Farewell to Hannah Namuli Lule
Hannah Lule (circled) with husband Yusuf Lule (on her right) with their children and grand children. COURTESY PHOTOS
What you need to know:
About the former first lady
Sports activities she was involved in:
Swimming, athletics, netball (captain), rounders, hockey (captain)
Organisations and clubs she was involved in:
Participated in the women’s movement, strong member of the Uganda Council of Women, built Kasenge and St. Stephen , Lungujja churches of Uganda, one of the patrons of YWCA, head of Uganda Netball Associations, director of Hockey Associations, representative, Busiro district council, member National Textile board of governors, member Aga Khan school board of governors, member Toro school board of governors and 1944 Head girl- Kings College Buddo
Children:
Freda Lule Blick, Freddrick Lule, Waswa Lule, Kato Lule, Solome Nkonge, Dr Ntwatwa Lule, Norah Lule
Grand children:
Dr Jackie Blick Creti, William Blick, Sula Blick, Mary Lule, Wanyana Lule, Nagawa Lule, Tes Anderson, Noah Nkonge, Ssanyu Nkonge, Josephine Nkonge
Great gran children:
Luigi Creti, Zion Anderson, Isabella Blick, Leo Creti, Lia Creti,
Siblings:
Dr. Sali Kiggundu, Christine Namuddu
Full of smiles, very friendly, hospitable, hardworking, a great servant leader.” Such were the words that described the late Hannah Namuli Wamala Lule at her requiem service at Namirembe Cathedral.
A mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and friend to many, the wife of the late president Yusuf Kironde Lule passed away last weekend at Nakasero Hospital after being bedridden for three years under a 24-hour medical surveillance.
Hannah was born on November 19, 1924 to Matia Fageero Wamala and Norah Nsimbwa. She was the only surviving one of the four siblings in her family. She went to Kings College Budo where she studied from primary to A-Level.
She was among the first nine girls to study in Buddo after a girls section was opened in 1933. According to Ms Rhoda Kalema, a close friend of the late, in 1944, after being class monitor, she succeeded her late cousin as the head girl of Kings College Budo.
She got married to Lule who was a teacher (her house master) at the school in 1947 at the school’s church, after rejecting an arranged marriage by her father. Though Hannah has always been overshadowed by the personality of her late husband, she had her own unique personality with a commendable number of achievements.
In 1950s and 60s, she created a women’s club in Kasenge to help them make up for the missed formal education and to match up to their educated husbands.
Treasured marriage
She treasured the marriage institution so much that she recommended the registration of marriages which President Idi Amin took up. It is now known as the 1973 Decree 16 which calls for the registration of all marriages.
Her religious nature and closeness to the church compelled her to make various contributions to the church among which were her great contribution to the building of Kasenge and St. Stephen, Lungujja churches of Uganda.
Her great personality never escaped the eye of Kings College Budo. It earned her and Sarah Ntiro the record of being the first women to get an order of merit for old Budonians in 1994 which was formerly awarded to only men.
Outdoors person
Hannah was not only work-oriented but also a great outdoors person. Her daughter, Norah Lule said she loved shopping.
“When mum started shopping, she would forget to eat, take a break. She would forget to do everything. She built friendships in the oddest of places …shops,” Norah said.
According to Norah, her mother also loved travelling which she too does because of her mother’s influence. Hannah also loved gardening so much that she would import flowers.
Hannah was also an all-round sportsperson. She was a very first runner and was nicknamed Norton, after her headmaster’s car which was the fastest model at the time because of that.
She was also greatly involved in swimming, netball and hockeywhere she was both captain and rounders. She started a women’s hockey team in 1968 when her husband was the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University.
Government tributes
At the funeral service on Wednesday, tribute was paid to her by different people, including government dignitaries at Namirembe Cathedral.
“She was the most gracious hostess at home,” said First Lady Janet Museveni.
Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi too had a lot of words of praise for Hannah. “She was a woman of integrity. She made her home, a home of peace. She was one of the most hospitable women that I met,” Mr Mbabazi remarked.
“A very friendly and polite girl, a servant leader attached to those she offered to lead. A servant leader who believed in happiness for everyone,” is what Ms Kalema, her longtime friend from school days in Budo described her as.
“I remember when she got married to the house master, I and other girls from the school would go to her home and she would give us food with joy,” she said as she recollected her times with Hannah. She also referred to her as a strong woman.
“Her car overturned when she was pregnant with Norah and both survived. That’s why we have Norah here today. When we visited her in hospital, she was full of smiles,” she said in reminiscence.
Norah said her mother was a great friend to the children and grandchildren. Hannah is survived by six children, 10 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
She was buried in Kikajjo, Kasenge, Wakiso District.
