FORT PORTAL – The head of the Babiito royal clan has affirmed the kingdom’s commitment to caring for the Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa, as the Tooro Kingdom navigates the delicate period following the burial of the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Omusuga Kamurasi, speaking on behalf of the Babiito royal clan, emphasized that supporting the late king’s mother is both a duty and a cultural obligation, describing Best Kemigisa as a parent to the kingdom and the mother of the late Omukama Oyo.
He further assured that the Tooro Kingdom would stand firmly by her side through this difficult period, honouring her role as a mother who has lost her only son, and ensuring she is cared for with the dignity, respect, and devotion that her stature and sacrifice deserve.
“Best Kemigisa is our parent and the mother of the late Omukama Oyo. It is our responsibility to take care of her, and I assure you that as the Tooro Kingdom, we shall stand by her and ensure she is cared for,” Kamurasi said.
Best Kemigisa, the Queen Mother, endured the profound and heartbreaking loss of her beloved son, King Oyo, who sadly died at the age of 34 while undergoing cancer treatment in the United States.
The Queen Mother, in a deeply emotional tribute during the funeral service, revealed the full depth of her anguish, saying she had “begged God to take me first instead of King Oyo.”
The Next King Edward Kijanangoma Nyabongo, who was selected by the Babiito royal clan to succeed the late monarch, has also expressed his commitment to the Queen Mother’s welfare.
Through his social media account, Kijanangoma noted that Queen Best Kemigisa is the mother of the late king and that the kingdom must not “add pain to a mother who has lost her only son.”
Meanwhile, the royal camp of King Kijanangoma has confirmed receiving substantial support from President Museveni, including an official royal vehicle, a security pickup, and top-level security personnel assigned to protect the new monarch.
“We will follow the President’s advice,” Kamurasi stated, while also noting that the Attorney General’s legal advice carries a different weight.
The royal camp stressed that legal counsel provided to the President was directed to him in his capacity as Head of State and was for his consideration before making a final decision.
The support from the President comes as Tooro enters a significant transition following King Oyo’s burial on September 12, 2026, at the Karambi Royal Tombs, with Museveni having earlier called for the succession matter to be resolved in favour of unity over division.
Rev. Clovis Kyalimpa, former Speaker of the Tooro Kingdom Assembly, weighed in on the succession discussions, emphasizing the primacy of Tooro’s cultural framework and recalling a clause that placed all articles subordinate to the culture and norms of Tooro.
“In the Tooro Constitution, which I heard was suspended, and in my view illegally so, we had a clause stating that all articles of the Constitution were subordinate to the culture and norms of Tooro,” Kyalimpa explained.
He further asserted that even if courts of law uphold King Oyo’s last will, culture will nullify it, remarks that speak to a deeper tension between legal processes and traditional customs in the succession dispute.
The late King Oyo ascended the throne at just three years old in 1995, earning recognition from Guinness World Records as the world’s youngest reigning monarch.
The King’s death has left the kingdom balancing the demands of tradition, legal procedure, and the emotional weight of losing a beloved cultural leader.
The Queen Mother, who lost her husband King Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III in 1995 and her daughter Princess Celia Komukyeya in 1997, has now lost her only son. Princess Ruth Komuntale remains her only surviving child.
As the kingdom moves forward with the customary transition, the message from both the royal clan and the new monarch’s camp has been one of unity and care for the grieving Queen Mother.
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