King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Rukidi IV
The current Omukama of Toro is King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV took to the throne of Tooro kingdom in 1995 at the age of just three years, after the death of his father Omukama Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Rwamuhokya Olimi III on August 26, 1995, at the age of 50.
Facts of Toro Kingdom
The kingdom of Toro, of the babiito dynasty, aptly claims its rightful origins in the ancient empire of Kitara,Kingdom was founded in 1822 when Omukama Kaboyo Olimi I, the eldest son of Omukama of Bunyoro Nyamutukura Kyebambe III of Bunyoro , rebelled against his father. He departed to form his own kingdom of tooro,annexing the southern part of his father’s kingdom with the border between them being River Muziizi.
The Omukama of Tooro is the name given to the king of Tooro, one of the East African kingdom of Tooro. The kingdom was founded in 1830 by Omukama Kaboyo Olimi l who was the son of Kyebambe lll Nyamutukura, the king of Bunyoro. Since that time, Tooro existed as an independent kingdom until 1967 when President Apollo Milton Obote banned all kingdoms in Uganda. The kingdoms were reinstated as cultural institutions in 1993.
The Omukama of Tooro and the other kings play a vital role in Ugandan politics as cultural leaders and agents of peace and stability in their respective kingdoms. Tooro and Bunyoro kingdoms enjoy a close relationship; the names of the kings of Tooro, including the rituals, traditions and practices associated with the monarchy are imitations from Bunyoro. The ruling clan in both kingdoms is Biito, and members of the clan are known as Ababiito. The rulers of the kingdom of Bunyoro are known as the Ababiito abajaawa (descendents of Jaawa).
To make a clear distinction between Tooro and Bunyoro , Kaboyo Olimi l created his own lineage, Ababito ababoyo (descendents of Kaboyo), the ruling lineage of the Tooro monarchy.
The kingdom of Tooro has been ruled by the following fourteen (14) kings to date.
The current Omukama of Toro is King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV took to the throne of Tooro kingdom in 1995 at the age of just three years, after the death of his father Omukama Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Rwamuhokya Olimi III on August 26, 1995, at the age of 50.