KING OYO FOOD RUSH! Mourners Turn Palace Into Lunch-Hour Arena, Say Reward On Plate Is ‘Not Fit For A King’
FORT PORTAL – Grief may be the official business at the Tooro royal palace, but come lunchtime, another serious matter takes centre stage: food!
As mourning continues for the late Tooro King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, hundreds of mourners are reportedly flocking to Karuziika Palace every afternoon, with some arriving as early as 11am to secure their place in the food queue.
The solemn mourning grounds have consequently developed a rather unusual afternoon routine – pay respects, join queue, wait, eat and head back into town.
The crowds include children, youths and adults, with some waiting for up to two hours before reaching the serving tables.
And with the numbers swelling, organisers have had to call in scouts and Girl Guides to help organise the hungry mourners according to age and physical size.
Once the food starts flowing, however, the real drama begins.
Some mourners have complained that after spending nearly an hour in the queue, the reward on the plate is not exactly fit for a king.
Geoffrey Byamukama, who turned up at the palace on Tuesday for lunch, was among those left unimpressed by his portion.
“We are told Gen. Muhoozi gave us food, but it looks like this hotel is cheating us,” he complained.
In other words, the mourning may be unlimited, but the serving spoon appears to have its own budget.
The large crowds have occasionally created tensions, forcing police and UPDF personnel to intervene as mourners jostle and tempers rise.
But not everyone believes the food is the main attraction.
Robert Mugabe, a resident of Mt Karukoto, said the meals are providing welcome relief to people around the palace who sometimes struggle to afford a daily meal.
He dismissed suggestions that people were attending the mourning ceremonies simply because of free food, arguing that many genuinely want to pay their respects to the fallen King.
And there is a cultural explanation for the food bonanza.
Kasaija Ernest Kusemerera, who oversees the Omukama’s local security under the Omukumirizi system, said feeding mourners is deeply rooted in Tooro funeral traditions.
Richard Rwabuhinga, chairman of the local organising committee, has also appealed for support, pointing to the huge number of people who have to be fed during the mourning period.
The food queues have nevertheless become one of the most visible features of the mourning period, with palace grounds filling up every afternoon.
For some mourners, therefore, the daily programme appears to have acquired an unofficial timetable:
11am – arrive.
12pm – queue.
1pm – still queue.
2pm – finally eat.
Then – go home and mourn the King.
King Oyo died on August 27, 2026, aged 34, after reigning over Tooro since ascending the throne as a three-year-old in 1995. Tooro has declared a nine-day mourning period once the body arrives in the country on Friday in accordance with its traditions.
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