President Yoweri Museveni on Friday received the body of the late Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV at Entebbe International Airport as the monarch’s remains returned to Uganda for burial.
Museveni was at the airport to receive the remains and pay his last respects to the 34-year-old king, who died in the United States on August 27, 2026, after receiving medical treatment.
The Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa, and members of the royal family accompanied King Oyo’s remains on the journey back to Uganda.
The aircraft carrying the body was scheduled to arrive at Entebbe at about 10:00am, according to a programme released by Tooro Kingdom.
Following the arrival ceremony, Museveni was expected to hold a brief meeting with the Queen Mother and selected members of the royal family.
The arrival of the remains at Entebbe marks the beginning of the late monarch’s final journey through Uganda ahead of his burial in Tooro.
From Entebbe, the remains are scheduled to be flown by helicopter to Kyegegwa District.
The body will then be transported by road towards Fort Portal City, with the procession scheduled to pass through parts of Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo and Kabarole before reaching Karuziika Palace.
Karuziika Palace is the seat of Tooro Kingdom. Once at the palace, King Oyo’s body is scheduled to lie in state as the kingdom begins an official nine-day mourning period.
Members of the public will have an opportunity to pay their respects to the late monarch during the mourning period.
The return of the body follows its departure from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in the United States on Wednesday, September 2.
Relatives, friends and Ugandan officials gathered for prayers before the remains began the journey home.
The Ugandan Government has taken responsibility for costs associated with King Oyo’s medical treatment and the repatriation of his remains from the United States through Nairobi to Entebbe.
Minister for the Presidency Milly Babalanda told Parliament that Museveni provided resources towards the medical and repatriation expenses.
Government is working with the royal family and Tooro Kingdom on arrangements for the late king’s send-off.
King Oyo is scheduled to be buried on Saturday, September 12, at the Karambi Royal Tombs in Kabarole.
The burial date coincides with the 31st anniversary of his accession to the Tooro throne in 1995. Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV became king at the age of three.
According to the information provided, he became the world’s youngest reigning monarch at the time of his accession.
His death has triggered mourning across Tooro and Uganda, with Government officials, cultural leaders, members of the royal family and mourners involved in the funeral preparations.
The arrival of his body in Uganda therefore brings the kingdom closer to the final rites for a monarch whose reign began in childhood.
The scheduled journey from Entebbe through Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo and Kabarole will allow the remains to proceed to Karuziika Palace before the burial arrangements reach their final stage.
Alongside the funeral preparations, attention has also turned to the future of the Tooro monarchy. Tooro Kingdom has maintained that the late king left behind a male heir.
However, the identity of the reported heir has not been disclosed in the information available for this report.
The identity is expected to be disclosed in accordance with the kingdom’s cultural and succession procedures. No further details about the succession process have been confirmed.
The immediate programme following Museveni’s reception of King Oyo’s body at Entebbe is for the remains to proceed to Kyegegwa by helicopter.
The body is then scheduled to continue by road towards Fort Portal, passing through parts of Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo and Kabarole before reaching Karuziika Palace.
At the palace, the remains will lie in state during the official nine-day mourning period.
Members of the public will be allowed to pay their respects before the funeral culminates in King Oyo’s scheduled burial at the Karambi Royal Tombs on September 12.
Museveni’s reception of King Oyo’s body at Entebbe has marked the beginning of the monarch’s final journey home, with the royal family, Government and Tooro Kingdom now proceeding with the confirmed funeral programme.
