Queen Mother Best Kemigisa of Tooro paid tribute to Businessman Dr Sudhir Ruparelia for the support he gave King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV..
Speaking at the burial service at St John’s Cathedral in Fort Portal, Kemigisa said the Ruparelia family was among those who assisted with the King’s high school education. She added that his help went beyond schooling to the young monarch’s interest in physical fitness.
She said,King Oyo was given free use of the gym at Speke Resort Munyonyo, part of the Ruparelia Group.
“Dr Sudhir Ruparelia is among those who educated my son in high school,” Kemigisa told mourners.
She said the businessman also offered guidance that helped shape Oyo as he grew from a child king into an adult cultural leader.
The remarks came as thousands gathered to farewell Tooro’s longest-serving monarch. Senior kingdom officials, government representatives, other cultural leaders, members of the royal family and well-wishers attended the service. After the cathedral rites, the King’s body was to be taken to the Karambi Royal Tombs for burial beside his predecessors.
King Oyo ascended the throne as a child and later assumed fuller duties as an adult. The Queen Mother’s tribute underscored private relationships that supported him away from public ceremony, including education, encouragement and concern for his wellbeing.
As Tooro prepared to lay its King to rest, those personal acknowledgements formed part of the account of a life lived both on the throne and among those who stood with him
King Oyo of Tooro or King Rukidi IV, was the 13th Omukama of the Kingdom of Tooro in Uganda from 1995 until his death in 2026. At the time of his accession, Oyo was three years old, making him the world’s youngest reigning monarch He was the son of Omukama Patrick David Matherw Kaboyo Olimi 111 and Omugo Best Kemigisa After the death of his father King Olimi 111 in 1995, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Rukidi IV assumed the role of king during his toddler years. At 2 a.m. on 12 September 1995, a week after Olimi III’s burial, the rituals to proclaim Rukidi IV as king began. Rukidi IV became the youngest modern monarch at the age of three. The rituals included a mock battle at the palace entrance fought between enemy forces of a “rebel” prince and the royal army, and a test of Rukidi IV’s divine right to the throne, in which the Omusuuga (head of the royal clan) called on the gods to strike the prince dead if he was not of royal blood. On passing the test, Rukidi IV was permitted to sound the Nyalebe, a sacred chezi drum, as his forefathers had done.
At 4 a.m., Rukidi IV was crowned amidst a jubilant crowd and entered the Karuziika palace as the new ruler of the Kingdom of Tooro. He was served his first meal as king, which consisted of millet dough.The cultural rituals (Emirwa y’Obuhangwa) were followed by a religious ceremony presided over by Eustace Kamanyire of Fortportal based Ruwenzori.
President Yowri Mueveni attended the coronation celebrations and paid tribute to Rukidi IV. Rukidi IV was the Omukama which means “King,” and Rukirabasaija, which means “the greatest of men.” Although he was considered the sovereign leader of the Batooro, Rukidi IV’s power was limited to cultural duties. His full title and name was Rukirabasaija Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba-Iguru Rukidi IV.
In October 2013, Rukidi IV graduated from the University of Winchester with a bachelor’s degree.
Rukidi IV campaigned on environmental conservation in the later years of his reign, including a “Save River Mpanga Now” campaign addressing pollution and siltation of the Mpanga River, which supplies Fort Portal’s water and flows throughKibalae National Park to Lake George In 2019, amid local concern over pollution of the Mpanga River, Rukidi IV joined community efforts to desilt the river and remove solid waste, taking part in the clean-up himself.
In 2019, Rukidi IV was named one of the Global Top 100 Most Influential People of African Descent.
