King Oyo Tribute: TGIF — For a Life Well Lived

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By Geofrey Asiimwe

This King Oyo tribute reflects on faith, alcohol, recovery and the remarkable life of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV. In TGIF — For a Life Well Lived, the meaning of “Thank God It’s Friday” changes from a celebration of drinking into gratitude for faith, purpose and a King’s lasting legacy.

I grew up in a Christian home.

Whenever someone mentioned God, I expected a pause to follow. It was a moment of reverence. After all, He was the King of kings and Lord of lords.

So, imagine my shock when I first heard God’s name connected to beer, whiskey and partying.

I had just joined an international bank as a Credit Risk Officer. Soon, I made friends in the back office. We spent long hours together, and alcohol often became part of our social life.

Then came one particular Friday.

It was the end of the month and the end of the quarter. Everyone seemed excited about something called TGIF.

At first, I thought it was a sophisticated audit term.

A friend laughed and explained:

“It’s Thank God It’s Friday.”

Suddenly, everything made sense.

HR even announced, “This time, don’t leave the alcohol. Last time you left us with crates.”

After the town hall meeting, the parking lot turned into a bar. Drinks flowed, conversations grew louder, and my inhibitions slowly disappeared.

That Friday became part of a pattern.

When TGIF Became a Ritual

For the next five years, drinking became a ritual.

Friday meant alcohol. It meant excitement, escape and another opportunity to drink.

In my life, the god of beer had slowly taken the place that belonged to God Almighty.

Yet, beneath all the laughter, I was struggling.

I knew alcohol was becoming a problem. I wanted to stop, but stopping was not easy.

Like Paul, I found myself wrestling with the painful contradiction of doing what I did not want to do.

Eventually, I went for counselling.

Still, I remained trapped by alcohol.

The God Who Came Looking for Me

Then, in 2016, something changed.

I had escorted my auntie for prayer. During the service, a minister turned to me and spoke words I have never forgotten.

He told me that God knew I feared I had sinned too much to be welcomed back. Then he said something even more powerful:

“It is Himself who has been looking for you.”

Those words forced me to look back at my life.

I remembered being arrested for being idle and disorderly.

I remembered an accident while I was drunk.

I remembered nearly being lynched by boda boda riders.

I remembered the sleep paralysis and the nightmares in which I saw my own death.

Yet, through all those experiences, God had not abandoned me.

While I was trapped by a lifestyle that promised pleasure but brought pain, God was still searching for me.

I came to understand something important: no matter how far a person has fallen, there is still a way back.

The Cost of Alcohol

Over the years, I have seen what alcohol can do.

I have lost friends and family because of it. I have watched promising lives fall apart. I have also seen families suffer because of someone’s drinking.

Sometimes, the destruction looked like the aftermath of a tornado.

That is why the meaning of TGIF eventually changed for me.

It was no longer simply about reaching Friday and finding another reason to drink.

It became something deeper.

Then came the number 34.

Why 34 Always Frightened Me

For a long time, I had a strange fixation with the age of 34.

I feared that I would never live beyond it. I worried that I would die young without fulfilling my purpose.

Then I looked at another young man whose life had also become connected to that number.

King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV.

He became king when he was only three years old. Therefore, responsibility came to him at an age when most children were only beginning to understand the world.

Uganda watched him grow.

Tooro watched him grow.

And the child who inherited a kingdom became a man before our eyes.

A King and a Different Kind of Life

King Oyo represented something that spoke deeply to me.

He showed that enjoying life did not have to mean surrendering yourself to alcohol.

He spoke about young people. He promoted wellness of the body, mind and soul. He also used his position to draw attention to the environment and the Rwenzori Mountains.

Most importantly, faith remained visible in his life.

At 34, he could confidently proclaim that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.

He may have been King of Tooro, but he recognised a King above himself.

That contrast stays with me.

Years earlier, I had associated TGIF with drinking. Now, as I reflected on King Oyo’s life, those same four letters began to mean something completely different.