Namugambe was selfless, counsellor and mother

“Joseph, have you taken my grandchildren to school?” she asked her son Joseph Sseninde. 
“My negative answer made her furious. She took education seriously,” Seninde recounts his last conversation with his mother, Teopista Namugambe Kizza.

If he had one last message to share with her, he would ask her to stay another 76 years. She was hard working, a prayerful and kind  woman.

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Like that, Namugambe ensured her children followed in her footsteps. “My business was shaped my mother.  Mum was a baker back in the day. Today, baking puts bread on the table, pays school fees and more,”  says Sseninde, founder of Kangaroo Distributors.

Hardworking early riser
His sister, Ann Kalule Ssenfuka will remember her mother as an intelligent, hardworking, prayerful, principled, and loving woman who shared her joy with others.   

“My mother always kept busy even as she grew older,  waking up daily at 5am to say her prayers before carrying on with her day’s tasks. Such included preparing her grandchildren for school,  feeding her livestock, and tending her garden,” Kalule says.  “Even as she aged and her mobility was hampered by arthritis, my mother kept going,”  she recalls.

Kalule was always amazed by her mother who challenged her to work hard in her profession. 
 “I am always studying, doing all sorts of courses but also working. I will miss my mother’s encouragement,” Kalule says.

Friendly and pious
Namugambe was a people person who always tried to connect with people. If she met a young person and had a chance to chat, she would find out where they came from, what they do and made a connection with them as a parent, grandparent, or friend. 

“My mother was a very active Catholic. It is not surprising that most of her friends and acquaintances were priests and nuns.  And, for years she connected well with the Archbishop of Kampala who presided over her requiem mass. Through her connections with prelates, I got to become a doctor as they sponsored my education. I studied abroad and also get to give back in remote health centres,” Kalule narrates.

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The Rev Fr JB Masengere was a close friend of Namugambe. He says that he  related to her as a sibling, an elder sister. 

“She loved God, was very prayerful. She fondly loved children, whether  they were biological or not. She would give even in challenging times,” he says of her.

Kalule learnt how to pray from her mother and always thought her prayers carried her through many of the hurdles she encountered in medical school, settling in new countries, starting new jobs and more.

“She always told me she was praying for my brother, sister, grandchildren and cousins. She was always optimistic in the face of her own life challenges. There are times I thought stress would have broken her down, but she always remained calm and prayerful until life challenges passed. I think of myself as resilient because I have watched her own life,” she says.

Selfless mother
A mother of three an aunt, and grandmother to many, Namugambe left an indelible mark on the  helpless. 
“As we speak some may be hopeless because their only hope and light has burned out,” Fr Masengere eulogies the fallen friend and community member.

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Her home was as good as a kindergarten in and out of season; and somehow,  she always never run out of supplies to take care of her ever-growing family.

The priest adds, “I hold dear the moment she spent just the little she had to secure Mass vestment for me, and I still hold dear that vestment. ”
  “Smartness was one of her daily codes. I do not remember a day she turned up for any gathering dressed unconventionall,” he notes.

At the requiem mass, Namugambe was described by the traits that tell of a caring friend who looked out for everyone. To some, she seemed aloof, and strict with finances (may be because of the accounting background during her time as a banker), and mentor.  She truly lived a life of purpose and shared her blessings with all. 

“My mother always brought the family together. She knew where my 20+ cousins lived, their children and always asked them to visit her during holidays. With her little savings she paid school fees for those grandchildren she thought needed help if my relatives were unable to support them. With her passing I wondered how she was doing it as we all have to share the responsibility of those, she was taking care of,” says Kalule.

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Naturally, she had childhood friends who had become family. Her daughter always asked her how they met and how they have stayed together for 50 years and more.

Counsellor
Kalule also recollects her mother telling her so many stories about her life history in witty ways fused with Luganda proverbs which she loved.

They turned out to be learning points for her children and food for thought in their professional and life choices to guide them not to fall in what Nanfuka describes ‘life potholes’.

The caring mother
“We will miss you always, especially the random phone calls to see how we are faring. Sorry for the times, we were naughty, and thanks for being a light that guided us this far. Thank you for who you were to many lives that found a light at the end of the tunnel because of you when all their hopes seemed grim. We will always cherish the moments we shared, and may the good Lord welcome you into the eternal home,” he says.

“Pray for us while there so that we too make it in life and more still live a life of purpose picking a leaf from yours. Until we meet again,” Fr Masengere says to his departed friend and mother figure.
Nanfuka’s last conversation with her mother was centred around her health which had deteriorated fast.

Daughter says
“Although I knew the end was near I did not want to say the farewell words because as usual my mum believed she would get better and the last thing I wanted to do is take her hope away. So, l kept things I wanted to say to myself. I have no regret in that because for so many years I have talked to my mother almost daily and we knew each other so well,” she narrates.