By Barnabas Taremwa Bwaniaga, Senior Global Citizen. It has been a terrible week for my family and circle of friends. Towards the end of this month of August, four people close to us have passed away. Yet the loss of my son, my friend, my King, has hit me particularly hard.
I have known King Oyo since he was a young boy, when he studied at Aga Khan Primary School alongside my children. We bonded during those early years, and that bond remained special to me throughout his life.
Even after he was crowned King of Tooro, he would sometimes insist that his driver pass by my home. I had big dogs, and Oyo loved dogs with the innocent excitement of a little child. Those moments remain precious memories.
Later, when he went to university in England, we went for years without seeing each other. But whenever he returned, we would reconnect. I remember one day receiving a message from him saying that he wanted to come and visit me at the farm because he wanted to learn about farming. I was extremely excited at the opportunity to guide him in whatever way I could.
I told him, however, that if he was going to stay with me and truly learn, he would have to allow me to set aside the usual cultural traditions. I wanted to host him not as a king, but first as my son, my friend, and only lastly as my King. He agreed.
King Oyo was one of the best listeners I have ever known. He was thankful, observant, intelligent, respectful, kind, disciplined, and deeply humble. Over the years, he would come to Mbarara and stay with me for several days. It was during those visits that I came to see just how different he was from many of his peers. He had a rare humility and a genuine willingness to learn.
Tooro and Uganda have lost a precious leader and a great citizen—a young man with immense potential whose life held so much promise.
For me, this is not simply the loss of a King. It is the loss of a son, a friend, and someone I had the privilege of watching grow from a young boy into a remarkable man and leader.
I pray that the Almighty God gives strength, comfort, and wisdom to his mother, Queen Mother Betty Kemigisha, his sister Princess Komuntare, the entire royal family, and the people of the Tooro Kingdom during this heartbreaking time.
May God guide and protect the Tooro Kingdom, and may the soul of my beloved King Oyo rest in eternal peace.
You will forever remain my son, my friend, and my King. By Barnabas Taremwa Bwaniaga, Senior Global Citizen.
Important Notes:
- Rukirabasaija Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, was the King of Tooro Kingdom for 31 years, from September 12, 1995 until his death on August 27, 2026, at the age of 34 when he succumbed to aggressive cancer while receiving medical treatment in US.
- The Tooro Kingdom has announced nine days of traditional mourning following his death, with cultural rites already underway to mark the end of his reign and prepare for the burial of the monarch. This mourning period, known as okugaragara, will officially begin when the body arrives at the palace until his send-off. Sendoff arrangements and cultural rituals are underway.
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