What next for Tooro Queen Mother Best Kemigisa?

Oyo’s death also marks a major transition for Queen Mother Best Kemigisa. On Saturday, while millions of Batooro and the rest of Ugandans lay to rest a king, Kemigisa did not only lay to rest the only son, but many institutional roles through which she has been most visibly connected to the Tooro monarchy. This means that her royal life has effectively been built around two generations of the Tooro monarchy — a wife of a king, mother of a king, regent and guardian of a child king, Queen Mother to an adult king. Oyo’s death, therefore, closes the chapter that began in 1995 and changes her position as Queen Mother fundamentally.

Queen Mother Best Kemigisa (left) and King Oyo during Empango celebrations in Fort Portal. Kemigisa played a vital role in helping the deceased Tooro king become the cultural leader he grew up into.