President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has received the body of His Majesty King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV at Entebbe International Airport, describing the fallen Tooro monarch as a good person and leader whose death has deeply saddened the nation.
The aircraft carrying King Oyo’s body arrived at the VIP Terminal at exactly 12:00 noon on Friday, September 4, 2026, for a solemn reception attended by members of the Tooro Royal Family led by the Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa, Tooro Kingdom officials, Central Government ministers and religious leaders.
President Museveni received the casket and paid his last respects before speaking about his long association with the Tooro Royal Family and efforts to secure specialised medical treatment for the King.
“Sorry for the loss of the grandchild, King Oyo. We looked after him, we took him to school, and he grew up, but now the Lord has taken him,” President Museveni said.
The President said the Queen Mother first informed him about King Oyo’s illness during a meeting in November 2025, while the country was in the middle of campaigns ahead of the General Elections.
“The Queen Mother came and visited me in November 2025 during the campaigns ahead of the elections, and she told me about this problem of aggressive cancer that had started disturbing the King,” he said.
President Museveni said he subsequently supported efforts to secure specialised treatment for King Oyo, first in Germany and later in the United States, but the treatment was ultimately unsuccessful.
“But they were unable to save the King,” he said.
The President described King Oyo as a good person and leader throughout his reign as Omukama of Tooro.
“During his entire leadership as King of Tooro, he was a very good person and leader. May the Lord grant him eternal rest. Amen,” President Museveni said.
Solemn Reception at Entebbe
Following the aircraft’s arrival, President Museveni proceeded to the flagmast area, where the casket was formally received.
In a ceremony combining military and cultural symbolism, the Uganda Police wrapped the casket in the national colours and the colours of the Tooro Kingdom.
The casket was then carried through a guard of honour mounted by the Uganda Police before being placed at a designated point in front of the President.
President Museveni paid his final respects and laid a wreath as the Uganda Police Brass Band played solemn hymns.
Cabinet ministers, members of the Tooro Royal Family, Tooro Kingdom officials and religious leaders subsequently paid their last respects to the fallen King.
The President later held a brief meeting with selected members of the Royal Family, including the Queen Mother, at the Presidential Lounge.
The delegation accompanying the body, together with selected members of the Royal Family, later boarded a helicopter bound for Kyegegwa District.
King Oyo’s Final Journey Home
King Oyo’s body will now be received by mourners and subjects of the Tooro Kingdom as preparations continue for his official burial on September 12, 2026.
The burial date would have marked the 31st anniversary of King Oyo’s coronation, making the occasion a significant moment in the history of the Tooro Kingdom.
Friday’s ceremony at Entebbe International Airport marked the beginning of the final journey home for the fallen Tooro monarch, as his family, subjects and the nation prepare to accord him a final farewell.
King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV died after a battle with illness, bringing to an end a reign that began when he was crowned King of Tooro as a child in 1995.