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Family rejects DP flag at former mayor’s burial
Cyprian Bwanika’s relatives lay a barkcloth on his casket during his burial in Masaka District on Tuesday. This was after they rejected the DP flag that had been placed on the coffin. PHOTO BY Martins E. Ssekweyama
What you need to know:
Daughter of former Masaka mayor and staunch DP supporter says party neglected him,
Masaka- The burial of former Masaka Municipality mayor, Cyprian Bwanika, on Tuesday turned dramatic when his daughter grabbed a Democratic Party (DP) flag which had been laid on his casket and threw it at one of the pallbearers.
Ms Sarah Bwanika told Daily Monitor after the funeral at Mwalo village near Masaka Town that her father, who died last Saturday, was a staunch DP supporter but he had been neglected by the party officials.
She said DP officials never visited her father when he was sick and did not make any contributions towards his funeral expenses.
Relatives of the deceased replaced the DP flag with a bark cloth.
The burial of Bwanika, a mayor of Masaka Town from 1980 to 1986, who died aged 87, was attended by senior DP officials.
Bishop John Baptist Kaggwa of Masaka Diocese, who presided over the burial, eulogised the deceased as a man of grace, who served his country with distinction.
He said Bwanika had left a challenging legacy for his family and friends to preserve.
Speaking to Daily Monitor, Mr Dick Lukyamuzi, the DP chief mobliser in Masaka, said: “We are disappointed by the conduct of the family. Masaka is one of DP strongholds and he helped us mobilise when he was mayor.”
Former DP president Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere, DP secretary general Mathias Nsubuga, Bukoto East MP Florence Namayanja, and other DP stalwarts attended the burial.
