Tooro PM defends concealing King Oyo’s illness

What the report says

The Observer reports that Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki has defended his role in keeping late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV’s illness private, saying he was acting on the king’s direct instructions. In a statement posted on his official X account, Rwomiire said the public explanation that King Oyo was abroad for studies, and later that he was well, was communicated to respect the monarch’s wishes and privacy.

The remarks come amid controversy over what senior kingdom officials knew about the king’s health during his prolonged stay abroad. According to the report, criticism intensified after the king’s death when Omusuga Charles Kamurasi, head of the Babiito royal clan, accused Rwomiire of withholding information and misleading the people of Tooro. Rwomiire previously denied reports that the king was receiving treatment overseas when he spoke at a Youth Conference launch on August 3.

Rwomiire said he did not want to turn the matter into a public dispute during mourning and urged leaders, the media and social media users to avoid deepening divisions. He appealed for unity, dignity and restraint as the kingdom prepares to receive the body and bury the late monarch. The report says King Oyo died on August 28, 2026, aged 34, and that the Health minister told Parliament the cause was cancer. His remains are expected in Uganda on September 4, with burial planned for September 12.