King Oyo’s Final Journey: Nine Days of Royal Mourning in Tooro

FORT PORTAL, Uganda — The Tooro Kingdom has entered nine days of official mourning following the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who died in the United States at the age of 34.

The late monarch’s remains have returned to Uganda, beginning a carefully organised farewell that combines royal protocol, religious ceremonies and traditional Tooro customs.

King Oyo’s body arrived at Entebbe International Airport, where President Yoweri Museveni and other officials paid their respects during a wreath-laying ceremony.

The remains were subsequently flown by military helicopter to Kyegegwa before being transported by road to Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal, the official seat of the Tooro monarch.

His body will lie in state at the palace ahead of the burial scheduled for September 12, 2026.

Nine days of mourning at Karuziika Palace

Karuziika Palace will remain at the centre of the kingdom’s mourning activities throughout the nine-day period.

Members of the public, members of the royal family, the Babiito clan, religious leaders, government officials, cultural leaders and visiting delegations are expected to pay their final respects to the late king.

Evening prayers will also be held during the mourning period.

The mourning period is being observed according to traditional royal protocols. The Babiito Royal Clan has directed subjects to suspend activities including farming, weddings and loud music, alongside other practices considered inappropriate during the period of royal mourning.

Royal drums have also been turned upside down, while some kingdom symbols have been covered as signs of mourning.

For people unable to travel to Fort Portal, the kingdom has encouraged local communities to observe the mourning period through communal gatherings and prayers.

A public farewell to a king who began ruling as a child

King Oyo's final journey carries particular significance because he ascended to the Tooro throne in 1995 at just three years old.

He was formally crowned at the age of 18 in 2010, becoming an adult monarch after spending much of his early life under the unique circumstances of inheriting a traditional kingdom at a very young age.

His death therefore marks the end of a nearly three-decade chapter in the history of the Tooro monarchy.

During the public viewing at Karuziika Palace, mourners will have an opportunity to pray and pay their final respects before the funeral procession begins.

Final church service at St John’s Cathedral

On the burial day, the farewell will begin with a church service at St John’s Cathedral.

The religious ceremony will precede the traditional royal burial rites.

After the service, the coffin will be taken in procession towards the Karambi Royal Tombs, also known as Amagasani, where generations of Tooro kings have been laid to rest.

The procession is expected to bring together thousands of mourners as the kingdom combines religious observance with traditional royal customs.

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) will also provide a gun salute as part of the official farewell accorded to the late monarch.

King Oyo to be buried at Karambi Royal Tombs

The final resting place will be the Karambi Royal Tombs, the traditional burial grounds of Tooro's kings.

Preparations at the site have been underway ahead of the ceremony, with access being controlled as officials and members of the royal household prepare for the burial.

The burial is scheduled to take place between 1pm and 2pm on September 12, 2026.

According to Tooro tradition, its kings are not buried in the evening. The ceremony will therefore take place during daylight hours, with the burial expected to be completed by approximately 2pm.

The end of a remarkable royal chapter

King Oyo's burial will bring to a close the life and reign of a monarch who inherited the throne as a three-year-old and eventually grew into an adult king.

Although Uganda's traditional kings do not exercise political governing authority, the institution of the Tooro monarchy remains an important part of the kingdom's cultural identity and heritage.

For nine days, Karuziika Palace will serve as the centre of a national and cultural farewell as the people of Tooro mourn their king.

When the final procession reaches Karambi on September 12, King Oyo's journey from a child who inherited the Tooro throne to the kingdom's former monarch will come to its final chapter.