Museveni pays medical, repatriation costs for King Oyo’s remains

What the report says

President Yoweri Museveni has covered the medical and repatriation expenses for the remains of the late Tooro monarch, Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, according to Uganda’s minister for the Presidency, Milly Babalanda, who briefed parliament on Thursday. The Observer reported that the funds are being used to bring the body from the United States back to Uganda, with the route described as running from Dallas through Nairobi to Entebbe.

Babalanda said the government is coordinating the funeral with the Tooro royal family and the kingdom. The remains are expected at Entebbe International Airport on Friday morning, before being moved to Kyegegwa and then by road to Fort Portal. They are due to lie in state at Karuzika Royal Palace from September 4 to September 12, with the public, friends and dignitaries allowed to pay respects during that period.

The burial is scheduled for September 12, a date that would have marked the king’s 31st coronation anniversary. The day will include a church service at St John’s Cathedral, followed by the traditional Kutabaza procession to the royal burial grounds. Government has also mobilised security, protocol, health and logistical support at several sites, including Entebbe, Karuzika, Buziga and Karambi, while foreign delegations are expected to attend.

The report said King Oyo died of cancer on August 28, 2026, aged 34. More broadly, it places the funeral within Uganda’s wider state and cultural protocols for a major royal burial, involving military, health and transport arrangements.