King Oyo was family prayer warrior, Queen Mother Kemigisa reveals

FORT PORTAL - Queen Mother Kemigisa on Saturday, September 12, 2026, delivered an emotional farewell to her son, Tooro’s late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who succumbed to cancer on August 27 in USA.

Speaking during the send-off ceremony for her brother at St. John’s Cathedral in Kabarole on Saturday, September 12, Kemigisa revealed that she introduced her son to prayer when he was still a child.

At the Cathedral in Fort Portal, Kemigisa said her son “has gone at a time when I was beginning to enjoy him. I spent a lot of time with him in the hospital, and he remained very strong, talking and smiling, and he talked about God until the end. The King did not suffer.” (All Photos by Richard Sanya)

Oyo and his sister, Princess Ruth Nsemiire Komuntale, she narrated, would not go to bed without praying. As an adult, she revealed that   Oyo took over and guided her and  Komuntale spiritually.

“Omukama was a prayer warrior, often leading the prayers every night before going to bed. He preached to us well and often asked us about our own ideas of what he had talked about,” his mother revealed.  

In different viral videos and interviews shared on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, the late Omukama spoke openly about salvation, the glory of God, and his desire to see spiritual revival in Tooro and across Uganda.

At the Cathedral in Fort Portal, Kemigisa said her son “has gone at a time when I was beginning to enjoy him. I spent a lot of time with him in the hospital, and he remained very strong, talking and smiling, and he talked about God until the end. The King did not suffer.”

In an emotional eulogy,  she revealed that at different occasions during Oyo's illness,  she pleaded with God to take her life instead of that of her son.

“When I was in the hospital, I told God to take me first. I said, ‘God, please leave my son alone; take me first,’” she told mourners during the send-off ceremony for her son at St. John’s Cathedral in Kabarole district.  But her prayer was answered in a way she never expected.

Instead of sparing her son, Kemigisa said, God took Oyo before her, leaving her to confront the pain she had hoped to spare him.

“He decided to take him first. I said, ‘Why?’ Because he was closer to you than me?” she recalled.

She said her son “has gone at a time when I was beginning to enjoy him. I spent a lot of time with him in the hospital, and he remained very strong, talking and smiling, and he talked about God until the end. The King did not suffer,” Kemigisa stated.

“He has passed on at a critical time when his leadership had started to be felt across the kingdom and beyond,” she stated.

She said King Oyo was peaceful and happy, saying he showed mercy to others and served the people of Tooro with humility. She said her son was down to earth, caring and a peacemaker who had developed very good leadership skills.

“The King’s reign was generally calm and peaceful despite some disgruntled members of the royal family who attempted to destabilise his leadership in the past years,” Kemisa said.

She also said the King “had an excellent and cordial relationship with the central government and worked closely with His Excellency the President for the development and stability of Tooro.”

The Queen Mother thanked the people of Tooro for standing with the royal family throughout the period of mourning and appealed for calm.

“As we bury the King, I appeal for calm, stability and tranquillity to prevail in Tooro Kingdom to maintain and sustain the gains and the achievements he put in place.”

Kemigisa said the continued presence of mourners reflected the deep affection the people had for their King.