King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, monarch of the Tooro Kingdom in western Uganda, has died at the age of 34, according to the kingdom’s prime minister, Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki.
The announcement was made Thursday following a wave of rumors about the king’s death on social media. Authorities did not disclose the cause of death or where he had been receiving treatment.
Oyo was born on April 16, 1992, and ascended to the throne in 1995, at just three years old, following the death of his father, King Patrick Matthew Kaboyo Olimi III. He held the Guinness World Records title as the youngest reigning traditional monarch in the world.
The prime minister said the succession of the crown is secured and that the king leaves behind a prince who will be heir, whose identity will be announced at the appropriate time according to Tooro traditions.
His death was announced one day after the World Health Organization declared Uganda’s Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak over, following 42 days without a new confirmed case.
