King Oyo’s Mortal Remains Arrive in Uganda for Royal Burial

The final journey for the late Omukama of Tooro, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, has officially reached Ugandan soil. The casket bearing his mortal remains arrived at Entebbe International Airport this morning, Friday, September 4, 2026.

The arrival follows a solemn transit from the United States, where the 34-year-old monarch passed away on August 27 after battling aggressive brain cancer. The casket initially departed Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Wednesday, making transit stopovers in Amsterdam and at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, before touching down at Entebbe at approximately 10:00 a.m.

President Yoweri Museveni formally received the late King’s remains at the airport, paying his last respects on behalf of the nation. He was joined by high-ranking government officials and members of the Babiito royal family, including Queen Mother Best Kemigisa and the King’s sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, who accompanied the body from the US.

Following the brief reception at Entebbe, the funeral program transitions into a carefully coordinated cultural procession. The military is scheduled to airlift the casket by helicopter to Kyegegwa District. From Kyegegwa, the remains will be placed on a slow-moving open carriage, embarking on a solemn road journey towards the Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal City. This procession is designed to allow thousands of mourners and subjects along the route to witness the return of their fallen King and pay their final respects.

The Office of the Omujwera Musuuga, which oversees Tooro’s cultural funeral rites, confirmed that the body will be received at the Karuziika Palace, the kingdom’s official center for the royal funeral rites. Upon the casket’s arrival at the palace, a formal nine-day mourning period will officially begin.

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The burial is scheduled for September 12, 2026, at the Karambi Royal Tombs, a date that coincides exactly with the anniversary of King Oyo’s historic coronation in 1995.

The state and cultural funeral is expected to attract a massive gathering of traditional leaders from across the continent. High-profile African royalty, including King Mswati III of Eswatini, the Olu of Warri from Nigeria, and several traditional rulers from the Democratic Republic of Congo, have confirmed their attendance, underlining King Oyo’s prominent standing among Africa’s traditional institutions.