KYEGEGWA. President Yoweri Museveni has received the mortal remains of Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, as the kingdom begins preparations to lay the monarch to rest at Karuzika Royal Palace in Fort Portal.
King Oyo’s remains arrived in Uganda aboard a chartered aircraft from Nairobi before being flown from Entebbe to Kyegegwa by two Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) helicopters.
The helicopters carried the King’s body and members of the immediate royal family to Humura Playground in Kyegegwa, where the remains were received before the procession to Karuzika Royal Palace.
The arrival marked an emotional moment for the royal family, with Queen Mother Best Kemigisa breaking down alongside her daughter, Princess Ruth Komuntale, as the family confronted the death of the Tooro monarch.
At Humura Primary School, a specially customised hearse designated to transport King Oyo’s remains to Karuzika Royal Palace was also received.
The vehicle, a Mercedes-Benz GLE 400d 4MATIC, has been converted into a stretched SUV hearse, with an extended rear body, large upward-opening doors and a dedicated casket compartment fitted with glass viewing panels.
The hearse, branded by Precious Funeral Services, also carries customised gold-coloured Ugandan Coat of Arms plaques on its front and rear.
King Oyo’s remains were transported from Nairobi aboard an Embraer EMB-120RT Brasilia turboprop aircraft, registration 5Y-FAM, operated by Kenya-based Freedom Airline Express.
The return of the King’s remains marks the beginning of a nine-day mourning period in Tooro Kingdom, during which the royal family, kingdom officials and the public will participate in funeral rites and pay their final respects to the late monarch.
The royal funeral programme and public viewing are scheduled to begin in Kyegegwa before the King’s remains are taken to Karuzika Royal Palace in Fort Portal.
King Oyo died last week in the United States, where he had been receiving medical treatment. He was 32.
He ascended the Tooro throne in 1995 at the age of three following the death of his father, King Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, becoming one of the world’s youngest reigning monarchs.
