Selfless, prayerful and loyal that was Daphine Mworozi

The cold hand of the grim reaper struck on October 1, and plucked out the bright rose flower in the garden of many people’s hearts. Daphine Mworozi was that flower.
To know Daphine was to know comedy in its fullness. Her never ending jokes, disarming smile and laughter were unique. Her joy was infectious. She was always armed with a joke or a funny remark that was bound to brighten the darkest of days. She had a rich heart.
Her words were life-giving. Daphine affirmed everyone around her with words and actions and was constant in every season of life. In the highs and lows, her love and friendship stood the test of time. Distance had nothing on her pursuit of friendship.

Loyal and selfless
When classmates were asked to describe her, their sentiments were similar. Kyomuhendo Ateenyi, a friend and classmate from Law School, described her as “fiercely loyal to her friends, irrespective of circumstances and the strains of distance.”
He further noted that she was wealthy of heart, humble and always consulting even when she had a better perspective and opinion of things.
Her friends echo the sentiment that to be Daphine’s friend was a priviledge because she was always there when you needed her, even if just to tease you if she considered you shy and coy.

She always put everyone before her and this cannot be any truer than the events that ushered her into eternity. Faced with the difficult decision, she chose to preserve the life of her daughter than her own. She gave her life so that Miracle could live.
In March 2010, John Teira contested for Makerere University Guild president. He remembers the dedication of a friend he had only recently met.
“Daphine was a constant attendee at my rallies, canvassing votes for me in every known student hostel and hall of residence. I remember her following the troupe playing kadodi sounds as she danced and showed her support.”

His campus roommate, Amon Mugezi remembers Daphine’s concern and care when he was shot during an altercation on March 15, 2010. She would not leave Mulago Hospital until she was convinced that he was out of danger. When I contested for a position in Halls of residence and lost the election by a mere 40 votes, Daphine consoled me saying it is “their loss, not yours. It is them who do not know what they just lost.” With such words, the sting of loss felt less daunting.
She traded the perks of traditional legal practice for the humanitarian/refugee world.
Muriel Opio, a colleague in the humanitarian law sector fondly remembers her. She notes that when everyone ran towards the litigant with deep pockets, Daphine sought out the litigant who had no home; the refugee fleeing conflict and violence in the DR Congo and South Sudan.

With articulate professionalism and a genuine desire to serve, she called Lutheran World Federation her second home. She pursued justice for refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons and ensured that dignity was accorded to them in a place far away from their home.
To those who shared the same Watoto Church cell with her, Daphine will always be remembered as one who loved the Lord and diligently pursued and served him. Even when the darkness of disease seemed to hide the face of the Lord, her anchor held firmly within the gale. Daphine knew that we would all die at one point and therefore, lived with eternity in view.

When science could not do anything more to preserve her life, her faith in God was unshaken. While she lies in peaceful sleep, we stand comforted in the fact that she lies in the hands of the one who loved her first and loved her most. We rejoice because death has lost its sting in Christ Jesus, making it just an event that ushers us into eternity, the one we long for.
Daphine, you will be dearly missed by all who knew you, encountered you and heard about you. You will stay alive in the hearts of your amazing two daughters Cissy Gabriella and Miracle, your love Joseph, parents, in-laws, relatives, classmates, colleagues and friends. Your candle may have stopped burning but your memory lives on.

BRIEF BIO
Daphne attended Lakeside College Luzira for her O-Level and St Mary’s SSS Kitende for her Advanced Level education where she performed excellently. She graduated from Makerere University School of Law in 2013 and was an enrolled advocate of the High Court of Uganda and all courts subordinate thereto.