Players participating in the Buganda Kingdom’s Masaza Cup will wear black armbands and observe a minute of silence in honour of the late Tooro King, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.
The tribute will be held before all matches scheduled to conclude the tournament’s group stage on Sunday, August 30, 2026.
In a circular issued from Bulange, Mengo, the Masaza Cup Organising Committee said all players taking part in the final group-stage fixtures would wear black armbands and observe a minute of silence before kick-off.
“All players participating in the final group-stage matches scheduled for August 30, 2026, will wear black armbands and observe a minute of silence before the matches begin,” the committee said.
The committee said Buganda Kingdom had joined Tooro Kingdom and the rest of Uganda in mourning the 34-year-old monarch, who died in the United States on Thursday after battling aggressive brain cancer.
“We join Tooro Kingdom and the entire country in mourning,” the statement said.
The committee also extended its condolences to Masaza Cup players who hail from Tooro Kingdom.
The circular was signed by Patrick Nsanja, secretary of the Masaza Cup Organising Committee, and copied to Buganda’s minister responsible for youth, sports and recreation, county leaders and tournament officials.
The Masaza Cup is Buganda Kingdom’s inter-county football competition and ranks among Uganda’s most popular cultural sporting events, attracting players and supporters from different parts of the country, including the western region.
Following King Oyo’s death, President Yoweri Museveni said the government had supported the monarch’s medical treatment in Germany and later in the United States.
Museveni also granted the King an official burial.
Meanwhile, Tooro Kingdom has established a 21-member Babiito clan committee to oversee the funeral rites and succession arrangements.
King Oyo’s body is expected to be taken directly from the airport to Karuziika Palace in Fort Portal, where the kingdom’s nine-day official mourning period will begin upon arrival.