Kabaka Mutebi antique ceremonial chair gift to King Oyo among items to be museumised

An antique ceremonial chair gifted to the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV by Buganda's Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II is among the royal possessions earmarked for preservation at a proposed museum in Fort Portal.

The chair is part of a collection of furniture, photographs, royal insignia and other personal belongings that the family of the former Tooro king plans to preserve as a permanent record of his life and reign.

Details of the collection have started emerging following a recent family meeting to discuss the establishment of the King Oyo Memorial Foundation and the proposed King Oyo Tooro Museum.

Ron Kawamara, a cousin of the late monarch, has shared photographs of some of the items expected to form part of the museum's collection.

He accompanied the imaged with a message to the late king, “I can report your wishes are the command and they will be in place sooner than they imagined.”

Among them is a ceremonial chair bearing an inscription on its back that reads: “A gift to Tooro Kingdom from Buganda Kingdom.”

The collection also includes a gold-coloured ceremonial chair with a tall backrest, intricate carvings, ornamental finials and light-coloured upholstery.

Other items include a large, dark-brown polished wooden cabinet decorated with carvings, curved doors and brass-coloured handles. The cabinet serves as a display stand for several photographs.

Two matching wooden chairs with brown upholstery, curved armrests and decorative nailhead trim also feature in the collection.

The family has also preserved framed photographs, a coat of arms, ceremonial insignia featuring gold-coloured figures, two wooden display cabinets, decorative sculptures and an animal-skin rug.

These belongings are expected to offer visitors a glimpse into Oyo's private life, royal responsibilities and the ceremonial traditions associated with his reign.

The family has not yet announced when the museum will open or whether all the items identified so far will form part of its permanent exhibition.

The latest disclosures follow efforts by Oyo's relatives and associates to establish a foundation dedicated to preserving his legacy.

Earlier this week, Tom R Mujungu details froma meeting involving several people working on the proposed foundation.

In a statement posted on X, Mujungu said preparations were progressing and promised that the scale of the initiative would become clearer as work advanced.

“The work is happening quietly, deliberately and with a much bigger vision than many can see today. There is far more at stake than meets the eye, and some things are better revealed through results than words,” he said.

Mujungu described the foundation as an initiative intended to turn Oyo's vision and values into projects that would benefit Tooro, Uganda and future generations.

“The King Oyo Foundation is coming, and when it does, the scale of what is being built will become clearer,” he said.

“This is not simply about preserving the memory of a great King, it is about turning his vision, values and legacy into something that can serve Tooro, Uganda, the world and generations to come.”

Queen Mother announces permanent museum

The museum is among several projects previously announced by Oyo's mother, Queen Mother Best Kemigisa, and his sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale.

In a statement issued following her son's burial, Kemigisa said the family had carefully preserved his personal belongings and important objects from his life and reign.

“We have carefully preserved King Oyo's personal belongings and important objects from his life and reign,” she said.

“They will form part of a permanent collection so that generations yet unborn can know the man, the King and the extraordinary journey of the little boy who became Omukama at only three years old.”

Kemigisa said the museum would go beyond documenting Oyo's life to preserve the wider history and culture of Tooro.

She also expects the facility to strengthen Fort Portal's position as a tourism destination and create opportunities for guides, artists, craftspeople, hotels and other local businesses.

The Queen Mother said she and Komuntale had made a commitment to protect, defend and build Oyo's legacy.

She also announced that President Yoweri Museveni had agreed to serve as patron and founding chairman of the King Oyo Memorial