By: News Editor

The body of the late Tooro King, Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, has left the United States and is expected to arrive in Uganda on Friday, September 4, 2026, as preparations for his burial intensify.

The 34-year-old monarch died in the United States on August 27, bringing to an end his 31-year reign that began when he ascended the Tooro throne as a three-year-old in 1995.

According to the latest arrangements, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is expected to receive the King’s remains at Entebbe International Airport and pay his last respects.

The body will then be airlifted by military helicopter to Kyegegwa District, from where it will be transported by road through Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo and Kabarole before reaching Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal City.

The revised route is intended to give more people along the Mubende-Fort Portal highway an opportunity to pay their final respects to the late monarch.

Tooro Kingdom officials have appealed to mourners to remain disciplined and peaceful during the procession, which is expected to attract large crowds.

Upon arrival at Karuziika Palace, the official nine-day cultural mourning period will begin. The mourning period, known in Tooro cultural practice as okugaragara, will culminate in the burial of King Oyo at the Karambi Royal Tombs on September 12, 2026.

The burial date will carry special historical significance because September 12 also marks the anniversary of King Oyo’s ascension to the Tooro throne in 1995.

Meanwhile, uncertainty remains over the succession to the Tooro throne.

The Tooro Kingdom administration has maintained that King Oyo left behind a young male heir, whose identity would be revealed at the appropriate time. President Museveni has also said he was informed by Queen Mother Best Kemigisa that the late King left a son.

However, the head of the Babiito royal clan, Omusuuga Charles Kayondo Kamurasi, has disputed the claim, saying the royal clan was not aware of any biological child of the late King.

A 21-member committee of Babiito elders has since been constituted to oversee the traditional succession process and identify the next Omukama.

The government has said President Museveni will provide guidance on the succession dispute, with the process expected to follow the Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act, 2011. Government has also cautioned Tooro subjects against speculation as preparations for the King’s burial continue.

King Oyo’s death has attracted widespread national attention, with the government granting him an official state-supported burial.

As his remains make their way back to Uganda, attention now turns to the final royal rites, the burial at Karambi and the eventual process of determining his successor.