‘Miracle father’ of 18-year-old dies at 30
Deceased. Ben Baherezibwa
A father to an 18-year-old son in Ntungamo District has died at the age of 30.
Ben Baherezibwa died on Monday at his home in Kirama, Rukoni Parish, Kibatsi Sub County, Ntugamo District after suffering intestinal complications resulting from ulcers.
Baherezibwa, who has been a barber, had his first born at the age of 12 when he was in Primary Six, with a girl who was in Senior three then.
His mother, Ms Violet Baherezibwa said he was a ‘miracle father’ who never fell short of anything even after having his first child at a young age.
“This child (Baherezibwa’s son) you see here was brought to me when he was three months old, my son fathered him when he was just in primary six. It was something no one could ever imagine. We were hurt but trusted that perhaps it was God’s plan. Maybe God knew he had a short life and wanted him to live it fully,” Ms Baherezibwa said.
Baherezibwa is survived by two children; the other a 14-year-old girl in primary four.
The deceased's children during his burial.
Baherezibwa’s son, Jordan Natumanya, 18, described his father as a caring man who loved his children and would counsel them whenever they had challenges.
“He was like my brother because I never called him dad. I used to call him Ben and he would freely respond. We worked together whenever he came home although not very often. My sister and I shall miss him so much,” Namanya said during his father’s burial ceremony on Tuesday.
Ms Baherezibwa said her son had an intestinal illness, which he acquired after working in South Sudan for months, adding that he had been battling with the ailment for the past three years and frequenting hospitals for treatment but seems all was in vain.
She said at the time of her son’s death, he had been hospitalized at Mbarara regional referral hospital where multiple tests were done, including that of cancer but the results returned negative.
“After a long hustle and expensive treatment, medics advised the family to take Ben home as they could not do much to help. He was brought home and died,” the sobbing mother narrated.
The deceased’s elder brother, Mr Edson Baherezibwa, who is the Uganda red Cross Society head of volunteer services faulted the poor health services for his brother’s death equating health centres in the area to “lodges where patients are only given beds to sleep,” thus failing to operate to the bare minimum of providing essential medicines to patients, instead leaving them to die.
