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KAMPALA, Aug 28: Oyo Nyimba, a Ugandan king, who became the world\u2019s youngest reigning monarch when he took the crown in 1995, has died aged 34, the prime minister of \u200bhis kingdom announced.<\/strong><\/p>\n Uganda is a republic, ruled by an elected head of \u200cstate, but it has several traditional monarchies that still preside over their kingdoms as they were constituted in the pre-colonial period. Their political power is largely symbolic, but they wield enormous cultural and social \u200binfluence.<\/p>\n Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV was the King of Tooro, a small \u200bkingdom in Uganda\u2019s west near the border with the Democratic Republic of \u2060Congo.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that I announce the passing of \u200bHis Majesty the Omukama of Tooro, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV,\u201d the prime \u200bminister of the kingdom, Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki, said in a post on X late on Thursday.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The king died at around 10:00 p.m. local time on Thursday, Akiiki said, without revealing the cause of \u200bhis death. Balaam Barugahara, a minister in the \u200cgovernment \u2060of President Yoweri Museveni, said shortly before the announcement of the king\u2019s death that he was receiving treatment in the U.S.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an immeasurable loss,\u201d the prime minister said, adding the king, who was unmarried, had left an heir and that \u201ccontinuity of the Crown is \u200bassured.\u201d<\/p>\n His death triggered an \u200boutpouring of grief across \u2060social media platforms in Uganda and widespread media coverage nationally.<\/p>\n \u201cMost devastating news! May His Majesty the King\u2019s soul rest in eternal peace,\u201d \u200bBobi Wine, Ugandan pop star-turned-politician who is the country\u2019s leading opposition \u200bleader, said \u2060in a post on X.<\/p>\n In April, in a message to celebrate the King\u2019s birthday, Tooro\u2019s prime minister had said: \u201cOur King is not distant from the realities of his people; he \u2060is part \u200bof this generation, part of this ecosystem, growing, learning, \u200band leading\u2026 His youth is not a limitation; it is a strength. It brings energy, fresh perspective, and the \u200bcourage to imagine a different future for Tooro.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Rukidi IV was crowned at just three years old on September 12, 1995 after \u200bthe death of his father, Rukirabasaija Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III.<\/p>\n