It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that I announce the passing of His Majesty the Omukama of Tooro, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, at approximately 10:00 p.m. this evening.
This is an immeasurable loss to the Royal Family, the people of Tooro and the nation of Uganda.
Omukama Atulize.
Enkuba Etutire.
I call upon the people of Tooro to remain united, calm and prayerful during this difficult time.
The continuity of the Crown is assured. His Majesty leaves behind a Prince as his heir, whose identity will be formally revealed at the appropriate time, in accordance with the traditions and customs of Tooro Kingdom.
An official statement will follow with further details, including the funeral and mourning arrangements.
May His Majesty the King rest in eternal peace.
OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION
To all the Abatooro and the General Public,
This is to inform you that His Majesty King Oyo is currently in a critical condition.
At this difficult and deeply concerning time, we humbly ask the people of Tooro, our friends and well-wishers in Uganda and across the world to keep His Majesty in their thoughts and prayers.
We equally appeal to everyone to refrain from speculation, rumours or sharing unverified information regarding His Majesty’s condition. We understand the concern and anxiety that news of this nature will naturally cause, but we ask for calm, restraint and respect for His Majesty and the Royal Family.
The official channels of Tooro Kingdom will provide updates as and when appropriate.
For now, we ask that we stand together in prayer for His Majesty.
Lionel Messi’s letter for his father. ❤️🩹
Dad, I still can’t believe that you’ve gone. I don’t fall, or rather, I don’t want to fall. It’s very hard for me to imagine that I’m not going to see you anymore, that we’re not going to talk anymore. I know you were suffering and that it’s for the best, but you left too soon. We still had a lot left to enjoy together.
You asked me so much to play in the last World Cup, and it was in the days just before it started that you got the worst. It was the first time you weren’t going to be at a tournament, but Mom told me that you were going to get better and that you’d be well enough to travel. I told you we were going to reach the final so you could travel.
Every time a match ended I waited for and missed your message. That’s when I realized the situation was really bad. Even so, I didn’t stop thinking about going as far as possible, to buy you time and so you could see a match. We reached the final and you couldn’t be there.
I wanted to win it to bring it to you and show you a new one. I couldn’t; my legs wouldn’t give any more. This time I tried to go against my body, but I couldn’t. I never managed to feel good.
When I arrived you thought we had lost the final on penalties. We couldn’t talk about any of everything that happened. You couldn’t enjoy anything.
We weren’t champions, but you have no idea how much we enjoyed every single match. Once again, you were right: I had to be there and play it.
I’m telling you this because it was the only thing we couldn’t talk about, since you already know everything else. We talked every day and saw each other whenever we could, given my commitments.
I don’t know what I’m going to do without you, I don’t know how to go on. I only played football and now I have quite a few doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer.
You were by my side from the beginning; there was so little left until the end. Why couldn’t you hold on that little bit more so we could finish together?
I know your happiness was seeing your family well, your wife, your children, and above all, without the others finding out, watching me play…
It was always like that since I was little. You would take me to all the training sessions as soon as you got home from work. For many of them Mum took me because you were working.
Obviously you never missed a single match. How you suffered watching me and how you enjoyed it, even though you never gave me many compliments.
You were dad, friend and representative.
You were always the person you needed to be in every moment and you never got anything wrong. Beyond a few reproaches or arguments, you were always right. In the end it always turned out the way you said.
I’m going to miss you a lot, but you’ll always be present, and especially in the upbringing of my children, because I teach them and raise them the way you both did with me.
Rest in peace and look after us from above the way you did down here. Thank you for everything.
I love you, Dad. ❤️