Bamasaba mourns King Oyo, calls for unite in Tooro

Mbale: The Bamasaba Cultural Institution has joined the people of Tooro Kingdom in mourning the death of His Majesty King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, describing his passing as a painful loss to the kingdom and Uganda at large.

Hon. Steven Masiga, spokesperson of the Bamasaba Cultural Institution, said the entire Bugisu region stands in solidarity with the Tooro royal family, the Babito ruling family and the people of Tooro during the difficult period.

“The entire Bugisu region consoles and condoles with Tooro Kingdom and the entire Tooro community, both in Bugisu and back home,” Masiga said.

He noted that the Bamasaba community has strong links with Tooro, including through cultural and family ties, adding that several prominent Tooro royal representatives have connections with the Bugisu cultural institution.

“As a community, we have notable Tooro royal representations to the Bugisu Cultural Institution such as Hon. Rose Wekomba, Dr. Kasoro and several thousands,” he said.

Masiga said the Bamasaba community shares the pain of the royal family’s loss, particularly because King Oyo died at a relatively young age.

“We stand in solidarity with the family of the late King, the Queen Mother, the Babito ruling family and the entire region. We understand and share the pain of losing such a young leader,” he said.

He called on the people of Tooro to use the King’s death as an opportunity to strengthen unity rather than create divisions.

“We pray that his demise should not create friction but rather should be used as a unifier and bring Tooro much closer,” Masiga said.

He likened the situation to the death of Jesus Christ, arguing that the work of those who remained behind eventually strengthened Christianity.

“When Jesus Christ died, those that remained behind to preach on his behalf made Christianity more solid than before,” he said.

Masiga conveyed condolences to the entire Tooro royal family, the kingdom cabinet and people of Bugisu who originate from Tooro.

“As a Bamasaba community, we convey our sympathies to the entire royal family, cabinet and people in Bugisu who hail from Tooro and say to you, indeed lightning has struck and ‘amata gatikire’ milk has poured,” he said.

He also praised King Oyo for championing initiatives that Masiga said resonate with communities in Bugisu, particularly environmental conservation, HIV prevention and the empowerment and education of young people.

“As a community, we strongly associate ourselves with some of the signature projects His Highness the Omukama of Tooro stood for, like environmental conservation, the HIV fight, youth empowerment and education,” Masiga said.

According to Masiga, the relationship between Bugisu and Tooro goes beyond cultural similarities, with historical and marital ties connecting the two communities.

“Bugisu region has had a long-standing cultural history with Tooro, firstly as Bantu people and secondly through marriage ties. Many of our people have married in Tooro and several Batoro people have married here,” he said.

He described the death of King Oyo as a troubling moment for the people of Tooro and reiterated Bugisu’s solidarity with the kingdom.

“It is a troubling moment for the loss of the King at such a young age, and as Bugisu region, we commiserate with the entire Tooro community, both in Bugisu and back in Tooro,” Masiga said.

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