The late Omukama of Tooro, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, will be laid to rest on September 12, 2026 — exactly 31 years after the day he was crowned King.
The burial date was confirmed Wednesday evening by the Office of the Omujwera Musuuga, the head of the royal Babiito clan, which also announced a change to the previously planned route for transporting the late monarch’s body.
Instead of being flown directly from Entebbe International Airport to Karuziika Palace, the King’s remains will be taken by military helicopter to Kyegegwa District before beginning a slow road procession through parts of Tooro.
The body is expected to arrive at Entebbe on Friday, September 4, where President Yoweri Museveni is expected to receive it and pay his last respects.
From Kyegegwa, the coffin will be placed on an open, slow-moving vehicle and travel through Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo and Kabarole districts, before continuing to Fort Portal City and ultimately Karuziika Palace.
The change in plans follows requests from Tooro subjects who want an opportunity to bid farewell to their King as his body makes its way home.
Fr Charles Oyo, Head of Communications in the Office of the Omujwera Musuuga, said security teams would guide mourners along the route.
“Many people have requested an opportunity to bid farewell to the King as the body is in transit,” Fr Oyo said.
The procession, however, will not involve repeated stops for public viewing.
Instead, the vehicle will move slowly enough to give people along the route an opportunity to wave and pay their respects as the King’s remains pass.
“The body is not going to stop in so many places to be viewed, but it will be on the van moving at a slow pace so that people are able either to wave or do whatever they want,” Fr Oyo explained.
With large crowds expected along the route, Fr Oyo also appealed to mourners to remain calm and disciplined, saying their conduct should reflect the character and heritage of the Batooro.
“We expect there will be a big number of people on the way. We appeal to them to keep calm, but also demonstrate who we are as the people of Tooro,” he said. “The people of Tooro are always calm and friendly.”
Once the body reaches Karuziika Palace, the official nine-day cultural mourning period will begin.
According to Tooro customs, traditional rites will be conducted throughout the mourning period, culminating in the burial on the ninth day.
That makes September 12 a particularly significant date in the farewell to King Oyo — not only because it will mark the end of the mourning rites, but because it falls exactly 31 years after his coronation.
The coming days will therefore see the late monarch’s final journey unfold through the communities of Tooro, giving his subjects along the route an opportunity to pay homage before the royal funeral rites reach their final stage.