King Oyo Summits Mountain Rwenzori
King Oyo summits Mountain Rwenzori to boast tourism in his region. Uganda’s tourism is at a point of becoming the world’s most gifted destinations. The country being blessed with several attractions, numerous promotional activities have been done to see that even the slightest beautiful corner of the country is uncovered.
From food, people with their diverse cultures, the mountain gorillas in the Virunga ranges, wildlife species, birds, the constantly changing landscapes, festivals to weather and so many others, nothing you can fail to have in Uganda.
Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, the king of Tooro embarked on the 10 days Royal expedition to Margherita Peak; which is the highest peak at Mountain Rwenzori. This is Uganda’s highest altitude and the only snowcapped mountain throughout the year. It is East Africa’s third highest after Mountain Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Mountain Kenya in Kenya, and it’s one of the most attractive destinations in Uganda.
King Oyo successfully scaled Mt Rwenzori in a bid to draw attention to the impact of climate change. This played a significant role of environmental conservation and the promotion of the Rwenzori Mountains as a unique adventure tourism destination.
It is good for Uganda’s tourism sector when royals such as King Oyo engage in such activities and take on the challenge to conquer Mt. Stanley’s Magherita peak on the mountains of the moon; Uganda’s highest point.
This expedition was as part of a campaign to promote adventure tourism under the theme “Conserving Mountain Ecosystems.” which was meant to highlight the beauty and splendor of the Rwenzori Mountain ranges as one of the remaining outstanding equatorial glaciers in the world. This campaign was meant to polish Uganda’s image in tourism as it strives to regain its economic position which was affected by COVID-19 pandemic.
This campaign was led by Uganda Tourism Board together with Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife Antiquities and United Nation Development Program. In a statement made by Daudi Migereko, the current chairman of the Board of Directors of the Uganda Tourism Board, he said that the Rwenzori Royal Expedition is an opportunity to exhibit support for culture and heritage tourism promotion in the country.
Migereko also added, “The Rwenzori Royal Expedition 2022 will not only raise awareness about the restoration and protection of areas affected by climate change, but will also rally support for the promotion of culture and heritage tourism in our beautiful country,”
The Rwenzori ranges remain as one of the last equatorial glaciers in the world but one of the conservationists fear is to lose the glaciers before the end of this century due to the raising negative impacts of climate change
According to the Uganda Tourism Board and the United Nations Development Program-UNDP, the mountain is experiencing a rapid loss of Rwenzori Mountain equatorial glaciers as a result of human activity and the climate which is attention seeking and can lead to a backslid in Tourism.
Owek Joan Kantu Else the current Minister of Tourism in the Tooro Kingdom, observed an urgent need to preserve the crown of snow on the Rwenzori Mountains to sustain the country’s tourism potential, saying the effects of climate change in the Uganda should be responded to urgently.
The King asked the government to avail rescue and first aid services as a means of promoting mountain climbing in the Rwenzori Mountains. He also advised Uganda Wildlife Authority to improve the trails to the top of the mountain.
He said “I realised that the Rwenzori Mountain National Park does not have a standby emergency medical team and considering the nature of the landscapes, I highly recommend that the government through the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities support and facilitate the training of selected mountain guides and rangers as paramedics to fill this gap,”.
