Queen Mother Best Kemigisa Akiiki broke down in tears on Saturday,12 as she paid an emotional farewell to her only son, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV and revealed that she had prayed to God to take her life before his but instead found herself burying the child she had raised into one of Africa’s most recognised traditional rulers.
Speaking before thousands of mourners at St John’s Cathedral in Fort Portal, the grieving mother recounted the painful journey she had shared with Oyo from the day he became king at just three years old after the death of his father, Omukama Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, in 1995, to his final days battling cancer in the United States.
“I asked God to take me first, not my son. No mother prays to bury her own child. This pain is too heavy for me,” she said.
Her voice repeatedly broke as she described how the kingdom watched Oyo as a monarch, but she knew him first as the little boy whose life changed forever when he inherited the Tooro throne while still too young to understand the weight of a crown.
“Before he became your king, he was my son. I watched him grow from a little boy into a leader who loved his people,”she said.
The Queen Mother said losing her husband in 1995 forced her into an unexpected role of raising both a child and a kingdom, as she stood beside Oyo through years of legal battles, palace disputes and criticism from those who doubted whether a toddler could legitimately inherit the throne.
“When Oyo became king, many people opposed him because he was young. They fought us in different ways, but God protected him and gave him the strength to reign for more than three decades,”she said.
She said those difficult years only strengthened their bond as mother and son, describing Oyo as a humble man who never allowed royalty to distance him from ordinary people.
“He carried responsibilities that many adults cannot carry, yet he remained kind, respectful and devoted to serving Tooro.”
As mourners listened in silence, Best Kemigisa reflected on memories that had once filled Karuziika Palace with hope instead of grief.
Only months before Oyo fell critically ill, she had praised his deep Christian faith, saying he read the Bible “like a novel” and spent time in prayer despite the demands of kingship. During the same family celebration, she had affectionately urged him to marry and give her more grandchildren, saying she longed to watch another generation grow within the royal family.
Those dreams, she admitted, now feel painfully distant.
She said, “I never imagined that instead of celebrating my son’s future, I would stand here saying goodbye to him.”
The Queen Mother also used her funeral address to appeal for peace as Tooro grapples with a succession dispute that emerged after members of the Babiito royal clan selected Prince Edward Rukidi Kijaangoma as the next king while Oyo’s family insists the late monarch’s biological son is the rightful heir.
She pleaded with every side to allow grief to come before politics.
“Today is not for fighting over the throne. Today is for burying my son.”
“Let us mourn first. Let us honour him with dignity before anything else.”
Her appeal echoed the anguish she expressed earlier this week after condemning celebrations over the succession while Oyo’s body still lay in state at Karuziika Palace.
The Queen Mother thanked President Museveni for supporting Oyo’s treatment abroad after learning about his illness and for helping bring his body back home for burial.
She also expressed gratitude to the people of Tooro, religious leaders, traditional institutions and foreign delegations who stood with the kingdom throughout the period of mourning.
King Oyo died on August 27 while receiving treatment for cancer in the United States, bringing to an end a remarkable 31 year reign that began when he became the world’s youngest reigning monarch at the age of three.
During his time on the throne, he transformed Tooro into one of Uganda’s most visible cultural institutions, championing youth empowerment, environmental conservation, education and public health initiatives. He also served as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/AIDS awareness and welcomed global leaders and dignitaries to the kingdom during his reign.
After the funeral service, thousands of mourners joined a solemn procession through Fort Portal before the late monarch was laid to rest at the Karambi Royal Tombs, where generations of Tooro kings have been buried.
As his casket disappeared into the royal resting place, the Queen Mother’s final words captured the heartbreak that has gripped both her family and the kingdom.
“I asked God to take me first, but God chose otherwise,” she recalled.
