Omukama Oyo’s body to arrive in Uganda Friday
President Yoweri Museveni is expected to receive the body upon arrival, pay his last respects to the late Omukama and convey condolences to the royal family, the people of Tooro and Uganda.
The late King Oyo, who reigned for 31 years, died last week. He will be buried after nine days of mourning across the Tooro Kingdom.
The body of the late Omukama of Tooro, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, is expected to arrive in Uganda on Friday, September 4, 2026, as the kingdom prepares to begin a series of ceremonies to honour the fallen monarch.
According to a fresh programme released by Tooro Kingdom on Wednesday, September 2, the body will arrive at Entebbe International Airport at approximately 10:00am on Friday, and not on Thursday as earlier communicated.
President Yoweri Museveni is expected to receive the body upon arrival, pay his last respects to the late Omukama and convey condolences to the royal family, the people of Tooro and Uganda.
Following the ceremony at Entebbe, the body will be transported by helicopter to Kyegegwa District, marking the beginning of the journey to Tooro.
On Monday, Richard Rwabuhinga, the chairperson of the organising committee, told New Vision online that the body of the king is expected to arrive in Uganda this week, with plans underway to take the remains to Kyegegwa District before they are transported by road to Fort Portal.
He said the decision to first take the King’s body to Kyegegwa is intended to give more people an opportunity to see their King for the last time.
“Our hope is that in this week that we have started, the King’s body will arrive at Entebbe International Airport and after that it will immediately be flown to Tooro,” Rwabuhinga said.
He said the organising committee had agreed with the Musuuga of the Babiito clan, Charles Kamurasi, that it was important for subjects across Tooro to have an opportunity to pay their final respects to the King.
“We shall meet a lot of people in Kyegegwa, and after that we shall bring the body by road from Kyegegwa to Fort Portal,” he said.
Rwabuhinga also appealed to the public to avoid turning the mourning period into discussions about the succession of the Tooro King.
He said the Kingdom is not a political institution and emphasised that the King is not elected.
“I have been seeing people saying a lot of things about succession; my appeal is that the Kingdom is not a political institution and the King is not elected. That is the issue of the Babiito, and they have already put in place a committee to work on that issue,” he said.
The late King Oyo, who reigned for 31 years, died last week. He will be buried after nine days of mourning across the Tooro Kingdom.
The kingdom has since put in place several mourning arrangements as preparations continue for the final burial ceremony.