Born on April 16, 1992, the King of Tooro, His Royal Majesty Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukiidi IV, ascended to the throne as a toddler, just at 3 years after the death of his father, King Patrick David Mathew Kaboyo Olimi III, in 1995.
Born to Queen Best Kemigisa, King Oyo has an elder sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale Akiiki, and one younger sister, Princess Cecilia Komukyeya, who passed away in October 1997, aged four.
King Oyo also has a stepbrother, Prince Saul Livingstone Mpuuga, who was recently accepted into the royal clan by the Babiito elders after it was confirmed that he is a true son of late King Kaboyo Mathew (Oyo’s father) and late Joyce Rubuga, who once worked as his servant.
The King, who up-to-date holds the record as “the world’s youngest monarch “in the Guinness World Record books, has also been a champion in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
In 2014, the king was awarded an honorary doctorate on grounds of his distinguished achievements as a scholar and his exemplary contribution to serving society and humanity.
Tooro was a Bantu kingdom located within the borders of Uganda. It existed between 1891 and 1967, when the traditional Bantu kingdoms were abolished by the Government of Uganda. Its territory included the districts of Bundibugyo, Bunyangabu, Kabarole, Kamwenge, Kasese, Kitagwenda, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo, and Ntoroko.
It was restored in 1993 by the NRM government, but its territory that is coterminous with the Tooro sub-region has shrunk due to the detachment of the Bundibugyo, Kasese, and Ntoroko districts.
One of the main duties of the King is to lobby for donations for economic and social welfare projects for the wellbeing of his subjects. These include health, education, economic, and cultural projects.
The latter is important to build the people’s confidence in the king and promote a strong cultural identity. Supported by his regents and family, Oyo travels the world seeking foreign assistance for the development of Tooro.
Most recently, Oyo received 100 wheelchairs on behalf of the Kingdom, which were distributed to five regions of the country. Other humanitarian projects are endorsed by the Kingdom through the Batebe Foundation of Tooro, which runs a special education fund for needy children.
Oyo spent two years in London and attended preschool there. On his return to Uganda, he got an elementary education at the Aga Khan Primary School in Kampala. He later went to Kampala International School in Uganda for high school and says he enjoyed art, music, math, and swimming. He later enrolled for a degree in business management at Winchester University in the United Kingdom. In October 2013, three years later, King Oyo graduated from the University of Winchester with a bachelor’s degree.
