Over 400 children from the Rwenzori region want the King of Tooro to be a goodwill ambassador to promote child and maternal health in the country.
Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV was chosen during a health fair at the Kingdom headquarters at Mucwa in Fort Portal. The children in a statement read on their behalf by Gerald Asiimwe, a Primary Four pupil at Buhinga Primary School, said that since he is a King, Oyo should use his influence to stop preventable deaths among all children in Uganda.
The children also asked the Omukama to speed up the construction of the King Oyo Foundation Hospital, to enable children access treatment, since there are no adequate health facilities in the region.
The children also requested Oyo to lobby for more resources to address the challenges that hinder improvement of child health and nutrition and also educate communities on the importance of nutrition and prevention of disease.
The fair organized by Tooro Kingdom, Child Protection Plan and the Uganda Civil Society Coalition on Scaling up Nutrition (UCCO-SUN), is one of the activities to commemorate King Oyo’s 18th coronation anniversary.
In his speech, the Omukama accepted the request of the children and said he was ready to take up the mantle. Speaking in Rutooro, King Oyo said he was delighted to be chosen by the children, saying he will not disappoint them.
King Oyo also instructed mothers to embrace the immunization programme and feed their children in nutritious foods. He also told communities to embrace the granary to boost food security in homes.
Mohammed Sharif, the chairperson of UCCO-SUN, said Tooro region was selected to host the health fair, because a research carried out last year by UCCO-SUN indicated that 43% of the children in the region are underweight, which is higher than the national average of 33%.
Sharif says that since Omukama Oyo has accepted to promote proper nutrition of children in families, they hope the numbers will reduce.
Later in the day, Oyo unveiled a statue of a lion in the centre of Fort Portal town. The statue signifies braveness of the King and pride of Tooro Kingdom and her people.
The statue worth 2 million shillings was molded by Tooro Kingdom youths as a gift to the Omukama on his 18th coronation anniversary. He ascended the throne as a three-year-old on September 12th 1995, just 18 days after the death of his father, Patrick David Matthew Olimi Kaboyo III.
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