Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja called him a “symbol of unity” and commended his efforts to raise HIV/AIDS awareness among youth.
Opposition members also honored him, with acting opposition leader Patrick Nsamba Oshabe stating, “In his leadership, heritage and development worked hand in hand.”
President Museveni has directed an official state burial for the king, ordering national flags to fly at half‑mast for three days surrounding the funeral.
On Wednesday, Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki said the monarch had requested that his illness remain private, confident he would recover and return to his subjects.
He added that the king had looked forward to attending this year’s Empango, the annual coronation celebration scheduled for 12 September.
“He was confident in his recovery,” Akiiki noted.
His passing has raised questions about the monarchy’s future, given that King Oyo was never formally married.
However, Akiiki said the king had a young son, whose identity will be disclosed later in line with Tooro tradition.
President Museveni also noted that Queen Best Kemigisa, the king’s mother, had informed him that her son had left behind an heir.
Yet Charles Kamurasi, head of the Babiito royal clan that supplies Tooro’s kings, said he had no knowledge of the alleged child, sparking an uncommon public disagreement among the kingdom’s senior leaders.
Other members of the royal clan have wondered why they appeared unaware of the child’s existence.
“The prime minister should not discuss the king’s heir; that is a cultural matter,” one royal clan member told Uganda’s state‑owned New Vision newspaper.
“How can we, as blood relatives, be ignorant of the child while the prime minister claims to know? This is completely out of order,” the clan member added.
Akiiki has since urged that the dispute be settled privately, saying he wishes to meet with other elders to reconcile their differences.
“Words spoken in grief can deepen divisions that may take years to heal,” he warned.
