Njuba died a frustrated man - MPs
Mr Jacob Oulanyah, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, consoles Ms Gertrude Njuba after she arrived at Parliament yesterday. Photo by Geoffrey Sseruyange.
What you need to know:
According to MPs Njuba died before Uganda could achieve the ideal democracy he had fought for.
The House yesterday paid tribute to the fallen Forum for Democratic Change Chairman Sam Kalega Njuba with MPs eulogising him as a “freedom fighter and liberator” who passed on a “frustrated man”.
This, the legislators majority of whom belong to the opposition, said Njuba had died without achieving the democracy that he had envisioned.
The Prime Minister, Mr Amama Mbabazi, moved a motion in which he acknowledged the contribution of the deceased to the 1981-86 bush war that brought the ruling NRM party to power.
“Njuba served this country beyond the call of duty. Even after retreating to the opposition, he was a voice of restraint and moderation,” Mr Mbabazi said.
MPs, led by the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Nandala Mafabi, accused the President Museveni-led NRM government of betraying the ideals that inspired the Luwero Triangle struggle.
Njuba was a member of the Nairobi-based NRM external wing that mobilised finances and recruits for the struggle.
Mr Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the Kyadondo East MP said Njuba was an “elder of rare qualities” in a country dominated by “elders” with no worthy lessons to offer to the young generation.
When Njuba chose to retire from politics in 2011, he bequeathed the Kyadondo East constituency to Mr Ssemujju.
“He envisioned a country where disputes are resolved not by teargas and battering of citizens,” he said.
“The last time we talked, Njuba had started thinking about a second armed rebellion to rescue Uganda from a group of people who have made it a routine to batter citizens,” Mr SSemujju added.
The Busiro East MP, Mr Medard Sseggona praised the deceased for knowing when to leave the political stage, in an era where the country is stuck with an “old generation” of leaders who have rejected retirement calls by the voters.
“The art of being a good guest is knowing when to leave. He had a great sense of humility,” Mr Sseggona said.
Mr Wafula Ogutu, the Bukholi County Central MP added to the praises, saying Njuba, was a real revolutionary who fought for ideals unlike “sham revolutionaries who fight for material gains and benefits.
“He has died before the revolution was completed because we are still struggling to liberate Uganda,” Mr Oguttu said.
