The body of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV returned to Uganda on Friday, days after the Tooro monarch died of cancer in the United States at the age of 34.
King Oyo, who was undergoing treatment in the US, died on August 27. His burial is scheduled for September 12 following several days of official mourning and traditional ceremonies in the western Tooro Kingdom.
President Yoweri Museveni joined members of the royal family and other dignitaries at Entebbe International Airport to receive the king’s remains.
His casket, covered with the Ugandan and Tooro Kingdom flags, was met with a solemn ceremony. Museveni placed a wreath beside it and bowed before the coffin.
The casket was later transferred to a military helicopter for the journey to Tooro, where the formal mourning period will take place.
“We don’t really believe that His Majesty is no longer with us,” lawmaker Jennifer Mujungu said at the airport. “It is as if we are still dreaming, and I wish it could really be a dream.”
King Oyo ascended the throne in 1995 at the age of three, making him the world’s youngest reigning monarch at the time. Footage from his coronation showed the young king playing with a toy as he sat beneath oversized ceremonial robes and a large royal crown—an image that endeared him to many Ugandans.
The Tooro Kingdom, located near the Rwenzori Mountains, is among Uganda’s traditional monarchies. Although Uganda is governed as a constitutional republic, the country’s historic kingdoms retain significant cultural and social influence.
Davis Mugenyi, a member of the royal family, described the king’s return as a deeply painful moment.
“He was someone who left laughing, someone who had his whole life ahead of him,” Mugenyi said.
Beyond his ceremonial responsibilities, King Oyo served as a United Nations goodwill ambassador and advocated for efforts to combat HIV and AIDS. The UN issued a tribute following his death.
The king was unmarried, but Tooro Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki said an heir had been designated and that the monarchy’s succession was secure.
