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The final farewell to Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV on Saturday, 12th September, will be governed not only by a Christian burial service, but also by a series of ancient Babiito rituals that will determine how the late king is laid to rest and how the next Omukama emerges.

The late Omukama Oyo 34, who died nearly 31 years after ascending the throne in 1995 on 12th September, will be buried at the Karambi Royal Tombs along the Fort Portal-Kasese Road, the traditional burial ground for Tooro’s kings.

Oyo will be the fourth King to be buried at Karambi Royal Tombs, with past kings including David Kyebambe Kasagama, Sir George David Kamurasi Rukidi III, Patrick Mathew Kaboyo Olimi II and now Omukama Oyo.

His burial will mark the end of his reign and, according to the Babiito clan, will also form part of the traditional process through which his successor is identified and protected ahead of enthronement.

Mr Moses Musinguzi, spokesperson for the Babiito clan and a member of the communication committee under the office of Omujwera Musuuga, says the burial will be conducted according to rituals that have been passed down through generations.

He says although a church service will be held at St John’s Cathedral in Fort Portal, the burial itself at the royal tombs will be guided primarily by traditional rituals.

‘The burial will be governed by rituals. It will not only be a church service. The church will play its part, but after the service, the body will be taken to Karambi Royal Tombs, where the traditional rituals will take place,’ Mr Musinguzi says.

From Karuziika Palace to Karambi

The late king’s body, which was returned to Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal on 4th September after his death abroad, has been inside the palace for nine days of mourning and traditional observances.

On the burial day, which will be the ninth day [Saturday] of mourning, the body will leave Karuziika Palace at 8:15 am and be taken to St John’s Cathedral for the church service, which, according to organisers, will begin at 9 am.

He said after the service, the procession will continue to Karambi Royal Tombs, where the body referred to traditionally as Omuguta, will be taken into the royal burial grounds known as Gasani.

Mr Musinguzi says the head of the ritualists, known as Omusuuna, will lead the traditional team responsible for the rituals at Karambi.

As the procession approaches the gate of Gasani [house], a carefully prescribed exchange will take place between Omusuuna and the person responsible for the royal tombs, also known as Katikiro of Gasani.

The nine calls at the royal gate

According to Mr Musinguzi, Omusuuna will call the name of the person in charge of the royal tombs and identify himself and request permission to enter with the body of the late king.

The call will be repeated nine times.

‘The Omusuuna, together with other ritualists, will come with the body of the King. When they reach the Gasani gate, he will call the name of the Prime Minister [Katikiro of Gasani], who takes charge of the royal tombs. He will introduce himself, but he will not respond nine times,’ Mr Musinguzi says.

He says Omusuuna will continue identifying himself and declaring that he has arrived with the body of Omukama Oyo and is seeking permission to enter Gasani for the burial.

Only on the ninth call will permission be granted.

The repeated use of nine is significant in Tooro’s traditional practices and will again feature prominently in the burial and succession rituals.

Church and tradition meet

The burial will also bring together Christian and traditional elements.

Mr Musinguzi says church leaders will enter Gasani and pray while the body is placed near the prepared grave, known as Iziba.

After the prayers, however, the clergy and members of the public will leave the area.

This will allow the ritualists to perform private ceremonies that, according to the Babiito, are not meant for public viewing.

‘The church leaders will be there. They will pray inside the Gasani as the body is near the grave. After that, they will leave and go back outside to allow the ritualists to perform other rituals which are not for the public,’ he says.

Inside the royal grave

The grave where Omukama Oyo will be laid to rest will already have been prepared before the burial ceremony.

Mr Musinguzi says the grave has two levels. The upper section measures approximately six feet by six feet, while the lower section is where the king’s body will be placed.

It is at this point, he says, that the burial ritual will also intersect with the succession of the Tooro throne.

After the clergy leaves, Mr Musinguzi says Omujwera Musuuga will bring the prince who is expected to succeed the late king. The prince will receive nine coffee beans from Omusuuna.

He will then place the beans into the grave one by one.

Mr Musinguzi says the act symbolises the prince participating in the burial of the king before assuming the throne.

‘At this stage, the church leaders will leave, and Musuuga will get the prince who will become the new king. He will be given nine coffee beans by Omusuuna, and he will put them in the grave one by one as a sign of burying the king,’ he says.

After this ritual, the prince and other members of the ceremony will leave the area, with only the ritualists remaining to perform ceremonies that are not open to the public.

The grave will later be covered by people selected for the task.

The burial that doubles as a succession ritual

The most significant part of the ceremony, according to Mr Musinguzi, is what happens to the prince after he participates in the burial.

He says the prince who performs the ritual burial will automatically become the new Omukama in the traditional sense, although the public enthronement will come later.

Immediately after leaving the royal tombs, Mr Musinguzi says Omujwera Musuuga will hand the new king-in-waiting to his maternal uncle.

The maternal uncle will take him to a private and undisclosed place where he will remain until the day of his coronation.

‘According to traditional rituals, Musuuga hands him over to his maternal uncle. He offers much protection because he is the king-in-waiting, and we don’t expect anything bad to happen to him because he is going to be enthroned,’ Mr Musinguzi says.

The protection is intended to shield the king-in-waiting during the sensitive period between the burial and the formal enthronement.

Mr Musinguzi says those who witness the prince being handed over to his maternal uncle will understand that he is the person destined to become the next Omukama.

But the Babiito will not hold a conventional press conference to announce the new king.

Nine more days before enthronement

Traditionally, the burial of a king, known as Okutabaza, is followed by another period of rituals and preparations before the new king is enthroned.

Mr Musinguzi says tradition provides for an additional nine days after the burial during which preparations for the enthronement are undertaken.

However, he says the Babiito may consider adjusting the timetable because the kingdom has already spent considerable time in mourning since Oyo’s death.

‘Traditionally, after the burial of the king, Okutabaza, they are supposed to spend an additional nine days preparing for the enthronement of the king. But the Babiito may decide to make changes because people have already spent many days mourning. Changes can be considered, and a new date for the coronation can be set,’ he says.

Kampala International University (KIU) has emerged as the biggest beneficiary in the latest selection for the Higher Education Students Financing Scheme (HESFS), securing 252 slots in the 2026/2027 Academic Year cohort released by the Ministry of Education and Sports.

Out of 2,793 successful applicants across the country, KIU led all participating institutions, followed by Busitema University with 185 beneficiaries. Muni University ranked third with 179 beneficiaries, while Kyambogo University and Makerere University rounded out the top five with 168 and 160 recipients, respectively.

The new cohort reflects a notable increase in coverage, rising from 2,047 beneficiaries in the 2025/2026 academic year. The successful students are spread across 11 public and 22 chartered private universities, as well as various tertiary institutions offering diploma pro-grammes.

While launching the 13th cohort, the Minister of State for Higher Education, Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo, revealed that female students accounted for 50.2 percent (1,400) of the recipients, slightly outnumbering their male counterparts who took 49.8 percent (1,390). He emphasized that the selections heavily prioritized science-based academic disciplines to address critical workforce gaps.

‘Bachelor of Science with Education is taking 581 students. We have a science teacher gap that we are trying to fill up. We have a gap in Engineering, where we have been able to award 498 students, and Computer Science with 313 students,’ Dr Muyingo said. ‘Health Care Management and other health services have been supported with 282 loans. The stu-dents are distributed across chartered universities, and I encourage all higher institutions to acquire charters to benefit from this scheme.’

Dr Muyingo also reminded beneficiaries that the scheme is a loan rather than a grant, urging them to prepare for repayment following a one-year grace period post-graduation. He clarified that the financial obligation remains strictly with the borrower and cannot be transferred to parents or guardians in the event of default or unforeseen circumstances.

Mr Michael Wanyama, the Executive Director of the HESFS, highlighted a sharp rise in demand for the financial support.

‘This time round, we received 10,615 applications, way above the 7,125 received last aca-demic year, signifying a growth of 48.9 percent in application volume,’ Mr Wanyama explained. ‘Following the screening, 8,005 applicants (75.4 percent) were found eligible, while 2,610 (24.6 percent) were disqualified, primarily due to incomplete documentation.’

Under the statutory guidelines, eligibility is largely restricted to science-related courses along with Tourism and Hotel Management. However, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) remain eligible to apply for any accredited undergraduate degree or diploma programme, including the humanities.

Degree programs dominated the allocations, taking 2,022 slots compared to 771 for diploma courses. Mr Wanyama noted progress in regional equity, pointing out that historically underrepresented districts-including Amudat, Buvuma, Kalangala, Karenga, Kotido, and Moroto-all presented successful candidates in this cycle.

To qualify, beneficiaries must be enrolled in approved programmes with annual tuition fees capped at Shs7.6 million. Allocations consider district quotas, gender balance, socioeco-nomic status, and equity in compliance with the Higher Education Students Financing Act of 2014, as amended in 2024.

Regarding funding, Mr Wanyama disclosed that while the scheme had requested over Shs13 billion to fund this year’s allocations, Shs10.72 billion was ultimately released. Although the original budget catered for 2,400 students, the board stretched the resources to accommodate 2,793 learners due to a lower average unit cost among this year’s applicants.

Established under Act of Parliament No. 2 of 2014, the Higher Education Students Financing Scheme operates under the Ministry of Education and Sports to provide affordable financing to qualified, less-privileged Ugandan citizens pursuing higher education.

It would be interesting if someone conducted research to establish what makes young people respond so strongly to popular youth figures. Is it their age, their personality, their status?

There are several examples that justify this case. The current example is the late King Oyo, who was young and a public figure, presented this kind of influence to young people in almost all styles.

His youthfulness was manifested both in his official capacity as king and in more informal settings, and both styles often drew the attention and excitement of many young people. He was spontaneous and, conversely, appeared formal when it was required and still wowed the youth, which explains the big turnout of young people to many events where he was present.

Perhaps that is why some of his interactions with young people were so memorable. His influence was not limited to spontaneous moments.

He was also part of organised initiatives that deliberately sought to engage and develop young people. His participation in activities, particularly the Tooro Kingdom Youth Conference, an initiative I have been part of under Reach A Hand Africa, placed him in spaces where young people were brought together around issues affecting their lives, opportunities, and future.

These were structured engagements, yet his presence appeared to add another layer to them. Young people were not simply encountering an institution; they were encountering a young person at the centre of that institution who was willing to interact with them.

While his involvement may have taken different forms, one thing I know for sure is that he was delivering a particular message to young people. This type of approach is effective. As we wait for research to tell us more, what I know from experience is that this approach to addressing young people’s needs works. I have seen and observed it over the years I have worked with young people.

Young people are often more receptive when they see someone who understands their world, speaks their language, and is willing to engage with them on their own terms.

They may listen differently when the person delivering the message is not simply an authority figure, but someone they can identify with. This does not mean popularity automatically translates into influence, but it can create a powerful entry point for conversations, opportunities and programmes intended to reach them.

Therefore, there are many lessons to learn from King Oyo’s approach toward the youth.

For those of us working in youth development, the lesson is: young people do not only need programmes designed for them; they also need people they can identify with, people who can make institutions and opportunities feel accessible.

For leaders, the lesson is even broader: if we want young people to become a force for development, we must learn not only how to speak to them, but how to listen to them, involve them and give them room to participate. This is perhaps where the significance of King Oyo’s death extends beyond the loss of a young king. Uganda has lost a figure who appeared able to mobilise young people while moving comfortably between traditional authority and youth culture.

The late king showed that sometimes the most powerful way to reach young people is not to stand above them, but to stand among them.

Rest in peace, His Highness Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. You were, in many ways, a remarkable influencer of young people, a young king for young people.