It was a sombre mood as President Museveni on Friday received the body of Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV at Entebbe International Airport, describing the late monarch as a good person and leader.
King Oyo’s body arrived at the VIP Terminal at noon aboard an aircraft from the United States, where the King died on August 27 following a cancer-related illness.
The reception was attended by members of the Tooro Royal Family led by Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, Tooro Kingdom officials, government ministers and religious leaders.
After receiving the casket and paying his final respects, President Museveni expressed condolences to the Royal Family, recalling his longstanding relationship with King Oyo and the efforts made to secure specialised medical treatment for him.
“Sorry for the loss of the grandchild, King Oyo. We looked after him, we took him to school, and he grew up, but now the Lord has taken him,” Museveni said.
The President said Queen Mother Kemigisa informed him about the King’s illness in November 2025 during the campaigns ahead of the General Election.
“The Queen Mother came and visited me in November 2025 during the campaigns ahead of the elections, and she told me about this problem of aggressive cancer that had started disturbing the King,” he said.
Museveni said he subsequently supported efforts to secure specialised treatment for the King, first in Germany and later in the United States.
“But they were unable to save the King,” he said.
The President described King Oyo as a good person and leader who served Tooro throughout his reign.
“During his entire leadership as King of Tooro, he was a very good person and leader. May the Lord grant him eternal rest. Amen,” Museveni said.
Solemn reception
Following the aircraft’s arrival, the President proceeded to the flagmast area, where the casket was formally received.
The Uganda Police wrapped the casket in Uganda’s national colours alongside the colours of the Tooro Kingdom before carrying it through a police guard of honour.
President Museveni laid a wreath and paid his final respects as the Uganda Police Brass Band played solemn hymns.
Members of the Cabinet, the Tooro Royal Family, Kingdom officials and religious leaders also paid their respects to the late King.
The President later held a brief meeting with selected members of the Royal Family, including the Queen Mother, at the Presidential Lounge.
The delegation accompanying the body, together with selected members of the Royal Family, subsequently boarded a helicopter to Kyegegwa District.
From Kyegegwa, King Oyo’s remains were expected to be transported to the Karuzika Royal Palace in Fort Portal, where mourners and Tooro subjects would pay their respects.
The kingdom has entered a period of mourning as preparations for the King’s burial continue. King Oyo is scheduled to be buried on September 12, a date that would have marked the 31st anniversary of his coronation.
The return of the King’s body marks the beginning of his final journey home as the Royal Family, Tooro subjects and other Ugandans prepare to bid farewell to the monarch who ascended the throne as a child and reigned for more than three decades.
