President Museveni and His Majesty King Oyo: Bond beyond the crown
That is where the relationship between President Museveni and Oyo becomes different. For nearly three decades, the President did not simply know a King. He knew the little boy behind the crown. He was part of the circle entrusted with protecting him at the beginning of his reign, and lived to see that child grow into a man who carried the responsibilities of the Tooro throne.
Kellen Owente. (Courtesy)
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OPINION
By Kellen Owente
On Thursday night last week, a painful announcement spread across Uganda and beyond. The Prime Minister (Omuhikirwa) of Toro Kingdom announced on his X account that the 34-year-old Omukama of Tooro, His Majesty King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, had rested.
I remember reading the announcement and, for a moment, refusing to believe it. Surely, I thought, this could not be true. Perhaps there had been a mistake. But as messages of grief poured in from Uganda and across the world, the painful reality slowly settled in: our King, whom many of us admired for being young and growing up alongside our generation, was gone.
For many, the night did not end there. Only hours earlier, the Kingdom had appealed for prayers after confirming that the young King was critically ill. Then came the news that no one wanted to hear.
And from there, my thoughts turned to Mzee.
In 1993, President Museveni’s Government restored Uganda’s traditional institutions after decades in which the kingdoms had been abolished. Oyo’s father, Omukama Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, returned to the throne of the restored Tooro Kingdom but died suddenly in August 1995.
Mzee knew Kaboyo personally and had appointed him Uganda’s ambassador to Cuba in 1990.
Then came the loss of Kaboyo. His three-year-old son was suddenly thrust into a role no child could have imagined. On September 12, 1995, little Oyo was enthroned as Omukama of Tooro, becoming the world’s youngest reigning monarch. Because of his age, guardians and regents were entrusted with guiding him and overseeing the affairs of the Kingdom. President Museveni was among those entrusted with his guardianship.
That is where the relationship between President Museveni and Oyo becomes different. For nearly three decades, the President did not simply know a King. He knew the little boy behind the crown. He was part of the circle entrusted with protecting him at the beginning of his reign, and lived to see that child grow into a man who carried the responsibilities of the Tooro throne.
The bond endured. Oyo grew into a King with whom the President continued to engage on the development and future of Tooro.
Perhaps that is why the words used by the Kingdom in informing President Museveni of Oyo’s death carry such weight. He was described as the late King’s guardian, father and friend.
There is another part of Oyo’s story that deserves to be remembered. In a 2024 interview on Miracles Now, hosted by American media producer and host Brian Bolt, King Oyo spoke openly about his faith and declared his love for Jesus Christ, acknowledging Him as the King of Kings and his Lord.
Today, those words carry a profound meaning. The King who recognised a greater King above him has now laid down his earthly crown.
Yet his story does not end here. Oyo left behind a son and heir, whose identity, the Omuhikirwa announced, would be revealed at the appropriate time. A Kingdom remains. A royal story continues. And a legacy has been entrusted to another generation.
Perhaps that is our consolation: the little boy who inherited a crown at three did not leave the world without leaving something of himself behind.
May the King of Kings receive His Majesty King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV into eternal rest.
Rest in peace, Your Majesty.
The writer works with the Presidential Press Unit (State House)