuga Charles Kamurasi. This event carries significant weight amid recent internal kingdom disagreements. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/musuuga-to-receive-king-oyo-s-body-at-karuziika-palace-5582448
The final journey of the late Tooro King, Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, will commence on Friday, September 5, 2026, with the arrival of his remains at Entebbe International Airport around 10 am. Queen Mother Best Kemigisa Akiiki will accompany the body on its flight from Nairobi.
Following a brief, private mourning session with President Museveni at the airport, the King’s remains will be airlifted to Kyegegwa Airstrip. From there, a hearse will transport the body on a road journey to Fort Portal, the heart of Tooro Kingdom.
No official stops are planned along the route, though the procession is anticipated to slow as it nears Fort Portal and its destination, Karuziika Palace. Security will be managed by the police and army, with the public permitted to line the route to witness the procession.
Upon arrival at Karuziika Palace on Friday evening, the formal cultural reception will be led by Omujwera Musuuga Charles Kamurasi, the elder statesman of the ruling Babiito clan. This role is particularly significant given recent internal disagreements within the kingdom regarding the handling of the late King’s affairs and public statements by senior officials.
Despite these internal rifts, the funeral program aims to set differences aside during the official mourning period, which will run from September 5 to September 12. The King’s remains will lie in state at Karuziika Palace, allowing the public to pay their respects. The burial is scheduled for September 12 at Karambi, following a final service at St John’s Cathedral in Fort Portal City, a date that notably coincides with what would have been King Oyo’s 31st coronation anniversary.
King Oyo, who passed away at 34 in the United States after battling an aggressive form of cancer, ascended to the throne in 1995 at the age of three, becoming the world’s youngest reigning monarch. His nearly three-decade reign cemented his status as a prominent and admired traditional leader in Uganda.