Minister for the Presidency and Budiope West Member of Parliament Babirye Milly Babalanda has thanked President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for according the late King of Tooro, His Majesty Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, an official burial, while calling on the Batooro to remain united and preserve the legacy of the late monarch.
Babalanda joined Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa, government officials, cultural leaders and thousands of mourners at St. John’s Cathedral in Fort Portal on Saturday for a funeral service held in honour of King Oyo.
In a message posted on her official X account, Babalanda described King Oyo as a historic monarch whose reign earned him a place in world records as the youngest reigning king.
“His Majesty King Oyo ascended the throne at just three years old after the death of his father and ruled Tooro for nearly three decades,” Babalanda said.
She described his death as a major loss to the Tooro Kingdom and Uganda.
“King Oyo’s death was an immeasurable loss to the Tooro Kingdom and Uganda at large,” she said.
Babalanda, who served on the National Organising Committee for the burial, expressed gratitude to President Museveni for supporting the Tooro Kingdom during the period of mourning and ensuring that the late king received an official send-off.
“On behalf of the National Organising Committee, I wish to express our deepest and most heartfelt gratitude to His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for according His Majesty King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV a befitting official burial,” she said.
According to Babalanda, the President also met expenses associated with King Oyo’s illness and final journey, including his medical treatment in the United States, the chartering of the aircraft that transported his remains to Uganda and arrangements for his official burial.
She further commended Museveni for personally receiving the King’s body at Entebbe International Airport.
At the airport, the President laid a wreath and bowed before the casket, which was draped in the Ugandan national flag and the Tooro Kingdom flag.
Babalanda said the President’s gesture demonstrated his respect for the Tooro Kingdom and Uganda’s traditional institutions.
“His personal presence spoke volumes about his respect for the institution of the Tooro Kingdom and traditional institutions in Uganda. This gesture comforted the entire Tooro fraternity and all Ugandans who cherished King Oyo,” she said.
She said the decision to accord King Oyo an official burial demonstrated the government’s commitment to national unity, the preservation of culture and respect for Uganda’s traditional institutions.
Babalanda also appealed to the people of Tooro to remain united, calm and prayerful as they mourned their king.
She urged the Batooro to protect and build on the legacy left by King Oyo, saying his long reign represented an important chapter in the history and continuity of the Tooro Kingdom.
Babalanda concluded her tribute with a message from the Bible: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18.
King Oyo died in the United States on August 27 at the age of 34. He was buried on Saturday at the Karambi Royal Tombs in Fort Portal, bringing to a close days of mourning that drew thousands of mourners, government officials, cultural leaders and dignitaries from across Uganda.
He leaves behind a legacy of nearly three decades on the Tooro throne and a significant role in shaping the kingdom’s modern cultural leadership.
