The King of Tooro stood in the mud wearing black gumboots and rubber gloves. Around him were the waters of River Mpanga, carrying the consequences of what people had thrown away. Bottles, tins and food wrappers had found their way into the river on which communities depended.
On May 11, 2019, King Oyo joined the work of clearing it. His clothes were practical: an army-coloured jacket over a white-and-green campaign T-shirt. For more than two hours, he worked alongside others, cleaning the river and planting trees along its banks.
Then came the instruction that gave this occasion its meaning. “Let it not be a one-day event. Let it be an everyday event. River Mpanga belongs to all of us, and it is our duty to keep it clean.”
That appeal, recorded in his biography, offers a fitting place to begin the final instalment of this series. The child crowned at three had grown into a man asking what happened after the crowds dispersed. Who would return? Who would keep doing the work?
One participant, Ms Lilian Kasemiire Akiiki Nsemere, saw a challenge in his example.
“He is a king who works with his subjects,” she said. “He challenges those of us who aspire to be leaders to lead people by example.”
In her response, King Oyo’s public act invites others to reconsider their own responsibilities. The king could call people to the river, but its protection depended on what residents, traders and officials did afterwards, when the cameras had gone.