Prime
Three burials, three weeks, one family; rest in peace my brother
The Koran and the Bible are the most dominant books of coded socio-moral instruction in Uganda. These books teach us that life and death are two sides of the same coin. Christianity is even philosophical: For in death, there is life; for without His death, there would be no Christian life.
The Koran is more direct: For Allah giveth, Allah takes away. Allah is great. These lines may be viewed as banal platitudes, but when a family loses three people in three weeks, the only refuge from devastating grief lies in the old truths about life well captured in the Bible and the Koran.
The Asuman family has lost three members in three weeks in a manner that only refuge in the Koranic teachings would offer any succour.
Our maternal uncle Hussein Bolingo died on November 23 and was buried on November 24. He had been ailing from hypertension for a long time. Because he lived in Rwenguhyo village neighbouring our Kirembo village, Uncle Bolingo was the more regular at home than all the other uncles.
His original name was Bulenge. But with the hip cultural influence of Mobutu’s Zaire in our corner of Uganda, he changed his name to Bolingo (Lingala: Love). Uncle Bolingo and our mother Rukiya were the only remaining children of their mother and Shiko Moya. Uncle Bolingo and Rukiya were very close.
Bolingo was hypertensive. Mother Rukiya too. Uncle Bolingo died on November 23 and was buried on November 24. As would be expected, Mother Rukiya was devastated. She never recovered.
Neither did she even have the opportunity to return to her home in Kirembo. After the burial of her brother in Rwenguhyo, her health deteriorated and she was taken to Bwera Hospital where she died on December 6. Burial was on December 7.
Moses Asuman (Mother Rukiya used to call him Muzesi) was the second eldest of the Asuman Boys. A very ebullient fella, he was the most urban of the Asuman Five. He went to King’s College Budo (stayed in Ghana House) and was the first in the family to acquire a Masters Degree (from Gadjamada University in Indonesia). And oh boy, he used to rub it in…
Moses (from Bulembya Primary School in Kilembe) was the second best in the Uneb PLE of 1982 with Aggregate 3 in three subjects. He came second after Paul Kabale of Buganda Road Primary (Paul and Moses were to meet in King’s College in Senior One in 1983).
Although he was diabetic and hypertensive, Moses managed his life without being overly constricted by the medical regime for his hypertension and diabetes. But the death of Mother Rukiya devastated him and triggered off a rise in his blood pressure and diabetes.
From Kagando Hospital (in the neighbourhood of our Kirembo home), he was transferred to Bwera Hospital. For further management, he was taken to Mbarara Hospital where he died on Monday, November 14. He was buried at our ancestral burial grounds in Kirembo on November 15. And that means, I was not able to be part of Mr Museveni’s audience during his campaign in Kasese. Moses is survived by wife Winnie and five children (two boys and three girls).
The news of my brother’s death found me chairing a meeting (in Kasese) on matters related to Mr Museveni campaign in Kasese on November 15.
With the disorganisation associated with death, I left the chair to Ms Rita Namuwenge of State House.
Moses Asuman was the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (DCAO) for Lwengo District. Before going to Lwengo, he had served in Budadiri and Abim districts in the same position. Repose en Paix, my brother.
Mr Bisiika is the executive editor of the East African Flagpost
