Singer Shakira Shakiraa has responded to social media criticism after speaking publicly about her friendship with the late King of Tooro, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Following the monarch’s passing, Shakira joined other Ugandans in mourning and revealed that she had known King Oyo personally. She said the two were gym buddies and that she also had a friendship with the Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa.
Her comments, however, quickly attracted mockery online, with some social media users questioning the extent of her relationship with the late King and accusing her of trying to associate herself with him for attention.
Shakira has now explained exactly how the friendship began.
According to the singer, she first encountered King Oyo at the gym. She said she was struggling with one of the machines when the late monarch stepped in to help her.
“People just made fun of the whole process but he (King Oyo) was my friend. I already told you he was my gym buddy because I found him in gym and how we met was that I was on one of the machines and it refused to work and he came he helped me out, from there we started hellos and then it matured into a friendship.”
Shakira stressed that their relationship remained within the context of their interactions at the gym and said she had no intention of using the friendship to generate publicity.
She also pushed back against the idea that she is overly concerned about being in the spotlight, saying her attention is largely on her businesses and music career.
“I am the kind of person that doesn’t care whether I’m trending or not, whether my music is played or not… I focus on my businesses that’s all but when they asked me about him, I shared my experience because that stood out in my friendship with him.”
The singer’s clarification comes as the Tooro Kingdom continues its mourning period following King Oyo’s death in the United States on August 27, 2026, at the age of 34.
For Shakira, the story appears to be less about claiming a high-profile connection and more about explaining a friendship that, according to her, started with something as ordinary as a broken gym machine.