Tooro Grieves Over King Oyo: “The Great Rain Has Poured”

UgandaToday: Tooro Grieves Over King Oyo: “The Great Rain Has Poured”

By Nabuzale Babara 

Whether he is 90 and has ruled for decades, or 34 and still had so much to give, the pain is the same.

The drums go silent. The palace feels empty. People feel orphaned.

That is the pain Tooro woke up to this morning.

His Majesty Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, the 12th King of Tooro, died on Thursday night, August 27, 2026, at around 10:00 p.m.

The news was confirmed by the Prime Minister of Tooro, Omuhikirwa Calvin Armstrong Rwomire Akiiki, in a statement that has left the kingdom heartbroken.

“It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that I announce the passing of His Majesty,” he said. “This is an immeasurable loss to the Royal Family, the people of Tooro and the nation of Uganda.”

He then spoke the words every Mutooro dreads to hear:

“Omukama Atulize. Enkuba Etutire.”

The King has rested. The great rain has poured.

Why This Pain Is Different

Tooro did not just lose a king; it lost a son it watched grow up.

Born on April 6, 1992, King Oyo was crowned on September 12, 1995, at just three and a half years old, after his father, King Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, died. The world called him the youngest king on earth.

Many still remember that day at Karuziika Palace — the oversized lion-skin crown, the tiny royal spear, and a small boy who got tired and ran to sit on his mother, Queen Best Kemigisa’s, lap.

That boy became our King.

We saw him go to school, graduate, return at 18 in 2010 to take full charge of the throne, and use his voice for education, youth and culture.

That is why this hurts so much.

We didn’t just know his name.

We know his journey.

The Night the Kingdom Held Its Breath

Yesterday afternoon, the kingdom asked all Batooro and friends of Tooro worldwide to pray, confirming that the King was critically ill.

By evening, security at the kingdom headquarters was heightened, while on social media thousands were already whispering: “Enkuba Etutire.”

At 10:00 p.m., it became official.

This morning, Fort Portal is quiet. Kampala is quiet.

From the villages of Kabarole to Batooro living in the diaspora, people are asking the same thing:

How can a King be gone so soon?

The Throne Will Continue

Even in deep grief, Tooro tradition provides strength.

The Prime Minister assured the nation that the crown is secure.

“The continuity of the crown is assured. His Majesty leaves behind a prince as his heir, whose identity will be formally revealed at the appropriate time, in accordance with the traditions and customs of the Tooro Kingdom.”

Funeral and official mourning arrangements will be announced today.

But for now, the kingdom mourns because, truly, losing a King at any age is painful.

Rest in eternal peace.

Rukirabashaija Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV
1992–2026

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