FDC’s Eperu laid to rest amid chaos

Chaos erupted on Saturday in Koloin Village, Kapir County in Ngora District during the burial of pioneer member of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party Sarah Tino Eperu, as FDC rival factions of Najjanankumbi and Katonga clashed. 

The programme started smoothly at 10am with speeches from various political party representatives and local council leaders across Teso Sub-region.

However, it turned violent when Dr Kizza Besigye’s followers surrounded the tent sheltering the casket containing the remains of the Opposition activist, attracting confrontation from the Najjanankumbi team and other mourners.

Mr Daniel Eigu, the former Kamuda Sub-county chairman in Soroti District, accused Besigye’s followers of creating unnecessary drama to obstruct and disrupt mourners from following funeral programme.

Dr Besigye, member of the Katonga faction, was allegedly invited as a chief mourner. He, however, was also blocked by the Najjanankumbi loyalists protesting that he could not speak without authorisation by the current FDC party president, Mr Patrick Oboi Amuriat (POA), who was present at the occasion despite arrangements by the presiding parish priest, Rev Fr John Eriau, to give slots for speeches.

The Ngora District Woman MP, Ms Stella Isodo, protested that there was no way Dr Besigye could preside over the burial ceremony of their fallen party member and a sister at yet the party president could not.  
Mr Amuriat said the chaos started when the Katonga team imposed a security team donned in either black or blue overalls, attempting to disrupt and hijack the processes without the consent of the family.

“I am told that they attempted to hijack the entire programme which did not do well with other people. They had to be stopped. As far as I know, there is no insecurity in Teso,” he said.

“Teso is peaceful and there was no security threat, that’s why we came in numbers to mourn and give a befitting send-off to our sister, a fighter and a political activist who yearned for change for decades,” Mr Amuriat said.

He rubbished allegations against his team that they stole the body from the hospital, stating that they responded to the FDC Katoga failure to clear hospital and management bills worth Shs9m but incidentally felt embarrassed and concocted a false story.

“First of all, [Mr] Nandala Mafabi whom they accused of masterminding the plan is the uncle to the late and he has been supportive to the deceased towards treatment expenses at all time, delivering medicines from Germany, Netherlands and America, among other places. How then can they say we stole the body, they are just covering their shame,” Mr Amuriat said.

Dr Besigye said he was not in the know about the cause of the confusion and controversies and the reasons behind the confusion.

He described the drama at the funeral as petty schemes probably set by President Museveni to disrupt them from pursuing their course of liberating Uganda.  

“We are captives of Mr Museveni and his family. He owns Uganda, he controls it the way he wants. People are dying without proper health services and the worst thing we should do is to spend time bickering among ourselves,” he said.

Mr Besigye added: “We rather tackle the problem regardless of political affiliation because this war we are fighting is not partisan. It is a Ugandan war not for FDC, not for UPC, NUP or Katonga or Nanjanankumbi; FDC alone cannot solve the problem of Uganda.”

Fr John Eriau,  the Catholic priest from Koloin Mission in Soroti Diocese, decided to bury the body without speeches from both sides. 

Fr Eriau asked mourners to forgive each other. 

“If forgiveness is not given a chance...then we shall never be able to realise development,” he said. 

At the end of the burial both factions decided to plant different trees in memory of Eperu, who is survived by two daughters and two sons.