DUBAI: “He likes being addressed as Your Majesty.” The rule of greeting King Oyo in his private suite on the 15th floor of the Burj Al Arab by one of his aides was laid down – straight, simple and in unambiguous terms. “And of course, no cheeky questions,” another last minute brief snuck in, just as you anxiously await the arrival of someone who you know was crowned the world’s youngest monarch as a three-and-a-half year old toddler in 1995.
It’s not everyday that you meet a king, so you kind of begin taking the advisory seriously till of course you meet Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. At 22, he is the ruler of Toro, one of the four traditional kingdoms in Uganda where he is more than just a figure-head. “I have a huge responsibility towards a kingdom where close to three million people (known as the Batooro or Batoro that comprise 3.2 per cent of the 35.5 million people of Uganda) associate themselves with my lineage both historically and culturally,” says King Oyo, making himself comfortable on the couch alongside his mum, Queen Best Kemigisa Kaboyo or the Queen Mother of the Toro Kingdom.
Style statement
Dressed in a dapper black suit privately tailored in England and a shiny pair of matching Church’s shoes to boot, King Oyo does look his stately best as the head of a small ‘kingdom’. But ask him and he will assure you that his interests are completely like any other normal 22-year-old. “I like my fried chicken and rice and all kinds of comedy, action flicks,” says the Leonardo Di Caprio and Will Smith fan. He insists he does ‘no horse-riding, no shooting, no nothing’ to suggest he is royalty. His story so far though has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Three regents at the time of his coronation - his mother, Queen Best; his aunt/godmother, Princess Elizabeth Bagaaya; and the Ugandan President Yoveri Museveni - oversaw King Oyo’s growth into the role of King, helping him handle the cultural affairs of the kingdom during his youth.
Today, one of his main duties is to lobby for donations for economic and social welfare projects for the wellbeing of his ‘subjects’. These include health, education, economic and cultural projects. “The latter is important to build the people’s confidence in the king and promote strong cultural identity and here I am in Dubai, one of my favourite places, hoping to build bridges of familiarity with the people and most importantly the ruling families who I have a lot of respect for,” says King Oyo who travels the world seeking foreign assistance for the development of Toro.
“We will be back soon, hoping to see more of Dubai next time and by then many more will have hopefully heard of Toro,” smiles King Oyo who has a degree in business management from Winchester University in Hampshire, 70 miles from London.
This was his third visit to the emirate but the first time with serious business on his mind, accompanied by an entourage, all of whom were housed on the 15th floor of the Burj Al Arab. For the king of Toro, only the best will do.
