A Ugandan king who was recognised as the world’s youngest reigning monarch after ascending to the throne at the age of three has died aged 34, the Tooro Kingdom said in a statement late Thursday.
King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, the Omukama (king) of Tooro, died at about 10 p.m. local time, according to the kingdom’s prime minister, or Omuhikirwa.
“It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that I announce the passing of His Majesty the Omukama of Tooro, King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV,” the prime minister said in a statement.
King Oyo became king in 1995 following the death of his father, Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III, who died of a heart attack. Because he was only three at the time, Oyo did not formally assume his royal duties until he turned 18.
Guinness World Records recognised him last year as the world’s youngest reigning monarch.
The king died while receiving treatment in the United States, following weeks of speculation in Uganda about his deteriorating health, local media reported.
Tooro is one of Uganda’s traditional kingdoms and is based in the western part of the country, a region with a population of about 2.1 million.
Uganda is a republic led by longtime President Yoweri Museveni, but the government officially recognises traditional kingdoms, which primarily serve cultural and ceremonial roles and have no formal political authority.
Africa has three sovereign monarchies—Eswatini, Lesotho and Morocco. Several other countries, including Uganda, recognise traditional kingdoms as cultural institutions without constitutional or political power.
