For nearly 31 years, Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukiidi IV stood at the centre of Tooro’s cultural and royal life, taking the throne as a child and growing into one of the longest-serving monarchs in the kingdom’s history.
The Omukama, who died on August 27, 2026, while out of the country, will be laid to rest on Saturday, September 12, at the Karambi Royal Tombs along the Fort Portal-Kasese Road.
Oyo was enthroned on September 12, 1995, following the death of his father, King Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III. He was only three years old at the time.
For the first 15 years of his reign, the young king ruled alongside regents who guided the affairs of the kingdom until he attained the age of 18 in 2010 and began taking a more direct role in its administration.
Now, as the Batooro prepare to lay him to rest, residents from across the kingdom’s nine counties say his three decades on the throne left a lasting mark on Tooro.
They describe a monarch who inherited a traditional institution at a very young age but gradually embraced modernisation, youth empowerment, tourism, sports, agriculture and technology while maintaining the kingdom’s cultural identity.
Here are 10 things Tooro will remember about King Oyo’s leadership.
His resilience in carrying the crown
For many Batooro, one of King Oyo’s greatest legacies was simply his resilience in carrying the crown for nearly three decades, making him one of the longest-serving kings.
Mr Anatoli Kobusinge, a resident of Kamwenge District in Kitagwenda County for the Kingdom, said that when Oyo was enthroned, many people doubted whether a child could sustain the institution for long.
He said the young king, however, remained at the centre of Tooro’s cultural and royal affairs despite the challenges that came with ascending the throne at such a tender age.
‘We are sad that we lost him at the time when we wanted him more. He showed the resilience of carrying the crown for all those years. He was challenged while on the throne. I remember when Prince David Kijanangoma wanted to overthrow him in 2013, but he remained strong. Batooro were behind him up to the time of his death,’ Mr Kobusinge said.
Keeping Tooro’s culture at the centre of his reign
King Oyo will also be remembered for keeping Tooro’s cultural identity at the centre of his reign.
Mr Tom Byamukama, a resident of Bunyangabu District who was found mourning at Karuziika Palace, said the king consistently used his annual coronation anniversaries to bring Batooro together and celebrate their traditions and heritage.
‘A king is a custodian of culture and the head of all clans in the kingdom. Despite modernisation, our king has been there for our culture. In some of his speeches, he told people to produce children. He also introduced Ekyoto, and at every coronation we had Ekyoto Ha Mpango,’ Mr Byamukama said.
He said under Oyo, cultural gatherings increasingly became platforms where the kingdom discussed not only tradition but also development, education, youth affairs and the future of Tooro.
His vision for the future of Tooro
In 2021, during his 26th coronation anniversary, he unveiled a 25-year development vision running up to 2045, with a vision focused on areas including culture, youth empowerment, health, tourism and poverty reduction.
By the time of his death, only five years of the 25-year plan had been implemented, but his subjects point to several initiatives as evidence that the vision had already begun taking shape.
One of the beneficiaries was Ms Gorret Kabangenyi, a former student at the kingdom’s youth skills programme.
‘My parents had no hope of paying my fees anymore, but when the youth centre was opened, I joined and studied tailoring for six months. Can you imagine I now operate my own shop? I make money, and to me Oyo has transformed my life. I am happy for him, though he has gone early,’ she said.
She said many other young people had acquired practical skills that enabled them to find employment or start their own businesses.
His investment in young people and technology
His administration embraced technology through initiatives such as the Kingdom Youth ICT and Business Centre, developed with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The centre was intended to equip young people with ICT skills and create opportunities for business and employment, connecting the cultural institution with the demands of the modern economy.
Although the centre had not been fully commissioned by the time of Oyo’s death, young people said completing the project should remain a priority for the incoming administration.
Mr Benson Musinguzi, a youth, said Oyo understood that the future of the kingdom depended heavily on its young population.
‘King Oyo understood that the future of Tooro was in its young people. His support for the ICT and Business Centre showed that he wanted our generation to have skills that could help us compete in the modern economy. That is something many young people will remember him for,’ he said.
He said the king wanted young people to connect to the opportunities created by the digital age.
Promoting Tooro as a tourism destination
King Oyo also promoted Tooro’s cultural and natural heritage as a foundation for tourism and economic development, where in 2021, he launched Ekyoto Ha Mpango Festival at Muchwa, the kingdom headquarters, in partnership with UNDP and the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities.
The festival provided a platform to showcase Tooro’s culture while bringing together discussions on development and the preservation of the kingdom’s heritage.
In August 2022, he led a 10-day Rwenzori Royal Expedition to Margherita Peak, the highest point of the Rwenzori Mountains.
Mr Michael Wandera, the Kingdom Sports Minister, said the expedition would remain an important part of the king’s legacy because it combined royal leadership with efforts to promote tourism in Tooro.
Defending people living on kingdom land
Some subjects will remember Oyo for his position on evictions from kingdom land. Mr Alex Muhumuza from Burahya County in Kabarole District said many kingdom tenants lived with uncertainty over their future because of threats of eviction.
He said Oyo’s repeated calls for people not to be forcibly evicted gave tenants a sense of security.
‘In the past years, people across the kingdom could not sleep because we often heard that we would soon be evicted. Even some of his ministers were on our necks. But during some of his coronation anniversaries, including in 2025, he repeated his words that no one would be evicted. We were all happy,’ Mr Muhumuza said.
During his 28th coronation anniversary in 2023, Oyo said, ‘No one should be forced out of kingdom land, but it is crucial to work with the kingdom to secure a land title.’
Using sport to unite the kingdom
Sport was another area where Oyo sought to bring Batooro together. In 2022, his administration, in partnership with MTN Uganda, launched the Tooro Kingdom Masaza Cup, a tournament involving teams representing all nine counties of the kingdom.
The competition offered a cash prize and trophy to the winning county and quickly became one of the kingdom’s major sporting events.
By the time of Oyo’s death, the tournament had reached its fifth edition, bringing together young people and communities from across Tooro. The king had been expected to preside over the football and netball finals on September 6 before his death.
Beyond competition, the Masaza Cup provided a platform for promoting unity, talent development and interaction among young people from different parts of the kingdom.
His dream for Tooro Kingdom stadium
One of Oyo’s development dreams that remained unfinished was the construction of a modern stadium for Tooro. In April this year, a title for 50 acres of land earmarked for the proposed stadium was handed over to the government for consideration.
Kingdom Prime Minister Mr Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire said the kingdom would unveil the location if the government confirms that the land is suitable for the proposed facility.
Following Oyo’s death, Mr Rwomiire renewed the call for the government to honour its pledge and make the stadium a reality.
‘When the government called for free land for the stadium, His Majesty personally answered that call by offering 50 acres of his own land. He did so because he deeply believed in this project and looked forward to seeing a modern stadium built for his people,’ Mr Rwomiire said.
For his subjects, the stadium will therefore remain part of Oyo’s unfinished legacy.
Promoting modern agriculture
King Oyo also sought to use agriculture as a tool for improving household incomes among his subjects. He established the King Oyo Model Farm in Bugaki Sub-county, Kyenjojo District, where farmers could learn modern agricultural practices.
The farm demonstrated enterprises including coffee, poultry, cattle, pineapples, tomatoes, bananas and goat keeping. Oyo said the farm was established to provide his subjects with practical knowledge at no cost.
‘I started the model farm for my people to come here and learn for free and implement the plan in their communities. Our vision is to see similar model farms established in every county of the kingdom for our people,’ he said.
By the time of his death, the model-farm concept had been expanded under the Youth Economic Empowerment Programme, with farms being established across the kingdom’s nine counties.
Some were already operational. for example, in Kyaka County in Kyegegwa District, the model farm had been completed, awaiting commissioning.
Mr Arinaitwe Samuel from Kyenjojo District said the farm had benefited local residents by giving them practical knowledge.
‘The biggest benefit was the model farm, and we from Kyenjojo were close beneficiaries. I have been to the farm countless times and have learnt modern methods of farming. I now have one acre of coffee and tomatoes, using the knowledge I got from his farm,’ he said.
Battle to reclaim Tooro Kingdom properties
By the time of Omukama Oyo’s death, one of the longest-running unresolved issues of his 31-year reign was the return of properties that Tooro Kingdom says were confiscated by the government following the abolition of traditional institutions in 1967.
In February 2019, Oyo met Museveni at State House, again arguing that the delayed return of the properties was weakening the kingdom financially. The talks resulted in a 2019 Memorandum of Understanding and a joint verification process. Government also provided Shs2b to support kingdom infrastructure, although this did not constitute restitution of the disputed properties.
Formal verification began in July 2020 though government officials said verified occupants would not be evicted. Rather, some would be issued certificates of occupancy, while the kingdom would be compensated where appropriate.
Despite these efforts, the wider property dispute remained unresolved, leaving the restitution campaign as one of the major unfinished issues of his reign.
Kingdom officials repeatedly said the government had returned only 17 land titles equivalent to 13 square miles of land out of about 120 claimed by Tooro amounting to roughly 120 square miles of territory. A 2019 government-Kingdom agreement placed the outstanding claim at 103 titles.