Tooro asked to be a pillar of strength for grieving Queen Mother
“Let us be kind to the Queen Mother. All of us have lost a king, and it hurts. We are weeping and crying, but there is a person who has lost a child cut from the umbilical cord. That is more painful than anything all of us can think,” Kutesa said.
Gender state minister Mary Kamuri Kutesa welcomed by Omusuga Charles Kamurasi at the Karuzika Palace in Fort Portal. (Photos by Jonan Tusingwire)
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Gender state minister Mary Kamuri Kutesa has appealed to the people of Tooro and all Ugandans to show love and support to the Queen Mother and the royal family following the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Kutesa said that while the king’s death has brought immense pain to the entire kingdom, the Queen Mother is facing an even deeper loss as a mother who has lost her child.
“Let us be kind to the Queen Mother. All of us have lost a king, and it hurts. We are weeping and crying, but there is a person who has lost a child cut from the umbilical cord. That is more painful than anything all of us can think,” Kutesa said.
She called on the people of Tooro to rally behind the Queen Mother and members of the royal family, particularly the late king's sister, Princess Ruth Nsemere Komuntale, during what she described as a difficult and trying moment for the royal family.
Kutesa also urged Ugandans to avoid divisions and conflicts during the mourning period, saying King Oyo’s death should instead unite the people.
According to her, King Oyo, who had once been the world’s youngest monarch, was full of love and humility, and she insisted that this is not the time to hurt each other.
“It is the time to love one another because we have lost a king who was so full of love. Let us exhibit that character among ourselves,” she said.
Kutesa made the remarks after spending part of the day at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal on September 2, 2026, where she met heads of the Babiito clan and the organising team overseeing preparations for the king’s final journey.
She said the meeting focused on harmonising plans between the Government and the kingdom and coordinating the various activities leading up to the King’s burial.
“I have spent a greater part of today at Karuziika Palace to have a meeting of minds with Babiito clan heads and the organising team that is preparing for the final journey of the King here,” she said.
According to Kutesa, the stakeholders are working to merge the different programmes and ensure that the king receives a befitting send-off.