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SORROWFUL: A funeral procession for Milton Obote goes through Mbale town on Saturday |
BY Nathan Etengu
MIRIA Obote, the wife of the former head of state, Milton Obote broke down and wept in Mbale yesterday as she begged forgiveness for her failure to return Obote alive.
Visibly overwhelmed by sorrow, Miria choked and lost her voice. For five minutes she could not speak .
As she began her speech “Fellow mourners I am so sorry,” her voice wavered. Words failed to come out of her mouth. She swallowed and chocked on them.
The cathedral was silent with murmurs of the surging crowds wafting in. Then tears rolled down her cheeks and she sobbed uncontrollably. “I am sorry I did not bring him...,” she said amidst sobs.”
The congregation was also sent into tears and sobs as three women rushed to console Miria. Adoko Nekyon, Obote’s cousin, also joined them. They stood by her side throughout her speech.
Miria pleaded with those who thought Obote had wronged them to forgive him.
Addressing mourners during a special service held at the St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Mbale, Miria repeatedly lost her voice in the beginning but later composed herself.
“I beg you to forgive me for not bringing back Obote alive. It was his wish to return to Uganda alive. He often asked me,” Miria said.
Hundreds of party supporters and sympathisers filled the cathedral to capacity while others crammed in the compound from where they followed the proceedings of the funeral service.
Outside the cathedral, the crowd surged and blocked the Uganda Funeral Service van for over 20 minutes as it manoeuvred its way out heading for Kumi.
Miria said that Mbale had all along been their (the Obote’s) second home. She said that it was in Mbale that Obote was elected a member of the Uganda National Congress (UNC) in 1958.
“My fellow mourners, Mbale had been a special place in Milton Obote’s life,” Miria said.
She said that Obote believed that the future of Uganda lay in the youths, whom he groomed for a better future.
Former Obote II cabinet ministers, Abner Nangwale, Yona Kanyomozi, Samwiri Mugwisa, Patrick Mwondah and former Chief Justice George Masika attended the service.
The Minister for the Presidency, Dr. Beatrice Wabudeya who represented the Government at the service, was concerned after she was initially omitted in the order of speeches.
Miria appealed for forgiveness from all those who thought that Obote had wronged them.
“He is no more. I therefore ask those who think that he may have wronged them to forgive him and also thank those who made his two terms run effectively,” Miria said.
She said all the good things done under Obote’s leadership were not done in isolation. She said that it was a collective responsibility.
Miria said “Mzee” Obote believed in one Uganda, one country and one nation.
“Now that he is no longer with us, it is time to move on. Let us forget and forge ahead,” Miria said as UPC supporters applauded her.
The UPC Bugisu zone in a special tribute described Obote as the founder of the nation, planner, peasant’s hero, worker’s hero, statesman and liberator.
According to the 23-page booklet, many people had for the last 20 years made it a principle business to demonise and blame Uganda’s ills on Obote.
“They have spent so much time and energy trying to rewrite history. They have tried to destroy his legacy. They have tried to remove from the map of Uganda all the institutions he and fellow Ugandans built from their national treasury,” said the tribute that was read by Darlington Sakwa.
Sakwa said that some of the institutions built by Obote were sold off while those that could not be sold had been neglected.
“They have spent a good 20 years talking about Obote to cover their empty promises to the people they have duped all along. Rather than spend money building the nation, they spend billions on cosmetic advertisements outside Uganda to convince the world that they are doing well,” read the tribute.
Sakwa said that Obote was human in his struggle to build a young nation from a large mix of tribes and cultures.
“He may have caused friction and hurt some of our own. We the UPC of Mbale say sorry. We need to balance the gains against the losses and move forward,” said the tribute.
The former UPC district administrative secretary for Bugisu, Joel Mandu, paid tribute to Obote, saying he initiated development in post-independence Uganda.
“He fought poverty and unemployment. That is why we have Tororo Cement Industry, the African Textile Mills at Mbale, Meat Parkers at Soroti and the Lira Spinning Mill,” Mandu said.
The UPC district chairman, Canon Andrew Nyote, said that Obote laid down the greater Mbale plan that included an expanded business district, an international airport, a presidential lodge, a state house as well as several ministries including the Bank of Uganda headquarters.
He said that Mbale Referral Hospital was to be expanded to be the second national hospital.
The Budadiri West Member of Parliament, Nathan Nandala, assured Mira Obote that he would reconsider joining the party to which he had once belonged.
Ends
Published on: Sunday, 23rd October, 2005
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