QUEEN MOTHER KEMIGISA DROPS BOMBSHELL: OYO LEFT BEHIND A CHILD — “HE IS THERE”
The bitter Tooro succession saga has taken another dramatic twist.
Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has revealed that the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV left behind a child, saying the young heir “is there” but did not return to Uganda with the royal family amid the ongoing succession dispute.
In an emotional statement shared on X while thanking those who stood by her after the death of her son, Kemigisa opened up about what she described as deeply painful moments following Oyo’s death.
She said only hours after Oyo’s death, a committee had already been formed to choose his successor while his body was still being transported back to Tooro.
According to Kemigisa, a new king was announced even before the royal family reached Karuziika Palace.
She said the pain became even greater when another king was announced days later, shortly after Oyo’s Will was read to members of the royal family, the Musuuga and representatives of the Babiito clan.
Kemigisa said loud celebrations took place just metres from where her son’s body lay, describing the moment as “extraordinarily painful” for a grieving mother.
But there was another painful decision.
The Queen Mother revealed that before leaving Texas, the family had hoped Oyo’s child would return to Uganda on the same flight with them.
However, she said the escalating succession dispute raised concerns about bringing the child into what had become a tense and polarised situation.
“Ultimately, the child did not return with us. This has left me deeply saddened,” Kemigisa said.
She added that regardless of the disagreements surrounding the throne, no child should be placed in circumstances where returning to his father’s homeland could expose him to hostility and conflict.