Rukidi IV of Tooro
Omukama (King) of the Kingdom of Toro in western Uganda (1992–2026)
Rukirabasaija Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV (Tooro: [ɾukiɾaβaséíd͡ʒa omukáma óːjo ɲíːmba kaβáːmba igúɾu ɾukídi]; 16 April 1992 – 27 August 2026), commonly known as King Oyo of Tooro or King Rukidi IV, was the 13th Omukama of the Kingdom of Tooro in Uganda from 1995 until his death in 2026. At the time of his accession, Oyo was three years old, making him the world's youngest reigning monarch. He was the son of Omukama Patrick David Matthew Kaboyo Rwamuhokya Olimi III and Omugo Best Kemigisa.
Biography
After the death of his father King Olimi III in 1995, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Rukidi IV assumed the role of king during his toddler years. At 2 a.m. on 12 September 1995, a week after Olimi III's burial, the rituals to proclaim Rukidi IV as king began. Rukidi IV became the youngest modern monarch at the age of three. The rituals included a mock battle at the palace entrance fought between enemy forces of a "rebel" prince and the royal army, and a test of Rukidi IV's divine right to the throne, in which the Omusuuga (head of the royal clan) called on the gods to strike the prince dead if he was not of royal blood. On passing the test, Rukidi IV was permitted to sound the Nyalebe, a sacred Chwezi drum, as his forefathers had done.
At 4 a.m., Rukidi IV was crowned amidst a jubilant crowd and entered the Karuziika palace as the new ruler of the Kingdom of Tooro.
“Rukidi IV of Tooro” enters the record as omukama (King) of the Kingdom of Toro in western Uganda (1992–2026). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Rukidi, Tooro and Omukama can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Rukidi IV of Tooro” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Rukidi, Tooro and Omukama provides the most credible route into that argument.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2736096. VIAF identifies the subject as 6822790. The Library of Congress control number is n2006056706. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1992, 2026 and 1995.
Later biographies can compress uncertainty and repeat inherited reputations, so apparently settled claims may still require comparison. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Rukidi IV of Tooro”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Rukidi IV of Tooro primary sources, Rukidi IV of Tooro archive and Rukidi research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Rukidi IV of Tooro”?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Rukidi IV of Tooro” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.