By Aggrey Baba
Former high-profile opposition figures who virtually disappeared from the political scene after losing their parliamentary seats in the January 2026 elections have resurfaced, this time united by grief over the death of Tooro’s King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru IV.
The Democratic Front (DF) leadership, led by party president and former Nyendo-Mukungwe MP Mathias Mpuuga, on Wednesday appeared at the late King’s residence in Buziga to pay their respects to the Tooro royal family and mourn with the people of the kingdom.
King Oyo was pronounced dead on August 26, 2026, by the Prime Minister of Tooro Kingdom, Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire, bringing to an end the 31-year reign of a cultural leader who ascended the throne as a child in 1995.
The Wednesday appearance of the DF leaders was, however, notable beyond the mourning occasion.
For months, some of the country’s once familiar political faces had largely vanished from the public eye after the 15th January elections swept two of them out of Parliament.
Mpuuga, once one of the most recognizable opposition figures in Parliament and a former Leader of the Opposition, lost his Nyendo-Mukungwe seat. His former political colleagues, including Abed Bwanika, formerly of Kimanya-Kabonera, former Makindye East MP Mike Mabikke and other DF leaders, also suffered political setbacks.
Their absence from the political limelight has been conspicuous, particularly given how regularly they previously featured in national political debates and opposition activities.
But on Wednesday, the former political heavyweights emerged together at Buziga, putting politics aside to join the mourners. Mpuuga spoke on behalf of the Party describing King Oyo as not only the cultural leader of Tooro but also a symbol of unity for Uganda.
“We are here as the Democratic Front leadership to condole with the people of Tooro, but also condole with the entire Uganda,” Mpuuga said.
He added that the party leadership felt a deep sense of loss because of its respect for Uganda’s traditional institutions and cultural leaders.
“The Omukama of Tooro was our king, and some of us who have deeper respect for our cultural leaders, we feel that sense of loss,” he said.
Mpuuga reflected on King Oyo’s unusual journey from a young prince who inherited the Tooro throne as a child to an adult monarch who, according to him, understood Uganda’s complicated cultural and political fabric.
He described Oyo’s reign as short in terms of his life but significant in terms of the contribution he made to his people and the country.
“We all have been following his growth, leadership, and the unfortunate short life he has lived, but very useful life,” Mpuuga said.
He credited the late monarch with using his position to unite the people of Tooro, arguing that Oyo had grown into a cultural leader who understood the importance of keeping Uganda united.
Uganda, Mpuuga noted, is a “cultural melting pot” whose diversity requires cultural leaders capable of understanding and respecting the country’s history, and according to him, King Oyo was one such leader.
“He has united his people in his early young life as a king, and when he grew into an adult, he never relented in uniting his people as a part of Uganda,” Mpuuga said.
The former Nyendo-Mukungwe MP urged the people of Tooro to remain united during the difficult transition following the death of their king.
His message was particularly directed at the kingdom’s subjects to rally around the institution of the Omukama once a new king is identified.
“Our prayer initially is for the people of Tooro Kingdom to stay united,” he said.
Mpuuga expressed confidence that a new shepherd would eventually be found to lead the kingdom, urging the people to rally around the crown and preserve the unity of Tooro.
He also turned his attention to the Queen Mother, whose grief, he noted, had been compounded by the loss of both her husband at just 26yrs, and now her son.
“We also pray that the Queen Mother is comforted, because the mother in losing initially a husband and then a son, at that age [26], she needs our prayers and support,” Mpuuga said.
The DF delegation included Mpuuga, Bwanika, Mabikke and other senior party figures, including Mukasa Mukaku and Kasibante.
Their appearance at Buziga offered a rare glimpse of a political group whose leading figures have largely remained away from the national political spotlight since the January elections.
For years, figures such as Mpuuga, Bwanika and Mabikke were regular fixtures in Uganda’s political discourse, frequently appearing on political talk shows, parliamentary debates and national political controversies.
Mpuuga and Bwanika’s electoral defeats, however, dramatically changed their visibility, leaving many of them largely out of the public eye.
Wednesday’s mourning visit therefore marked an unusual return to the public scene, not to campaign or attack political opponents, but to stand with the people of Tooro at a moment of national grief. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
