Gen Katumba pays tribute to Brig Rwehururu
Widow Rosemary Rwehururu lays a wreath on the casket of her husband’s remains at the requiem mass at Our Lady of Africa Church, Mbuya. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA
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Rosemary Rwehururu, the widow, said the first ten years of their marriage were rosy until the 1979 war, where her husband served as the commander of the mechanized battalion, separated them
MBUYA.
The Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Edward Katumba Wamala has paid glowing tribute to the late Brig. Bernard Rwehururu as a senior officer who mentored many officers young and old during his long service in the army.
Gen Katumbae’s remarks were contained in his speech read for him by the UPDF Chief of Personnel and Administration Brig. Joseph Musanyufu, during a requiem mass for Brig Rwehururu at Our Lady of Africa Church in Mbuya yesterday.
Gen Katumba praised the deceased as a knowledgeable, humourous and smart officer who joined the army on January 1, 1965, as an officer cadet and retired from military service in November 2013.
The brigadier, RO-03284, was also described by the UPDF and Ministry of Defence spokesperson, Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda, as having rendered meticulous service to the army and country.
“We have come together not to mourn his passing but to celebrate the good life he has lived, the battles he has fought, and the service he has given to his country,” Lt Col Ankunda said.
Father Arsene Kapya, the chief celebrant, said life is a perpetual transition that everyone must go through. “Bernard had his weaknesses but he had a strong belief in Christ and in the mercy and love of God. Whenever I visited him, he insisted on me saying a prayer and a blessing over him. In him, Uganda has lost a big library of history,” Fr Kapya eulogized.
Augustine Nyamwegyendaho, the deceased’s brother, said: “Because of his humility he did not amass wealth but lived in simplicity.
While I thank the military for looking after him in the ten years of his sickness, I appeal to them not to forget the family.”
Rosemary Rwehururu, the widow, said the first ten years of their marriage were rosy until the 1979 war, where her husband served as the commander of the mechanized battalion, separated them.
“When people separate, they change and sometimes it is not easy to adjust to the new changes, but all in all we had a good life,” she said.
Brig. Rwehururu died of heart complications, diabetes and high blood pressure on Thursday. He will be buried today at his ancestral home in Rubale, Ntungamo.
