By Leonard Kamugisha Akida
KAMPALA
The repatriated remains of Tooro’s late King, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, will arrive in Uganda on Friday, the government has announced.
The body of the 34-year-old monarch, who died in the United States on 27 August while receiving treatment for cancer, is expected at Entebbe International Airport at 10:00 local time.
Minister for the Presidency Milly Babirye Babalanda said on Thursday that the remains had been flown from Dallas and would first arrive in Nairobi, Kenya, before being transported to Uganda by helicopter provided by the government.
President Yoweri Museveni and a small delegation of government and Tooro Kingdom officials are expected to receive the body at Entebbe.
“The body will arrive tomorrow, Friday, September 4,” Babalanda told a press briefing at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala.
She said the government had covered the late king’s medical and repatriation costs, as well as a range of funeral-related expenses, including security, transport, tents, public address systems, food, burial preparations and renovations at Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal.
The government has also accorded King Oyo an official burial.
Minister Babalanda urged members of the public not to travel to Entebbe unless they were invited, citing security and crowd-control considerations.
According to the funeral programme, the body will be flown from Entebbe to Kyegegwa Airstrip before being transported by road to Karuziika Palace.
The procession will make no scheduled stops, although it will slow down in some towns to allow mourners to pay their respects.
The body will lie in state at Karuziika from 4 to 12 September, with public viewing and prayers taking place during the mourning period.
The burial is scheduled for 12 September, beginning with a final service at St John’s Cathedral in Fort Portal at 09:00.
Mwenge County South MP and State Minister for Gender Mary Kamuli Kuteesa said those attending the service should be seated by 08:00.
“The body will then be taken in a procession on foot from the cathedral to the royal burial grounds at Karambi, where the final burial rites will be conducted,” she said.
Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire called for unity and restraint, warning against speculation and disputes during the mourning period.
“We have lost our king. We have lost the son of Tooro,” he said, urging subjects to protect the monarch’s legacy and give him a dignified farewell.
Rwomiire said King Oyo had wanted his medical circumstances kept private and had been optimistic about returning home. He said questions surrounding the circumstances of the king’s death and earlier communication would be addressed after the burial.
“He did not want to cause unnecessary alarm among his people. Other matters have also been raised. This is neither the time nor the place to debate them. They must not be allowed to create division, controversy or destruction from the enormous responsibility before us. There will be a proper time and forum after His Majesty has been ready to rest to address any matters that require clarification. For now, everything else is secondary,” the Prime Minister said.
He also appealed to the media, bloggers and the public to respect the privacy of the royal family as they mourn.
