By Joseph Kiggundu
Buganda Kingdom has joined the people of Tooro in mourning King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru, with Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga describing his death as a loss not only to Tooro but to Uganda as a whole.
Buganda Kingdom has mourned the death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru, with Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga describing the late Tooro monarch as the “younger brother” of Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II.
In a condolence message issued on Friday morning, Katikkiro Mayiga said the Kabaka was saddened and shocked by the passing of “his younger brother.”
Mayiga said the two kingdoms have shared a close relationship since the formation of the Kingdom of Tooro in the 1830s, with members of their respective royal families supporting one another over generations.
He recalled that when Oyo ascended the Tooro throne at the age of three in 1995, the Kabaka of Buganda was among those named as his guardians.
“Members of the royal family of Toro have been taken care of by different kings of Buganda and vice versa. Indeed, when King Oyo assumed the throne at the tender age of three, the Kabaka of Buganda was named one of the guardians,” Mayiga said.
“We have always worked together; we have always planned together in the interest of the people of the two kingdoms.”
Katikkiro Mayiga said Oyo’s death was a major loss to the people of Tooro because of his plans for preserving the kingdom’s heritage and improving the welfare of his subjects.
“The demise of King Oyo is a big loss to the people of Toro because he had many plans for the sustenance of Toro heritage and for the well-being of the Toro people. But it is a great loss to Uganda too,” he said.
The Katikkiro urged the people of Tooro to remain united as they mourn their King.
Oyo died on Thursday, August 27, 2026, aged 34, bringing to an end a reign that lasted nearly 31 years.
Born on April 16, 1992, Oyo became Omukama of Tooro in 1995 at the age of three following the death of his father, Omukama Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, on August 26, 1995.
Oyo’s death came exactly 31 years and one day after the death of his father.
Buganda’s Princess Katrina Sarah Ssangalyambogo also paid tribute to Oyo on behalf of the royal family, describing him as a national figure who grew into his role as monarch in the public eye.
“King Oyo was not just a King of Tooro. He was a son of Uganda. He ascended the throne as a child, and grew before the eyes of the nation. He carried the crown with courage, with wisdom beyond his years, and with a love for his people that never wavered,” Ssangalyambogo said.
She said Oyo defended Tooro’s culture and traditions while working to promote peace and development in the kingdom.
“To the Batooro, we say this: your grief is our grief. The bond between Buganda and Tooro is a bond of history, of blood, of kingdoms that have walked together through joy and through trial. When one house mourns, the other stands beside it,” she said.