Queen Mother Kemigisa commits to serve Tooro, push Oyo's legacy
“Today, I do not want anger to have the final word. I want gratitude, faith, hope, and service to have the final word,” Queen Mother Best Kemigisa said. She revealed that before leaving Texas, "Our family hoped that King Oyo's child would return on the same plane with us. However, as events unfolded in Tooro, concerns grew about bringing a child in a tense and polarised succession dispute. Ultimately, the child did not return with us. This has left me deeply saddened..............
The late King Oyo, with his mother, Best Kemigisa, at the age of three.
FORT PORTAL - Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has pledged to continue serving Tooro and Uganda, saying the death of her only son, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, will not end her commitment to the kingdom.
In a statement issued on various platforms, including social media X, Kemigisa on Tuesday, September 22nd, said she remained deeply wounded by the loss but would turn her grief into service by protecting Oyo’s memory and advancing projects aimed at improving the lives of young people and communities.
Tooro's 12th king, Rukirabasaija Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, succumbed to cancer on August 27 at Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Dallas, Texas, in the United States of America.
Aged 34, he ascended to the throne three years after the death of his father, Patrick David Kaboyo Olime III.
In her statement addressed to the people of Tooro, Ugandans, friends of Tooro across Africa and the entire world, she stated, “I will never stop serving Tooro. I will never stop serving Uganda."
She pledged that together with her daughter, Princess Ruth Nsemere Komuntale, they will preserve what she described as Oyo’s enduring legacy.
Her statement comes nine days after Oyo's burial at Karambi Royal Tombs on September 12.
Whereas thousands attended the funeral service at St. John's Cathedral, Fort Portal, the burial ceremony was attended exclusively by members of the Babiito clan and a few dignitaries.
King Oyo drinking milk from a calabash as he performed some rituals. On the right is Queen Mother Best Kemigisa.
Oyo's send-off, scheduled for 3:00pm was however delayed for almost two hours due to a standoff between the Queen Mother and senior royals in charge of the tombs.
Whereas the Babiito selected Oyo's cousin, Edward Rukida Kijanangoma, as suitable for the throne, Princess Komuntale and some senior royals announced that her brother has a will with a different choice.
She was supported by her aunt, Princess Elizabeth Bagaya and several cousins who were often part of the palace entourage during Oyo's lifetime.
In her statement, Kemigisa has revealed that her family had hoped the succession question would be handled only after Oyo had been buried
The Queen Mother said she was particularly hurt by what happened at the burial, stating that the "agreement" with different stakeholders was not honoured.
On Tuesday, however, Kemigisa said she did not want anger to determine the future
“Today, I do not want anger to have the final word. I want gratitude, faith, hope, and service to have the final word,” she said.
She revealed that before leaving Texas, our family hoped that King Oyo's child would return on the same plane with us. However, as events unfolded in Tooro, concerns grew about bringing a child in a tense and polarised succession dispute.
Ultimately, the child did not return with us. This has left me deeply saddened. Whatever disagreement existed, no child should ever be placed in such circumstances where returning to his father's homeland could mean being drawn into hostility and conflict,” her statement further reads.
King Oyo performing Empango rituals ahead of the 29th coronation anniversary.
King Oyo's legacy, according to the Queen Mother, will live through the Foundation he inspires.
“It will live through his mother and his sister Princess Komuntale. It will live through his child and the generations that come after us,” her statement declared.
The King Oyo Memorial Foundation, which she says will translate the late king’s ideals into practical programs, will be her focus forthwith.. She described the foundation as a way of carrying his service into future generations.
The proposed projects are: King Oyo Tooro Museum, an international stadium, a research and teaching hospital, and an expanded model farm at Bugaaki subcounty in Kyenjojo district.
The museum, according to Kemigisa, is intended to preserve Oyo’s personal property and the history and culture of Tooro, while the stadium would be built on land the late king reportedly donated to the government for sports development.
The proposed hospital would focus on treatment, medical training, and research, including cancer and HIV research, while the Bugaaki farm would serve as a centre for agricultural education, innovation, and community outreach.
Kemigisa said these projects should not become monuments in name only but should provide opportunities for young people, farmers, health workers, artists, businesses, and communities.
She urged those who supported Oyo’s wishes to remain peaceful, saying Oyo’s legacy should not be defined by the disagreements that followed his death.
“I will never stop protecting his memory and building his legacy,” she said.
As Tooro adjusts to life after Oyo, Queen Mother said that she intends to remain part of that journey, carrying her son’s memory beyond mourning and into a program of service.