King Oyo’s hidden cancer battle: From unexplained pain to final treatment in Dallas

What the report says

Sqoop Uganda reports that details of the late Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV’s illness were disclosed during his funeral service at St John’s Cathedral in Fort Portal City, where Ugandan diplomat and kingdom official Guma Komwiswa read a statement on behalf of Queen Mother Best Kemigisa. The service was led by Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu. According to the account, the king’s health problem began with persistent pain in July 2025, but initial checks in Kampala, including an X-ray and MRI, did not identify the cause.

The report says the diagnosis only became clear after further tests in Nairobi following Oyo’s 29th coronation anniversary on September 12, 2025. A PET scan at Aga Khan Hospital reportedly showed angiosarcoma, described as an aggressive cancer. From there, he was taken for treatment in Germany and later the United States, with care at hospitals in Heidelberg and Dallas. The article says chemotherapy ran from November 2025 to February 2026, but the disease remained severe.

Sqoop Uganda adds that President Yoweri Museveni was briefed and helped facilitate treatment abroad. The queen mother’s account says Oyo wanted his condition kept private and told aides to present his travel as work and study. The article says his condition worsened suddenly on August 27, 2026, when he was placed on life support and later pronounced dead in Dallas.

The report places his death in the context of a monarch who had reigned since childhood and was associated with efforts to modernize Tooro while preserving tradition. His burial was scheduled for the Karambi Royal Tombs, where the kingdom’s royal family is laid to rest.