Uganda’s King Oyo Nyimba Rukidi IV Dies at 34, Cause of Death Undisclosed
King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who became Uganda’s Tooro monarch at the age of three, has died aged 34. His cause of death has not been disclosed.
The king died at about 10pm local time on Thursday, Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki said.
“It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that I announce the passing of His Majesty the Omukama of Tooro, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV,” Mr Akiiki said, describing his death as “an immeasurable loss” to the kingdom.
Balaam Barugahara, a minister in President Yoweri Museveni’s government, said the king had been receiving medical treatment in the United States shortly before his death.
Rukidi IV was crowned on 12 September 1995 following the death of his father, Rukirabasaija Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III. He assumed the full duties of the monarchy when he turned 18.
His accession at the age of three made him the world’s youngest reigning monarch at the time.
The Tooro Kingdom is in western Uganda, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda is a republic governed by an elected president, but it retains several traditional kingdoms whose monarchs serve primarily as cultural leaders.
Although the kingdoms have little formal political power, their rulers retain significant social and cultural influence.
Mr Akiiki said Rukidi IV was unmarried but had left an heir, adding that “continuity of the Crown is assured”.
News of the king’s death prompted an outpouring of grief across Uganda, with tributes spreading widely on social media and receiving extensive national media coverage.
Ugandan opposition leader and musician Bobi Wine paid tribute to the monarch on X.
“Most devastating news! May His Majesty the King’s soul rest in eternal peace,” he wrote.
The death comes months after Mr Akiiki praised the king’s youth and leadership in a message marking his birthday in April.
“Our King is not distant from the realities of his people; he is part of this generation, part of this ecosystem, growing, learning, and leading,” he said.
“His youth is not a limitation; it is a strength. It brings energy, fresh perspective, and the courage to imagine a different future for Tooro.”
The Tooro Kingdom has entered a period of mourning, with arrangements for the king’s funeral and succession expected to follow.
