President Museveni (M) with the late King Oyo (L) and the Queen Mother Best Kemigisha
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I President Yoweri Museveni is expected to personally receive the body of the late Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV when the remains arrive in Uganda on Thursday, in a move that underscores the national significance attached to the death of the young monarch and the Government’s decision to accord him an official state-supervised burial.
The late King Oyo’s body is expected to arrive at Entebbe International Airport at about 10am from Nairobi, where it is being transferred as part of arrangements to return the remains home. His reception by the President will mark the formal beginning of the state and kingdom funeral programme.
The decision for President Museveni to receive the remains is largely rooted in the Government’s declaration that King Oyo will be accorded an official national burial. As head of state, Mr Museveni is therefore expected to represent the Republic of Uganda in paying its final respects to a cultural leader whose reign stretched across more than two decades.
Yunus Kakande, deputy chairperson of the King Oyo funeral committee established by Government, confirmed the President’s role while briefing journalists on Monday about the latest arrangements.
“The president will receive the body in person and pay his tributes to the King before the royal family and the people of Toro,” Mr Kakande said.
The President’s involvement also reflects the close relationship between the central Government and the Tooro Kingdom, as well as the support extended to the late monarch during his illness.
King Oyo, who died aged 34 in the United States after battling aggressive cancer, had received medical treatment abroad with assistance from the Ugandan Government. His treatment took him to Germany and later the United States, where he succumbed to the illness.
With his death, Government moved to establish a funeral committee to coordinate arrangements with the royal family and Tooro Kingdom authorities. The official burial status means that the return of his body is being handled not merely as a private family funeral, but as a national event involving the State, the kingdom and the public.
The airport reception by President Museveni will consequently provide a symbolic transition between the international return of the King’s remains and the commencement of the mourning ceremonies in Tooro.
Following the ceremony at Entebbe, the body is expected to be airlifted by helicopter to Kyegegwa District, regarded as the point where the Tooro Kingdom begins.
From Kyegegwa, the remains will be placed on a carriage for a procession toward Fort Portal, giving the King’s subjects an opportunity to see and pay their last respects.
Mr Kakande explained that the procession would allow people along the route to participate in the mourning.
“The body will then be airlifted by helicopter and taken to Kyegegwa where the kingdom of Toro begins. From there it will be placed in a carriage and ridden all along the way, with subjects having a glance at the body up to Fort Portal,” he said.
The procession is expected to draw thousands of mourners as the remains make their way to Karuziika Palace, the traditional seat of the Tooro monarch.
At the palace, King Oyo’s body will lie in state during a nine-day official mourning period. The period is expected to provide an opportunity for members of the royal family, Tooro subjects, national leaders and other Ugandans to pay their final respects to the monarch.
The state-supervised arrangements are also intended to balance national protocol with Tooro’s traditional funeral customs. While Government is coordinating the official aspects of the burial, the final resting place remains the King’s ancestral burial ground.
After the nine days of mourning at Karuziika Palace, King Oyo will be laid to rest at the ancestral burial site, bringing to an end a carefully coordinated funeral programme that combines the authority of the Ugandan State with the traditions of the Tooro Kingdom.
For President Museveni, receiving the remains is therefore more than a ceremonial duty. It is a public demonstration of the State’s recognition of King Oyo’s status, his contribution to the cultural life of Uganda and the importance of Tooro as one of the country’s historic kingdoms.
The President’s presence at Entebbe is consequently expected to set the tone for a funeral in which the nation and the kingdom will jointly bid farewell to one of Uganda’s most prominent traditional leaders.
