Church lauds govt for allowing return of Dr Kiyingi’s remains
Mourners during the funeral service for the late Dr Aggrey Kiyingi at St Paul Cathedral Namirembe on October 30. PHOTO/ISAAC KASAMANI
What you need to know:
- In 2015, he was accused of being behind the murder of Muslim leaders in addition to alleged funding of the Allied Democratic Forces rebel group, which has been committing atrocities in Uganda. In 2016, the medical doctor attempted to join politics and expressed interest in contesting for a presidential seat but this did not come to pass.
The Bishop of Namirembe Diocese, Rt Rev Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira, has commended the government for allowing the family of the late Dr Aggrey Kiyingi to return his body to Uganda and accord him a decent burial.
Dr Kiyingi, at the time of his demise, was in bad books of the government on allegations of engaging in subversive activities intended to overthrow the regime.
Bishop Luwalira, who was the main celebrant at the memorial service for the late Dr Kiyingi held at St Paul Cathedral Namirembe yesterday, also thanked the government of Australia for accommodating him, for the years he lived there.
The delayed return of the body had sparked speculations that the government had blocked due to the alleged bad blood that existed between the deceased and the regime.
Born on October 25, 1953, Dr Kiyingi breathed his last on September 27 after succumbing to diabetes while in Sydney, Australia. His body was returned to Uganda on Sunday, October 29. He will be laid to rest today at his ancestral home in Seeta Village, Namulonge Sub-county in Wakiso District.
Bishop Luwalira described him as a committed cardiologist who saved many lives of those who were battling heart diseases. He also challenged the mourners to be useful to the community, urging the faithful to check their hearts and return to God. He decried rampant hatred, disappointment, jealousy and other issues, which he said only God can treat.
Kiyingi’s elder sister, Ms Rachel Nsasiirwe, also commended the government for giving the family a green light to return her brother’s body for burial and also thanked the Australian government for granting him citizenship.
Ms Nsasiirwe refuted reports that the government had blocked the family from retuning the body. She described her late brother as a kind and a highly educated and brilliant man, who loved his country but also skipped some classes due to high level of intelligence.
The president of the Conservative Party, Mr Ken Lukyamuzi, recalled how the late was among the key people who supported his campaigns for promoting and respecting human rights when he was still a legislator.
“He was my good friend and one of those who were following and supporting my struggle for fighting for human rights and political change,” he said.
Mr Henry Lubowa, the secretary general of the Democratic Party, said despite living abroad, Dr Kiyingi was a freedom fighter who took interest in following up what was happening back home, in addition to highlighting issues that were not going on well in the country.
“He opened our eyes. We got to know government property that was being owned by individuals,” he said.
Mr Lubowa also commended the late for giving financial support to his political party.
The widow, Ms Mayimuna Nakiirija Kiyingi, described Kiyingi as a “loving and caring partner”.
She revealed that by the time she met Kiyingi while at campus, her late husband was in pain and lonely.
“He told me that he was lonely and feared to die alone in the house,” she said. She later got married to Kiyingi in 2009.
The Katikkiro of Buganda Kingdom, Mr Charles Peter Mayiga, said the late supported various programmes of the Kingdom’s, in addition to equipping Buganda Kingdom radio, Central Broadcasting Services (CBS).
In his eulogy read by one of the Kingdom’s subjects, Mr Noah Kiyimba, Mr Mayiga said the death of Dr Kiyingi was a great loss to Buganda, Uganda and the world as a whole.
Dr Kiyingi came to the limelight in 2005 when he was accused of masterminding the murder of his first wife, Robinah Kiyingi, a former city lawyer, who was shot dead at the gate of their family home in Buziga, Kampala.
Dr Kiyingi was arrested and charged, but he was released on bail and later acquitted of killing his wife.
In 2015, he was accused of being behind the murder of Muslim leaders in addition to alleged funding of the Allied Democratic Forces rebel group, which has been committing atrocities in Uganda. In 2016, the medical doctor attempted to join politics and expressed interest in contesting for a presidential seat but this did not come to pass.
