King Oyo family, friends ramp up efforts to set up memorial foundation

The family and close friends of the late Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV has stepped up efforts to establish a foundation that will preserve his legacy and pursue projects in health, sport, tourism and agriculture.

The family members announced on Tuesday evening that work on the King Oyo Foundation was progressing behind the scenes.

Tom R Mujungu, a cousin of the late monarch, shared images from a meeting held by the family on the matter, expressing optimism about quick results.

“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 revealed that the foundation would go beyond preserving memories of Oyo and seek to turn the late monarch's values and vision into projects with a wider social impact.

“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.”

He added: “The best is yet to be revealed. The legacy is only beginning.”

The latest development follows plans announced by Oyo's mother, Best Kemigisa, and sister, Princess Ruth Komuntale, last month to establish the King Oyo Memorial Foundation.

Kemigisa said she and Komuntale had committed themselves to protecting and building Oyo's legacy after his death.

She said President Yoweri Museveni had agreed to serve as patron and founding chairman of the foundation. 

Oyo died aged 34 in the United States on August 27, 2026, after battling angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. He had ruled Tooro for nearly 31 years after ascending the throne aged three in 1995. He was buried at Karambi Royal Tombs on September 12. 

One of the family's flagship proposals is the King Oyo Tooro Museum.

Kemigisa said the family had preserved Oyo's personal belongings and important objects from his life and reign. These would form part of a permanent collection documenting the man behind the crown and his journey from a three-year-old monarch to an adult king.

The family also wants the museum to preserve the wider history and culture of Tooro.

Kemigisa believes the facility could strengthen Fort Portal's tourism industry and create opportunities for guides, artists, craftspeople, hotels and other local businesses. 

Family wants King Oyo International Stadium completed

The foundation is also expected to push for the development of the King Oyo International Stadium.

Kemigisa said Oyo donated about 50 acres of land to the government during his lifetime for the development of a stadium.

The royal family's proposal has received support from Tooro legislators. During Parliament's tribute to Oyo, MPs asked the government to proceed with the proposed Buhinga stadium and name it after the late king.

Kemigisa said the family wants the stadium to become a centre where young people can develop sporting talent and communities can hold competitions and major events.

Oyo's battle with cancer has also inspired one of the foundation's most ambitious proposals: the King Oyo Research and Teaching Hospital.

The family envisions a modern hospital in Tooro with dedicated cancer and HIV research centres.

Kemigisa said the facility would treat patients, train doctors and other health professionals, support research and improve early detection of disease.

Oyo's illness became a major subject of discussion after Komuntale revealed at his funeral that he had experienced persistent pain for more than a year before doctors diagnosed him with angiosarcoma. 

Kemigisa said the experience strengthened the family's determination to contribute to the fight against diseases that continue to claim Ugandan lives.

“If work carried out in my son's name helps another mother keep her child, then his legacy will have performed one of its greatest acts of service,” she said.

The family also plans to preserve and expand Oyo's farm at Bugaaki.

Under the plans, the King Oyo Model Farm would become a centre for agricultural education, innovation and community outreach.

Kemigisa said schools, young people and farmers would use the facility to learn modern farming, agribusiness and value addition.

The programme is intended to help families improve agricultural productivity and household incomes. 

Kemigisa has stressed that the planned foundation and its projects should not become monuments that merely carry her son's name.

“These projects are not simply monuments bearing King Oyo's name. They are his legacy put to work for the people,” she said.

She described the projects as part of how she and Komuntale intend to mourn Oyo — through service rather than grief alone.