The Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has described her son, the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, as a peacemaker whose ambitious development agenda for Tooro Kingdom remained unfinished at the time of his death, in a speech read on her behalf at his burial by Tooro Head of Protocol Guma Komwiswa.
The Queen Mother tearfully recalled her son’s ascension to the throne as a young child and the character he grew into as king.
She said her son’s reign was largely peaceful despite challenges from within the royal family, and credited him with maintaining strong ties with the central government.
The Queen Mother said her son’s love for Tooro and its people endured from his earliest years on the throne, and went on to detail the economic milestones she said her son achieved during his reign, beginning with his youth employment and agricultural initiatives.
She added that during his reign, Omukama Oyo had embarked on an ambitious economic development agenda for Tooro by establishing agricultural education centers in Kyaka and Mwenge counties, providing coffee and cocoa seedlings for all households in Tooro, and developing King Oyo Model Farm at Bugaki Kyenjojo district for purposes of teaching and encouraging the youth in Tooro Kingdom to take up farming as a rewarding business venture.