By Erasmus Kanyesigye
We stand today in the shadow of an unimaginable tragedy, mourning not just a sovereign, but a peer.
How do we find the words to bid farewell to a King who was also our contemporary?
His Majesty, Dr Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, was a leader of our time, a fellow traveller through the defining years of our youth and a beacon of hope for our generation.
To lose a monarch is a state tragedy; to lose an agemate under the devastating circumstances of aggressive brain cancer is a deeply personal grief.
We did not just share an era. We shared the same horizon, the same modern dreams for the future and the same rapidly changing world from which he has now been so brutally taken.
Back in the day, I was part of the delegation that received you at Entebbe International Airport after your return from Vietnam, following the award of your doctorate in recognition of your advocacy and public service in 2014.
We honoured you and subsequently travelled with you in a motorcade from the airport, through Entebbe Road, to the Buziga royal residence, where you hosted us together with the Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa.
Indeed, we revelled to the fullest. We were addressed by the King, and the Queen Mother crowned the occasion by giving us T-shirts bearing the King’s photograph.
What a special lifetime royal privilege!
To the Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa, and Princess Ruth Komuntale, our hearts and thoughts are with you. You have lost a son and a brother respectively; the rest of us have lost a symbol. That is a disproportionate weight to bear.
To the Babiito and Babiitokati, all Batooro and Batoorokati, who have turned the drum upside down, and to the whole nation and beyond its borders, we grieve with you.
Throughout his long and historic reign, the fallen monarch carried the weight of the crown not as a burden, but as a sacred trust.
He met times of profound crisis with calm resolve and moments of great joy with genuine warmth.
His leadership was defined by quiet strength and a profound sense of duty that inspired millions, not only within our borders but across the globe.
As we mourn this monumental loss, we also celebrate a life beautifully lived.
His legacy survives in the values he championed, the unity he fostered and the future he helped shape.
Though he has left us, his memory will forever remain woven into the fabric of our nation.
Let us honour his memory by carrying forward that same spirit of service, resilience and unity.
Till then, may your soul rest perpetually.
Erasmus Kanyesigye is a political and socio-economic advocate for inclusive economic opportunities, defending civil liberties and amplifying the voices of underrepresented populations.
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