Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV was announced dead on Thursday, just 14 days before his 31st coronation anniversary, which was scheduled for September 12 at the Tooro Kingdom palace.
He was put on the throne on September 12, 1995, shortly after the death of his father, Patrick Olimi Kaboyo II, on August 26, 1995.
Mr Charles Kamurasi, Omujwera Musuuga, the head of the Babiito royal clan and uncle to King Oyo, was among the key people who performed rituals during the enthronement of the young monarch on September 12, 1995.
In an interview with this publication last year, he revealed that King Oyo’s father, the late Kaboyo, was serving abroad in Cuba as Uganda’s ambassador before the restoration of the Tooro Kingdom in 1993. Kamurasi said it was during this time that Kaboyo entrusted him with the revered responsibility of Omujwera Musuuga. The king also appointed the Bateebe, who is the head of princesses in the palace. This was Princess Elizabeth Bagaya.
Kamurasi said when Kaboyo married Best Kemigisa, who is from Ntoroko, one of the nine counties of the kingdom, he openly proclaimed that his wife would bear the heir to the throne. The royal couple’s firstborn was a daughter, Princess Ruth Komutale Nsemere.
“When King Oyo’s father departed to take up his duties in Cuba, he left behind his expectant wife, who was then residing in Kampala at Asa Kiiza’s home. Their official residence in Booma, Fort Portal Town, had at the time been rented to a White man,” Kamurasi said.
“Queen Mother Kemigisa delivered Oyo at Nsambya Hospital on April 16, 1992. From that very day, I assumed the duty of caring for both mother and children as I was directed by Kaboyo while he was away,” Kamurasi said.
Oyo’s early days
Kamurasi also welcomed the Queen Mother and her children into his own home on Mugurusi Road in Fort Portal Town, where they lived under his guidance. He added that together with Princess Elizabeth Bagaya [his sister], they nurtured them until Kaboyo returned to Uganda.
Before Kaboyo departed for diplomatic service, he had chosen names for the child. In the case of a royal son, he was to be called Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru.
Kamurasi said, in accordance with Babiito tradition, the elders conferred upon him an additional kingship name of Rukidi IV, in remembrance of his grandfather, Rukidi III.
“We added another name of Rukidi IV, to honour the memory of our late father, who reigned as Rukidi III. In this way, Oyo carried forward the ancestral flame,” Kamurasi said.
When Kaboyo returned to Uganda, together with his wife and children, they baptised Oyo at St John’s Cathedral of Ruwenzori Diocese in Fort Portal Town. Among Oyo’s nine godparents were Kamurasi, Isaaya Kalya, and Princess Bagaya. The figure nine is couched in tradition.
“As Batooro, we were worried because there was no heir. When Oyo was born, his baptism day at St John’s Cathedral was one of joy and celebration. His father refused to give him English names and instead named him Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru. On that day, it was as though heaven itself proclaimed the birth of a successor through the name Iguru,” Rev Clovis Kyarimpa, an elder in the Kingdom, told this publication ahead of the 30th coronation anniversary.
After the baptism, Kaboyo took his family with him to Cuba to complete his diplomatic mission because at that time, kingdoms were still abolished.
“When the government of President Museveni restored kingdoms in 1993, ours was among them, and Kaboyo returned from Cuba and was reinstated to the throne that year. In a gesture of honour and appreciation, President Museveni became the royal crown bearer during the restoration ceremony,” Kamurasi said.
Kaboyo II death
On August 26, 1995, Omukama Kaboyo suffered a fatal heart attack while at the royal palace. Upon his death, several guardians were appointed to care for Oyo. Among them was President Museveni, who was named an Omukuza—one entrusted with the nurturing and safeguarding of the monarch, among others.
Oyo’s father was buried with full royal honours at Karambi Royal Tombs on the Fort Portal-Kasese road.
“When Omukama Kaboyo died on August 26, 1995, we, the Babiito elders and royal clan, began the preparations for his burial. According to custom, this journey of mourning lasted nine days. It was within these days of grief that Prince Oyo laid his father to rest before ascending the throne,” Kamurasi disclosed, adding that Oyo performed a range of rituals, including the placing of nine coffee beans within his father’s grave—an act steeped in royal symbolism.
Oyo and his mother, the Queen Mother Kemigisa, were taken back to Kaboyo’s house in Booma, Fort Portal, after the burial. Preparations for the prince’s enthronement began in earnest. This included nine days of ritual preparation, guided and guarded under the watchful protection of Omujwera Musuuga Kamurasi and the royal clan.
Kamurasi explained that when a king dies, the kingdom itself mourns and royal regalia are turned upside down. This includes the royal drum, royal stool, and other instruments of power, which rest in silence. It’s only when a new king ascends the throne that they are restored upright.
Turning the royal drum and stool upwards signifies that the throne is once again occupied, and that the kingdom is alive under new leadership.
Oyo’s journey to the throne
On the night of September 11, 1995, the ancient rituals of enthronement were performed. They were conducted in the deep hours of darkness, and Oyo was carried from his late father’s house to the palace of Karuziika. The street heading to the palace was filled with multitudes of people who were carrying fire lit along the road heading to the palace.
“We came by car from Booma to the roundabout, but from there, I carried Oyo in my own arms, and we walked to the palace. The people thronged around us, holding firebrands, their chants carrying him toward the palace,” Kamurasi recalled.
Upon reaching the palace gate, known as Mugabate, which is the official palace entrance, they faced resistance from Omupanyarwa. Mr Dan Rubomboora performed that ritual initially, meaning that the king could not take the throne without fighting a war, and he also prophesied about the kingship.
“The ritual of resistance at the main gate entrance appeared like a battle; it was never meant to harm, but to affirm tradition, and he succeeded, and we proceeded to enter the palace,” Kamurasi said.
Afterwards, Kamurasi continued to carry Oyo to the Omusanga where he was given an axe, which he touched nine times, before striking the royal drum nine times.
Each act was intended to bind Oyo to the ancestral line of kings. Because Oyo was still young, Kamurasi was not only carrying him but also assisting him in every ritual.
The palace erupted in joy after sounding the royal drum at the entrance. Trumpets were blown, the royal dancers leapt into the air, and the people performed Amakondere, the ancient victory dance of the kingdom.
Oyo was then led into the inner houses of the palace where additional rituals were performed. After those rituals, the night was concluded with Oyo’s first royal dinner. It was attended by the elders of the Babiito clan and members of the royal household.
The dawn of September 12 after the first royal dinner brought yet another step in the enthronement journey. At sunrise, Oyo was made to sit on the royal stool at the entrance of the royal palace as another ritual to affirm his kingship.
Preparations for a holy service at St John’s Cathedral of the Ruwenzori Diocese then took centre-stage. Clothed in a ceremonial robe, Oyo was accompanied by royal family members. He was prayed for in the church and thereafter returned to the palace for additional rituals.
Upon returning to the palace, after some speeches, Oyo was taken back inside the palace where a crown was placed on his head. This was performed by Mr Kagoro Darlington from the Abakoga clan, one specifically entrusted with the ancestral duty of crowning the king.
Enter the regents
Due to his young age, King Oyo could not undertake any administrative duties until he turned 18 in 2010. During these years, a group of regents managed the kingdom’s affairs under his supervision. Musuuga Kamurasi, appointed by King Oyo’s father in 1992, a year before the restoration of the kingdom, played a significant role as the head of the Babiito ruling clan and helped nurture the young king.
The regents were appointed by the Kingdom's supreme council (Orukurato) in consultation with Omujwera Musuuga, whose key role was overseeing the administration of the kingdom.
The regents included Mr John Katuramu (then the Kingdom’s Prime Minister), Rev Can James Rabwoni (RIP), Mgr Thomas Kisembo, Prof Oswald Ndolereire, Mr Zerio Byabagambi, Mr Isaiah Kalya, Rev Richard Baguma, Mr George Nyakairu, and Mr Justin Bakahumura. The regents handed over the kingdom’s administration in 2010 when King Oyo turned 18.
According to Kamurasi, on the D-day of the coronation, Fort Portal town overflowed with multitudes of people, and it was a public holiday, since many abandoned their work to gather at the palace grounds. “The occasion drew not only subjects of the kingdom but also dignitaries from across the land, including President Museveni, who joined in honouring the new Omukama.”
Rev Clovis Kyarimpa said by the time King Oyo was enthroned, he was speaker of the Tooro Kingdom’s supreme council for a number of years, and that during his childhood as a king, he faced some resistance. “Every king faces resistance, and Oyo was no exception. But resistance builds strength. That is why we call him Emazi ya Tooro and Entale (the lion). I was deeply involved in those struggles, and I was always summoned to court to explain events. In the end, the king triumphed.”
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