For nine days, the Kingdom of Tooro is mourning its King.
The remains of Rukirabasaija Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV are now lying in state at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal, where the Royal Family, Batooro, religious leaders, government officials and other mourners are gathering to pay their final respects.
The nine-day mourning period began on Friday, September 4, following the arrival of the late King’s remains in Uganda and their subsequent journey to Tooro.
King Oyo’s body was received by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at Entebbe International Airport before being flown to Kyegegwa and taken by road to Karuziika Palace. Thousands of mourners gathered along the route as the King made his final journey home.
At Karuziika, the remains were received in accordance with Tooro cultural traditions, marking the beginning of the formal mourning period.
Nine days of mourning at Karuziika
From September 4 until the burial on September 12, King Oyo’s remains will lie in state at Karuziika Palace.
Members of the public are being allowed to visit the palace and pay their final respects, while prayers are held every evening during the mourning period.
The arrangement gives Batooro and other mourners an opportunity to stand with the Royal Family before the final funeral ceremonies.
The mourning period is also being observed through traditional customs within the wider Tooro community, with subjects encouraged to suspend activities and conduct themselves in accordance with the solemnity of the period.
The Babiito Royal Clan has called on Batooro to avoid activities that could disturb the mourning, including loud music, celebrations and major social events.
Museveni remembers the King
At Entebbe on Friday, President Museveni paid his final respects to King Oyo and laid a wreath on the casket before signing the condolence book.
In remarks following the reception, the President reflected on his long relationship with the young monarch, whom he had helped raise and educate after Oyo ascended the throne at just three years old.
“We raised him and took him to school. He grew up, and now the Lord has called him,” Museveni said.
The President also described the late King as a good leader and said his death was a loss to both Tooro and Uganda.
Museveni had earlier directed that King Oyo be accorded an official burial and ordered that national flags be flown at half-mast for three days.
The three days will be the day before the burial, the burial day and the day after.
Flags to fly at half-mast
The directive means Uganda’s national flags will be flown at half-mast on Friday, September 11, the day before the burial, on Saturday, September 12, the burial day, and on Sunday, September 13, the day after.
The national gesture will accompany the final days of mourning as Tooro prepares to lay its King to rest.
The final farewell
The nine-day mourning period will culminate on Saturday, September 12, 2026.
A final funeral service is scheduled to take place at St John’s Cathedral in Fort Portal, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Mourners have been advised to be seated by 8:00 a.m., with seating after that time reserved for VIPs.
Following the church service and final tributes, the remains will be taken to the Karambi Royal Tombs, where the traditional burial rites will be conducted.
The final rites are expected to be completed in the afternoon, with an official gun salute also planned as part of the funeral honours.
September 12 carries a profound significance for Tooro.
It is the date on which King Oyo was enthroned in 1995, when he was only three years old. This year would have marked 31 years since he ascended the Tooro throne.
Instead, the same date will now mark his final journey.
A Kingdom in mourning
King Oyo died in the United States on August 27, 2026, aged 34, after battling an aggressive form of cancer.
He had spent almost his entire life as Omukama of Tooro, growing from the three-year-old child who became the world’s youngest reigning monarch into an adult King who became one of Uganda’s most prominent cultural leaders.
Now, for nine days, the Kingdom he led is standing still to mourn him.
At Karuziika Palace, prayers continue, mourners come to pay their respects, and the Royal Family prepares for the final ceremonies that will bring King Oyo’s nearly 31-year reign to an end.
King Oyo will be laid to rest at the Karambi Royal Tombs on September 12, 2026.
Omukama Atulize. Enkuba Etutire.
