A life of resilience: Former Butiki headteacher's courage in adversity

A family member who preferred anonymity as the family mourns told Monitor that Mr Isabiry's health deteriorated due to other complications including two “bad strokes which instantly killed him” on May 18.

He was buried on May 22 at Itakaibolu Village, Busedde Sub-county, Jinja District. The funeral was attended by thousands of mourners, including his former students and teachers with whom he served, government, religious and cultural leaders, among others.

“He suffered the first stroke at home which paralysed his right side, and he was then rushed to Jinja Regional Referral Hospital; and as he sought medical attention in the Emergency Room, he suffered a second stroke,” the source said .

At the time the deceased suffered the second stroke, the source said the wife had gone to the pharmacy to pick some medication. “Medics looked for her to watch over his last moments, but unfortunately, as she got back into the room, he was lifeless,” he added.

The source further revealed that the deceased’s health troubles started in 2020, when doctors identified the goiter growing in his neck and recommended an operation which reportedly took a toll on his life and weakened his heart.

“Since the goiter operation, Isabirye became weak and was referred to a cardiologist who prescribed some medication, which he has been taking since, and was also encouraged to do exercises he could manage," he said, adding that;

“He used to receive medication from the Uganda Heart Institute in Mulago, but he was strong and kept doing walking exercises,”

He said before suffering the stroke, Mr Isabirye was going for his usual errands.

The widow, Phider Aida Naigaga Isabirye, his wife of 41 years, said on that fateful day, Mr Isabirye left home for town to get a haircut, and returned home for lunch, only to suffer the stroke. She added that the family was planning to go to the village for a meeting at which the deceased was to participate.

Earlier, during a requiem mass at Christ’s Cathedral Bugembe, in Jinja North City Division where the couple tied the knot on January 8, 1983, the former Minister of Lands, Mr Daudi Migereko, described the deceased as “a great nationalist and patriot”, whose death is not only a big loss to the family and community but to the entire country.

“At this year's Labour Day celebrations in Fort Portal City, President Museveni awarded Isabirye the Distinguished Service Order of the Crested Crane in recognition for the services he had rendered to Uganda, and we must thank the President and the Chancery for having recognised his contribution when he was still alive,” Mr Migereko said.

Mr Migereko further eulogised Mr Isabirye as a great leader and manager who during his tenure Butiki was saved from the perennial students’ strikes and uplifted the academic performance of the school. He noted that Mr Isabirye had attained a stature that was only comparable to that of Rev Coates of Busoga College Mwiri or Fr Grimes of Namasagali College.

According to Mr Migereko, Mr Isabirye took advantage of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) liberalisation policy in the education sector to start Nakanyonyi Girls’ Secondary School to address the plight of the Girl Child through education, but also to provide himself a fallback position for retirement.

“The school is one of our best and is also producing leaders who are serving the region and country. Isabirye took the rare decision of involving his wife and children in the business of running this school.

“We are therefore convinced that this school should be able to continue running normally for many years to come, despite the departure of the founding chairman,” Mr Migereko said, calling upon political leaders to be supportive of educational institutions and production companies in their constituencies.

“I want to thank the OBs of Butiki and OGs of Nakanyonyi Girls for the support extended to Isabirye after his retirement and the contribution and support provided to ensure he gets a befitting send off,” Mr Migereko remarked.

Mr Isabirye has left behind nine children, including Mr John Ronald Isabirye who works with MTN Uganda and is a Director at Nakanyonyi Girls’ Secondary School, Mr Micheal Isabirye, a government contractor, and Ms Racheal Namakyika, a businesswoman.

Others are; Ms Annet Nakizibu, a health practitioner in the Netherlands, Ms Loy Nakaziba, a teacher, Mr Richard Kamanyiro, a health specialist working in Abu Dhabi, Mr Joshua Wakabi Isabirye, a lawyer, Mr Joseph Dhamusanga Isabirye and Mr William Kafuko Akisoferi, focusing on Agribusiness.

However, Mr Isabirye also adopted the Rwabu family whom he raised in his home following the death of Mr Rwabu, an Old Boy who was the agriculture teacher who died in the school premises.

Mr Isabirye is said to have overseen the relocation of the family from the school house to helping the widow establish a new home off the school and raising her children.

These include; Ms Elizabeth Rwabu, a Training and Development Coordinator- Africa, and Mr Davies Rwabu, a lecturer at Makerere University, who is also the Secretary Kiira College Butiki Old Boys’ Association (KICOBA).

Saved from house help job

Ms Rwabu, who is a Fellow-Fulbright Teacher exchange Programmes, told Monitor that when their dad passed away in 1992, she was a 12-years-old Primary Six pupil at St Agnes Naggalama Boarding School, and Mr Isabirye took up the responsibility of the Rwabu Family.

“We got a second chance at life because of him. He gave us a sound education, counsel, and guidance as a whole,” Ms Rwabu said in a telephone interview at the weekend.

She added: “My dream was to have a sound education and become a prominent person in this country, but when my dad passed away, that dream was shuttered, and I recall how a certain family wanted to take me on as a house help.”

Ms Rwabu says she can confidently say that she is a successful girl child story because of Mr Isabirye.

“When you educate a girl, you educate a nation; but for me it’s beyond Uganda,” she said.

Ms Rwabu is a recipient of the outstanding Alumni in Education Award 2023 by the United States Mission, and currently works as the e-learning Special Needs Education expert Makerere University and E-learning consultant Africa for the JDO Foundation. “I look up to him because he inspired me as a global education icon,” she says.

She adds that Isabirye once bought her a gift when she was number one in class and reportedly told her: “If you don’t work hard in school, you will always be referred to as an orphan; but if you work hard, you shall cease being called an orphan.”

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