The final hours of the late Omukama of Tooro, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru, have emerged with a heartbreaking revelation that the 34-year-old monarch was expecting to leave hospital and return home shortly before his sudden death.
According to an official statement read on Saturday by Baguma Komwiswa, the Head of Protocol in Tooro Kingdom, King Oyo remained hopeful about his recovery until the very end and had been informed that doctors were preparing to discharge him.
Komwiswa said the King had spoken to people close to him and assured them that he would be coming home the following day.
“He spoke to Batereze Mary and Philip, assuring them that he was coming home the next day when the doctors were planning to discharge him,” the statement read.
The revelation has cast an even deeper sense of grief over the death of the young monarch, who instead of returning to Tooro as expected, died thousands of kilometres away while undergoing treatment in the United States.
According to the statement, Oyo had also spoken to Jonathan Baguma and several of his close associates and servants, maintaining communication with people around him and discussing his anticipated return home.
But the expected homecoming never happened.
Komwiswa said the King’s condition suddenly deteriorated on August 27, 2026, forcing doctors to place him on life support as they made efforts to save his life.
Despite the medical team’s efforts, the monarch died at exactly 14:16 hours US time.
His death at just 34 years old brought an abrupt end to the hopes of a young King who, according to the official account, remained optimistic that he would overcome his illness.
The statement described Oyo as strong and in high spirits during his treatment. He was reportedly eating well, communicating with people around him and maintaining his prayers.
Even from his hospital bed, the King reportedly remained engaged with affairs back home in Tooro.
Komwiswa said Oyo continued communicating with key palace workers and security personnel and issued instructions concerning the management of Kingdom affairs.
Those final communications have now taken on profound significance because they were apparently made under the expectation that the King would soon return home.
Instead, Tooro was confronted with the devastating news of his death.
The contrast between the optimism surrounding his expected discharge and the sudden deterioration of his condition has left many Batooro mourning a monarch who, according to the official statement, never appeared to believe that his treatment would end in death.
His final conversations were therefore not farewells. They were conversations about coming home.
The King was preparing to leave hospital, people close to him were expecting his return, and Tooro was waiting for its monarch to come back.
But within hours, those expectations were shattered.
The Kingdom that had anticipated welcoming King Oyo home was instead forced to prepare for the arrival of his remains and the solemn ceremonies surrounding his burial.
The revelation has added a painful new dimension to the mourning of one of Uganda’s youngest traditional leaders, whose death has also triggered intense discussions about the future of the Tooro Kingdom and the succession to the throne.
