Deputy Speaker Commends King Oyo inspiration to Youths

NEWS- The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Thomas Tayebwa has commended His Majesty King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV of the Tooro Kingdom for being a role model for the youth and the people of Tooro.

Hon Tayebwa made the remarks today while speaking as the Chief Guest at the 28th Coronation Anniversary of King Oyo held at the Karuzika Hill, Fort Portal City where he praised the youthful king for protecting the traditional values of Africa and Tooro.

“I want to thank you for being a role model to the youth and the kingdom and young people can now understand how they can fight against AIDS because of you. They know they can protect the environment because of you and I have seen you are planning to plant over ten 10 million trees and Parliament will offer support so that you can achieve this,” The Deputy Speaker said.

Hon Tayebwa said he will personally join the Tooro Kingdom on His Majesty King Oyo birthday to support his dream of planting 10 million trees to save the environment.

He urged King Oyo to help his people move out of poverty through commercial agriculture which will help to create a sustainable kingdom as the government needs him as a partner in fighting poverty.

Quoting the 2022 Global Wealth Report by Credit Suisse, Tayebwa said that income inequality in the world is alarming with the latest figures indicating that 52.5% of the world population now own less than 1.25% of the global wealth.

“It’s a time bomb. We have to work hard to overcome this. Your majesty, we know if we work with you, the parish development model will help to reduce this kind of income inequality,” Tayebwa said.

Deputy Speaker Tayebwa said the issue of land fragmentation in Tooro Kingdom had hindered government efforts to overcome poverty through modern agricultural projects and asked King Oyo to rein in his subjects and urged the King and his leadership to sensitize the people against land fragmentation saying the practice, rampant among the predominantly agriculture-dependent communities threatens food security and is a source of poverty.

“Land fragmentation is a big problem and if not well addressed, it will become a source of poverty,” Tayebwa said.

During the same event that was characterised by cultural dances Deputy Speaker Tayebwa also said the government has completed the process of establishing an industrial park in the Tooro Kingdom.

King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV ascended to the throne after the death of his father King David Patrick Olimi Kaboyo in 1995, making him the youngest ruling monarch in the whole world.

While speaking at the 28th Coronation anniversary King Oyo expounded on the Kingdom’s 25-year development plan to transform the livelihood of his subjects which he said that will be implemented accordingly and key among the priorities, King Oyo listed HIV/AIDS eradication, education through youth skilling, commercial agriculture, and kingdom land titling, tourism and sports.

Tooro Kingdom was founded in 1822 when Prince Kaboyo Olimi I, the eldest son of Omukama of Bunyoro Nyamutukura Kyebambe III of Bunyoro, broke away and established his own independent kingdom.

Tooro Kingdom was part of the large empire of Bunyoro Kitara, under the reign of the Babiito dynasty, which dates back to the 16th century.