By Dennis Katungi
I first met Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukid IV as a two and a half year toddler in early 1995. Together with his two sisters, Princesses Ruth Nsemere Komuntale and the late Celia Komukyeya Abwoli, the young royals were with the Queen Mother – Akiiki Best Kemigisa in London. They had temporarily re-located to a place in Lewisham because young Princess Celia needed long-term medical care at The Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Surrey. But first I digress.
Three generations of my family have had liaisons with the Tooro royal family since the 1950’s. My father moved from Ankole to Tooro in the early 50’s as an Apprentice. After Junior School, he wanted to acquire vocational Training and ended up in Fort Portal where he enrolled on a skilling program at an Enterprise headed by Mr Martin Luther Kimunyu on Bwamba Road. This was a major Tailoring Business located in the heart of Fort Portal not far from the royal Karuziika palace. In time, Mr John Patrick Kaburika completed the training, became an accomplished Outfitter and set up his own Business – JPK High Class Tailors. I remember the business signage as we, the children grew up: ‘Specialist Bespoke Tailors & Outfitters of men’. Together with his team of Super-Tailors, they crafted top end men’s suits and other garments on made to measure basis and this is where the royal connection came in.
My father’s business won a contract in the early 60’s to outfit the work force at the Royal Palace – Karuziika. Now aged 93, my father tells me that the dress code for palace servants was known as [livery] copied from the British Royal Family - a highly standardised and structured set of Uniforms by rank, colour code and occasion. My father and his team would go to the royal palace to take measurements of workers and that’s how he met the King, Sir George David Kamurasi Rukidi III. He quickly became one of the King’s known and established men and was listed as a supplier of Royal Livery and suits. He even kitted out the Chefs and waiters at the palace. When he got an opportunity to measure and outfitted King Rukidi III, the monarch loved the suit. You never go wrong with made-to measure suits. He retained him as a Royal Tailor and supplier of garments.
Four of my siblings including yours faithfully plus my parents got Empaakos from the royal household in Fort Portal. Ninyowe Araali. Having been born and raised in Tooro till the family relocated back to Kazo in the early 1970’s, we were treated as Batooro. Buhinga Hospital on Mugurusi Road in Fort Portal is the place of our birth, four of us in my family. We remain fairly fluent in Rutooro to this day because of that background.
Many years later, having relocated to London in the early 1990’s, fate would bring me close to the Tooro Royal Family once again. Rukirabasaija Patrick David Mathew Olimi Kaboyo III was launching Tooro Association in London – early in 1995. I was invited to that event by my Mutooro girl friend related to the Tooro Royal Family. It was a colourful function and I had an opportunity to introduce myself to King Olimi III, telling him the story of my father’s escapades with the Royal Household in Tooro all those years back. Pleasant surprise, he remembered him… “omusaijja-muhuma ogwo nimwijuka because he had unique garments and the King liked him”. When Patrick Kaboyo Olimi III ascended the throne in 1965 the JPK business was a listed and well known supplier to Karuziika Palace. No wonder he had a clear recollection of my father.
Unfortunately, Patrick Olimi Kaboyo III died a few months later. This was a very sad moment for the young royal family. The Queen mother, the todler Prince Oyo and Princess Nsemere Komuntare had to travel to Tooro to bury the King. It fell on my daughter Bridget’s mother [Hadija Kagimu] to look after the little sick Princess Celia, left behind in London for some weeks because her treatment had to continue. In that period, Oyo Kabamba Iguru ascended the throne of Tooro and we had this specter of a toddler-King attracting world attention.
The royal family took it in their stride and relocated to London where the young King and his sisters enrolled in Nursery School. As The New vision’s Foreign Correspondent and a family friend at that, I was the only Journalist allowed to visit Oyo’s School in Lewisham to conduct periodic interviews with the 6 year old Monarch. I spoke to him, his teachers, the Queen Mother and fellow pupils. I was the un-intimidating Uncle figure the young King liked. The features I wrote became center spread in The New vision - which articles I still have in my archives as mementos. Indeed, much later, when the King graduated from Winchester University in UK with a Business Degree on 13th October 2013, I was one of the invited guests at his graduation in South London.
We became close family friends and I got the privilege of meeting many of the royals then living in London like Prince Jimmy Mugenyi, Princess Mable, the Queen mother’s brother Kawamara and her sister Mrs Komwiswa. I have a whole album of pictures from those days. It was in 1997 when the Queen mother, Best Kemigisa asked me to give her some top up driving lessons in London. She had acquired a brand new hazel-blue Mercedes Benz and was learning to drive. She would pay for driving Lessons with the British School of Motoring and then I would give her additional evening lessons in her Mercedes so that she could pass her driving test quickly. Within a short period of time, she indeed passed her test and acquired a UK Driving License. She really needed this to be able to drop off – and pick up her kids from School.
She gave me a pet-name as a sign of family friendship which she still calls me up to today. Birthday parties of the children were a shared venture. I would take my children to the King or her sister’s birthdays and they would do likewise when it was my children’s birthdays in Beckton - Docklands.
When President Museveni sent Oyo for Military training, he found my young brother Major Jacob Kaburika as the Administrative Officer of the Training facility at Kasenyi. King Oyo, who did not know Major Kaburika then, but just identified Bridget Katungi and myself in the pictures hanging at his Trainer’s home -where he had been invited for evening Tea. Major Kaburika told me that the King was excited on seeing our pictures and asked: How do you know Bridget and Uncle Dennis? The Major explained it all and the King was pleasantly surprised and happy to tell him about all the stories of growing up with my children in London.
The annual royal coronation anniversary – Empango, was around the corner – and so, King Oyo extended invitations to my family to join him in Fort Portal for these celebrations. He requested us to take my father JPK with us to Fort Portal because he wanted to meet the old man who was one of his grandfather’s right hand-men all those years back. It was a great re-union. After the colourful royal event [Empango] we spent the weekend in Tooro as the guests of the King. He engaged my father in deep conversations trying to discover what Tooro was like in the 50’s and 60’s. Finally, he gave my old man a cow. There are now about 6 cows from the original heifer that King Oyo gave to my father. They are named after King Oyo.
How do I remember Amooti Oyo? He loved adventure. He climbed Mt Rwenzori to the summit. He was a Humble King, unassuming, regal, respectful, not condescending, unaffected by titles. He would even blush if deferred to. He would offer to make a cup of tea for you, even if he was King. He was keen on education, the Environment, the fight against AIDS. He was sporty and genuinely loved meaningful conversations. He was interested on the geo-political order of Uganda and the interlacustrine region – and was keenly aware about post-colonial Africa.
Among the many people deeply feeling the loss of Amooti Oyo apart from his immediate family, I think of my daughter Bridget Katungi who grew-up with him. I think of Abaala Jonathan Baguma his PA, Edna Kaburika and the King’s other good friend Sheila Arinaitwe. People may not grasp those who were really close to him because he was King, and had many adoring subjects. My good friend Calvin Armstrong the Prime Minister of Tooro is one of those I am thinking about. I’ve watched these people devastated by the loss, but putting up appearances anyway, because they have no choice. May God sustain the Royal family. May he give physical and spiritual pain relief to all those mourning his demise.
Amooti Oyo, you were indeed a candle in the wind, you were the grace that placed itself - where lives were torn apart, you called out to Tooro, and you whispered to those in pain, now you belong to heaven and the Stars spell out your name. It seems to me you lived your life like a candle in the wind, never fading with the sunset when the rain set in. Your footsteps will always fall here, among Tooro’s greenest hills; your candle’s burned out long before your legend ever will. Rest thee well Rukirabasaija, Omukama wa Tooro. Atulize, Enkuba etutire. Omusango gutusingire.
The writer is the Deputy Executive Director, Uganda Media Centre
@Dennis_Katungi
