I have struggled to find words for the death of my King, His Majesty King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru IV. P
I have seen him grow all his life. I watched him learn to play football and basketball, ride bikes, go to school, leave for university, graduate, and, year after year, grow into his Crown. I watched the boy become a man, and the man become a remarkable King.
We were supposed to be planning his wedding, not his funeral.
Perhaps that is what makes this so difficult to accept. None of us believed the King would die. Even His Majesty believed he was coming home. On the day he passed, we had expected him to be discharged. Only a week earlier, he was still speaking with doctors about new treatment options and participating in the daily family prayer hour. He was happy that Arsenal had started the season with a stronger squad. He was looking forward to this year’s Empaango.
He was still making plans. Still hopeful. Still living.
Oyo loved Tooro deeply. He loved Uganda. He loved his family, and he had a special closeness with our children. But above everything else, he loved God.
He was truly a servant King: humble, gentle, and remarkably close to ordinary people. No one was too small to matter to him. He knew the names of his farm workers and bodyguards, and remembered people he met along the way. The Crown never made him distant from people; it made him feel more responsible for them.
Today, our hearts are especially with the Queen Mother Akiiki. She raised a young boy carrying an extraordinary burden into a gentleman and a great King. What she gave Tooro, through him, can never truly be repaid.
His loss is immeasurable. For our family, the pain is almost impossible to describe. For Tooro, an era has ended far too soon.
But Oyo’s legacy will not die.
It will live in his young son. It will live in the people he served, in the causes he championed, in the Kingdom he loved, and in the contribution he made to Uganda. And above all, it lives with God, the King of Kings whom he loved and served.
I will remember many things about His Majesty. But I will also remember Amooti Oyo: my cousin, my friend, the boy I watched grow up, the Arsenal fan, the father, the son, the brother, and the gentleman behind the Crown.
We were not ready to say goodbye.
Rest in eternal peace, Your Majesty.
The King is dead. The Crown mourns, but the Crown stands.
Long live the King.
Once upon a time a man left some meat on the fire in his compound. When he returned, the meat was gone. But there was a goat lying under a shade nearby chewing the cud. In a fit of rage the man picked up a stick and clobbered the goat to death. He was convinced that the goat was chewing the last bits of the missing meat. Only to realize that goats don’t eat meat!
On the day you took over officer as IGP, that Friday, I was graduating at Makerere University with a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration & Management. When my name was read, there was an uproar from the congregation & I saw the outgoing IGP John Kisembo saying something to you.
Your tour of duty in Police in 2001 found me at the rank of Superintendent of Police(SP).
On your first day in office, the following Monday, you appointed me to the office of head of Community Affairs as an Ag head of Community Affairs department following the interdiction of my boss who had been affected by the Sebutinde Commission.
You left your desk & sat in the visitors sofa where I was seated. You told me that you watched me from far & heard all my radio programs on CBS radio with Mulindwa Muwonge. You told me that you had a lot of hope in me as a young man & asked me to intensify & deepen community policing as a way of preventing crime.
I took the job with the seriousness it deserved. Many times, you appeared with me on same TV/radio interviews. We also traveled together to address public meetings.
Whenever you wanted anything done quickly at HQ, I was your first point of call. I wrote most of your speeches & one time told the university at Nkumba to invite me & talk to your Political Science class. You had a lot of trust in me intellectually.
One day, you summoned me to your office & I found Bishop Kawuma of Namirembe Diocese who had wanted to recruit a police officer to be trained as a Reverend at Bishop Turker Mukono. You said the most beautiful words about me that no IGP has ever said. From that day, you started calling me son.
In the same week, you summoned me to your office. I saw both my confidential & open files lying on your desk. You asked me serious personal questions about my family, business, health etc.
You gave me very good advice. I will never forget what you told me if I was going to be a good officer & serve my country well. You said that the family, my health & what I was doing outside my office were the most important things in my public service life.
The following year in 2002, I was promoted to the rank of Senior Superintendent of Polixe(SSP). In 2004, I was appointed on promotion to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police(ACP). The following year in 2005, I was yet again promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police(CP). I put on my rank exactly on the day you handed over office to Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura.
Contrary to what people say that I earned all my ranks under your successor, I actually earned 3 promotions in the 4 years you served as IGP. Gen. Kale recommended me for the rank of AIGP in 2009 the rank I retired on.
You trusted me with management of Police FC & the office for chairman Police Council Appeals Court. I handed over those offices on the day I retired in 2022. This was a sign that you knew my strengths so well.
We continued to work together even when you were CDF. You were always calling me to find out how I was doing when I was Director of INTERPOL & CPC.
When I was in the process of publishing my book Chosen, you offered to write the Foreword. I cherish every single word you chose & wrote.
I will always remain indebted to your counsel, command, mentorship & advice. I looked up to you in whatever you did till today. You trusted me, I didn’t let you down even in a single instance. The legacy you left in my life is cemented with the strongest concrete in the world.
You’ve retired a proud officer, a visionary leader, a Pan Africanist, a patriot, a commander, a mentor & a father.
I wish you a good retirement from the army & success in the service of this country as a Minister.
My family & I will always remember you for my life & service to the nation.
I don’t have what to give you. Only this tribute. May God continue to bless you & family my commander @GenWamala
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🚨🔴⚪️ BREAKING: Bruno Guimarães to Arsenal, HERE WE GO! 🇧🇷
Agreement in place with Newcastle after long talks and personal terms in place with Bruno since July. Fee worth £75m.
New midfielder for Mikel Arteta. 🔜
I had opted to keep quiet on this matter out of respect for FUFA & the Licensing Committee however such slander is appalling & requires clarity!
1. As shared before, i once again state that KCCAFC is not accorded the liberty to make such mistakes.
2. As the lead at the Club, i understand the sensitivity of the Licensing process and it is one handled with utmost care and utter caution it deserves for its repercussions are gross when failure is noted for KCCA FC is held to high standards as it should be.
3. It is however unfortunate that the Chairman Licensing Commitee has continously alleged as below that communication was shared to KCCA FC on the Licensing gaps and the emails were ignored. I catergorically state that this is false.
4. The english say, "HIM WHO ALLEGES, MUST PROVE" therefore i challenge the Chairman to produce the proof of the alleged email correspondences to the Club on this matter.
5. It is rather unfortunate that neither the Chairman nor any member of the Licensing Committe reached out to the Club on the matter prior to publication of the rejection.
I believe that @KCCAFC is a key stakeholder in the game of football in Uganda and simple courtesy or effective stakeholder management necessiates engagement for Licensing should not be seen as a punitive tool but rather a tool for improvement.
6. Notwithstanding the above, we remain committed to professional governance and the growth of Ugandan football. We however take strong exception to false narratives fronted which tarnish the reputation of the club.
Our focus remains on resolving this matter harmoniously through the proper channels such that our team, fans and stakeholders can focus on the football ahead.
#MoreThanJustAClub