Government announces King Oyo burial plans, health stakeholders call for more funding

3 September 2026, 7:12 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

The Minister for the Presidency, Hon. Milly Babirye Babalanda, has announced that the body of the late Tooro King, His Majesty Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, will be received by President Yoweri Museveni tomorrow at Entebbe International Airport.

The body will later be airlifted to Kyegegwa before being taken to Fort Portal, where a series of burial ceremonies will be held.

The official burial of King Oyo is scheduled for September 12, 2026, with several activities, including a church service, expected to take place before the burial.

The announcement was made today at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, where Babalanda was accompanied by other government and Tooro Kingdom officials.

The Prime Minister of Tooro Kingdom, Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki, appealed to the media and the general public to respect the privacy of the royal family during the mourning period.

Meanwhile, health sector stakeholders have called for increased government funding to Uganda’s health sector, saying the resources allocated in the national budget remain insufficient to address the country’s health needs.

The call was made during a stakeholders’ strategy consultation meeting held today in Kampala and attended by Members of Parliament, representatives from the World Bank, the United Kingdom and other health sector partners.

Participants said Uganda needs to strengthen laws and monitoring mechanisms to ensure that available health funds are properly utilised.

Prof. Elizabeth Ekirapa said although government has made efforts to support the health sector, more investment is needed to improve health outcomes.

She said increased investment in health could save thousands of lives while contributing to economic growth.

“Health is a very crucial thing we should invest in deeply. I therefore appreciate all of you for spending time with us here. 92,000 lives can be saved if we intend to invest in health through mobilising resources,” Prof. Ekirapa said.

She urged Members of Parliament to advocate for increased health funding and strengthen oversight to ensure that money allocated to the sector is not misused.

“Investing in non-communicable diseases is going to improve the country’s economic growth. Members of Parliament who are here, we urge you to increase the budget allocated to health and also do the monitoring because what is invested in health should do that, not to be misused,” she added.

Prof. Ekirapa also revealed that 52 percent of funds received from development partners are off-budget, making it difficult for government to monitor their utilisation.

A representative of the United Kingdom reaffirmed the country’s commitment to supporting Uganda’s health system.

The stakeholders also raised concerns over understaffing in health facilities, the impact of domestic and external debt on government spending, and the high cost of treating preventable diseases.

They called for increased investment in vaccination and immunisation programmes and advocated for a national health insurance scheme, citing Rwanda and Ghana as examples.

The participants also urged government to strengthen financial monitoring and ensure that increased investment in the health sector translates into better services and improved health outcomes for Ugandans.