Sabiiti family seeks his body for burial

Members of army private Wilson Sabiiti’s family in Mubali Village, Kijura Town Council in Kabarole District, have asked that his body be released to them for burial.

The family said the government should also tell them if there is anything they should do in order to have his body released.

Pte Sabiiti on Tuesday morning last week shot and killed the junior Labour minister, Col (rtd) Charles Okelllo Engola, at his home in Kyanja, Kampala, before taking his own life.

Since then, the family said they have not heard from the government regarding his body, which is reportedly being held by the army.

READ: Who was Private Wilson Sabiiti?

Mr Saidi Biryomumisho, the elder brother of Sabiiti, said because of the delay to release his body, some of their relatives from outside Kabarole District who had come for the anticipated burial have since gone back home.

“As family, we are not commanding government but we are appealing to them to give us the body of our brother such that we can bury him. We are in darkness, we don’t know whether we shall get his body or not,” he said.

He said they are also running out of food to feed mourners.

“The little posho [maize] flour and foodstuffs which people had brought got finished, we are now sleeping hungry… During the day, people come to check on us and go back in the evening, they can’t stay around here because we don’t have what to feed them,” Biryomumisho said.

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Ms Oliver Musiimenta, Sabiiti’s younger sister, said since Wednesday last week, mourners have been asking for the date for burial, a question to which the family has no answer.

“If government tells us that we as a family need to go to Kampala to pick his body, we can see how we can look for money and go but we don’t know how we can go there because we don’t know where to start from,” she said.

Sabiiti’s mother, Ms Keduresi Uwezeyi, said it will be unfortunate if she fails to bury her son who has been their sole breadwinner since 2016 when her husband died.

Mr Eric Sanyu, the Kijura Town Council councillor, confirmed that the poor family is in dire need of food to feed mourners.

The army and Defence ministry spokesperson, Brig Felix Kulayigye, last weekend said investigations are still ongoing and, as such, Sabiiti’s body will be  released upon the advice of the responsible authorities.

“When you commit suicide, we don’t give you official burial, and [as to] when his body will be brought to the family is up to the investigating team. The management of bodies and burials will decide accordingly, but we shall deliver the body to the family,” he said.