Unconfirmed reports are circulating on social media claiming that His Majesty King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, the King of Tooro, has died.
The reports began making the rounds on Thursday evening, 27 August 2026, with posts shared by journalists, including Nation Media’s Sudhir Byaruhnga, and politicians such as Kasambya County MP David Kabanda. Some social media users also claimed that King Oyo had been admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) while battling cancer. The claims have since spread across several social media platforms.
However, Minister of Local Government Balaam Barugahara has dismissed the reports, writing that “…the King of Tooro is still unwell and remains under medical management” in the United States.
At 6 pm the same evening, Tooro Kingdom confirmed on X that“King Oyo is currently in a critical condition,” while urging the public to pray for him. The Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki, also issued a similar statement.
Earlier this month, the Tooro Kingdom dismissed similar reports about King Oyo’s health, clarifying that the Omukama, in good health, was abroad for official engagements and further studies, and not for medical treatment as speculated.
Who is King Oyo?
Born on 16 April 1992 in Fort Portal, Uganda, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV ascended the Tooro throne at the age of three (3) in 1995, following his father’s death. He was formally crowned King Oyo in 2010, when he turned 18.
Raised under the guidance of the Tooro Kingdom’s regents and elders, King Oyo combined his royal responsibilities with formal education, attending schools in Uganda before pursuing further studies abroad.
Over the years, he has focused on the modernisation and development of the kingdom, with interests spanning education, healthcare, tourism and the preservation of Tooro’s cultural heritage. He has continued to undertake official engagements while balancing traditional responsibilities with a more contemporary approach to leadership.
King Oyo, now 34, is not married and has no children of his own. In September 2025, the Queen Mother publicly appealed to him to marry and bring an Omugo (queen consort) into the kingdom.
#UPDATE
On the same day, 27 August 2026, at 11:02 p.m., Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki, the Prime Minister of the Tooro Kingdom, confirmed the death of King Oyo of Tooro.
