Remains of Omukama Oyo arrive in Tooro for historic farewell

What the report says

The Independent Uganda reports that the remains of Tooro Kingdom’s Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV have arrived in his kingdom, beginning a funeral procession that drew large crowds and strong emotion across western Uganda. The casket was flown by a Uganda People’s Defence Forces helicopter from Entebbe and landed at Humura Uganda Playground in Kyegegwa District before being moved by hearse toward Fort Portal City.

According to the report, President Yoweri Museveni received the remains at Entebbe International Airport before they were transferred to Kyegegwa. Mourners gathered along the route, alongside Members of Parliament from the Tooro region, kingdom officials, religious leaders, political figures and residents. Among those accompanying the casket were the Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, Princess Ruth Komuntale, Princess Elizabeth Bagaya and other royal family members. Prayers were held at the playground before the procession continued through Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo, Kabarole and into Fort Portal.

The article says the remains were to be received at Karuzika Palace by the Babiito clan leadership, the chief priest and other kingdom officials, with thousands already waiting there. It also notes the journey has a historical resonance, comparing it with the transport of a Tooro king’s remains in 1928. Oyo became king in 1995 at age three after the death of his father, making his reign one of the most closely followed in the kingdom’s modern history. The procession is being treated not only as a burial rite but also as a significant moment in Tooro’s public memory and royal tradition.