Queen Mother Best Kemigisa has exclusively appreciated Sudhir Ruparelia for offering her late son, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV free educational support and personal wellbeing.
Speaking during Oyo’s burial service at St John’s Cathedral in Fort Portal, Kemigisa said Sudhir remained close to the King long after his school years, offering encouragement and creating opportunities that helped shape him as he grew into his responsibilities as Tooro’s cultural leader.
“Sudhir Ruparelia is among those who educated my son in high school,” she said, drawing applause from mourners who had gathered to bid farewell to the kingdom’s longest serving monarch.
The Queen Mother revealed that Oyo studied at Kabira International School on Sudhir’s sponsorship, under the Ruparelia Group.
She said that relationship did not end after Oyo left school.
“He did not only support his education. He guided him and continued standing with him as he grew into a man,” she said.
Kemigisa also spoke about Oyo’s passion for exercise, saying Sudhir helped nurture that interest by allowing him access to the gym facilities at Speke Resort Munyonyo, where the King often trained.
“My son loved fitness, and Sudhir supported that part of his life too,” she said.
The tribute shed light on a friendship that remained largely out of the public spotlight, even as King Oyo became one of Uganda’s best known cultural leaders and Sudhir continued building one of the country’s largest business groups.
Over the years, Sudhir and members of the Ruparelia family attended several functions involving the Tooro Kingdom, maintaining a relationship that the Queen Mother said was built on trust, education and genuine concern for her son’s wellbeing.
Kemigisa said many people knew Oyo as a monarch who assumed the throne at the age of three, but fewer understood the network of people who helped him navigate life beyond the palace walls.
“These are the people who helped shape my son’s life,” she said.
Oyo died on August 27 while receiving cancer treatment in the United States, ending a reign that began in 1995 after the death of his father, Omukama Patrick Olimi Kaboyo II.
Thousands of mourners filled St John’s Cathedral and later lined the route to the Karambi Royal Tombs, where the late King was laid to rest alongside his royal predecessors.
Queen Mother’s heartfelt tribute shows that Sudhir Ruparelia made a typical mark on King Oyo’s life, not only through education at Kabira International School, but through years of support that continued well into his reign.
