The final journey of the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV is gathering momentum, with the government and Tooro Kingdom preparing for what is expected to be a major state-supported burial attended by dignitaries from Uganda, Africa and beyond.
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja on Tuesday chaired a meeting to coordinate the government’s preparations for the official burial of the Tooro monarch, who died in the United States on August 27, 2026.
The King’s remains are expected to arrive in Uganda on Thursday at about 10am before being taken to Fort Portal and later to Karambi, where he will be buried.
Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Minister Tom Butime, who attended the meeting said the late King had an extraordinary impact on people despite his young age.
“Uganda is lucky. We had a celebrity, if you wish. He died at 34, but he touched many lives and many hearts of Uganda, Africa and indeed the world,” Butime said.
Butime said the fact that Oyo died in the United States has made the repatriation process longer and more complicated.
“It is a very long process from the US to Uganda, to Fort Portal, to Karambi, the burial site,” he said.
Tooro Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomire said the kingdom is preparing for a huge influx of mourners and dignitaries once the King’s remains arrive.
He said the arrival of the body will also trigger the formal nine-day period leading to the burial.
“Once he arrives, then we start counting nine days. We’ve already spent more than seven days in the process,” Rwomire said.
The funeral is already attracting international attention, with several traditional leaders expected to travel to Tooro to pay their final respects.
Rwomire said four kings from Nigeria are expected to attend, while two kings from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Eswatini King have also communicated their intention to come.
And the list is growing.
“Every other day, we’re getting numbers increasing,” Rwomire said.
With the expected arrival of foreign kings, government officials, friends and other mourners, the kingdom faces a major logistical and protocol challenge.
Rwomire said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will need to play a major role in handling the international guests.
“It’s going to be a logistical nightmare, and Foreign Affairs has to get involved at some point to support us with the logistics and protocols,” he said.
The scale of the expected attendance has turned the burial into an event of national and regional significance, with preparations expected to involve multiple government agencies.
The government is working alongside the Tooro Kingdom to ensure that the late monarch receives a befitting official burial.
As the remains make their way home, the focus is now shifting to the King’s final journey from the airport to Fort Portal and ultimately to Karambi tombs where the people of Tooro will bid farewell to their young monarch.
