A sombre mood hovered over the Entebbe International VVIP Airport on Friday as President Yoweri Museveni received the body of the late Tooro King, Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, following his death in the United States last week at the age of 34 years.
The aircraft carrying King Oyo’s remains landed at the airport a few minutes after mid-day, alongside the Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa, and members of the royal family who accompanied the king’s remains on the journey back to Uganda.
From Entebbe, the body is set to be flown to Kyegegwa district, from where a procession will move slowly through Kyenjojo and Kabarole districts on its way to Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal.
The procession is meant to allow mourners along the route to view the casket and pay their last respects.
The nine-day official mourning period will begin once the body reaches Karuziika Palace, where the late monarch will lie in state, in line with Tooro custom that recognises the palace as the monarch’s only official seat.
Members of the public will have an opportunity to pay their respects to the late king during the mourning period.
King Oyo died in the United States on August 27, 2026, aged 34, after receiving medical treatment for brain cancer.
The burial of King Oyo has been scheduled for Saturday, September 12, at the Karambi Royal Tombs in Kabarole.
The date would have been his 31st coronotaion anniversary since he ascended to the throne in 1995.
