The women who have been in King Oyo’s life

The death of King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, the Omukama of Tooro, last Thursday, caught many Ugandans unawares, with most learning for the first time that he had been hospitalised abroad for an undisclosed affliction.

As contradicting reports of his condition reverberated across social media, with palace sources reassuring the public that he remained alive but in critical condition, the news of his passing on was officially announced by the kingdom's Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomwire Akiiki.

In his statement, the prime minister assured the subjects of "the continuity of the crown, and the availability of a prince as his heir, whose identity will be formally revealed at the appropriate time, in accordance with the traditions and customs of Tooro Kingdom".

Tooro is one of the traditional kingdoms that were abolished by the Apollo Milton Obote government in 1966, until 1993 when it was restored, along with several others, by the current ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) government led by President Yoweri Museveni.

King Oyo ascended to the Tooro throne on September 12, 1995, aged just three years, following the death of his father, Omukama Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, on August 26, 1995, and this saw him unofficially emerge as one of the world's youngest monarchs, probably until his death.

He was the second of the three children born to Omukama Patrick Kaboyo Olimi III and Queen Best Kemigisa, together with Princess Ruth Nsemere Komuntale.

Until 2010, the monarchy was being run by principal regents appointed to guide the king who had not yet come of age. The principal regents included, among others, his mother, Queen Best Kemigisa; Princess Elizabeth Bagaya; President Yoweri Museveni; and Prince James Desmond Mugenyi.

WOMEN IN KING OYO'S LIFE

Queen Mother Best Kemigisa

Born on April 22, 1967, she is the Queen Mother of Tooro Kingdom and mother of the late King Oyo and Princess Nsemere Komuntale.

She is the daughter of Prince Mujungu of the Batuku tribe from present-day Ntoroko District.

She became one of the regents of Tooro Kingdom in 1995, following the death of her husband, Omukama Patrick Kaboyo Olimi III, and played a critical role in protecting and guiding the then young king until he reached majority in 2010.

She is a prominent advocate for women, children and cultural leadership in Uganda and Africa.

Princess Ruth Nsemere Komuntale

Also known as the "Batebe" or "Princess Royal of Tooro Kingdom", a title she assumed on September 12, 1996, after being installed by her late brother. Princess Ruth Nsemere Komuntale was born in 1989, in Fort Portal, Kabarole District, to the late Omukama Patrick Kaboyo Olimi III and Queen Best Kemigisa.

She attended Pointers Elementary School in the United Kingdom, then Aga Khan Primary School in Kampala, and later joined the International School of Martyrs in Tripoli, Libya.

She currently lives and works in the United States, but is also into charity and helps underprivileged children.

She tied the knot with her longtime fiancé, Jamaican deejay and IT engineer, Anthony Phil Amiooti aka DJ Duty Phil, at a private wedding ceremony in the United States on May 15, 2021, after her first one-year marriage to American businessman Christopher Thomas ended in 2013.

In the speech she delivered at her wedding to Anthony Phil, Princess Komuntale revealed that "God granted her a second chance in marriage, she found love and a best friend in her second husband".

The couple have since welcomed a baby boy, Prince Jamari Mathew Farquharson Adyeri.

Princess Cecilia Komukycya

She was King Oyo's youngest sister, and passed away in October 1997 at age four after battling leukemia. Her sister, Ruth, has, through the Princess Komuntale Foundation, not let her death be in vain by establishing the Princess Cecilia Komukycya and Cancer Treatment Fund.

As per its website, "the Fund is in her loving memory of whose spirit touched our lives and hearts... and is committed to continuing her fight against cancer, ensuring that her name lives as a beacon of hope for children battling this disease".

Princess Elizabeth Bagaya

As already mentioned, Princess Bagaya was one of the principal regents appointed in 1995 to guide King Oyo, who was a minor, in running the monarchy until he came of age in 2010.

She is a daughter of King George Rukidi III of Tooro, and maternal aunt to the late King Oyo through her paternal lineage (King Oyo was the son of her brother Omukama Patrick Kaboyo Olimi III). She played a significant role in the kingdom's leadership and governance during the early years.

Princess Bagaya was born on February 9, 1936, and served as the Batebe (princess royal) of the kingdom until 1965. She is a career lawyer and was the first woman in East Africa to be admitted to the English Bar. She has held diplomatic and political roles in Uganda, especially in the 1970s