World’s youngest monarch, King Oyo, will be buried September 12
The body of Uganda’s young monarch Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, has been returned to the country ahead of his burial.
King Oyo d!ed in the United States last week at the age of 34 after receiving treatment for an aggressive form of cancer.
His body arrived at Entebbe Airport, where President Yoweri Museveni joined other mourners to pay their respects.
Following a brief ceremony, the coffin was flown by military helicopter to Kyegegwa in western Uganda, where the Tooro Kingdom is located, before being taken by road to the royal palace in Fort Portal.
As reported by the BBC on Friday, the king’s return marks the beginning of the Tooro Kingdom’s official nine-day mourning period.
His body will lie in state at Karuziika Palace, where members of the public will be allowed to pay their respects and prayers will be held each evening.
King Oyo ascended the Tooro throne in 1995 at the age of three and was crowned when he turned 18 in 2010. He became the 13th monarch of the kingdom, which was founded in the early 19th Century and has more than two million people.
Uganda is governed by an elected president and parliament, but its traditional kingdoms retain significant cultural influence despite having no political authority.
On Thursday, Uganda’s Parliament held a special tribute to King Oyo, with lawmakers remembering him as a modernising monarch who championed education, healthcare and opportunities for young people.
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