Wamimbi: Bugisu’s beacon of hope rests

The legacy of Ambassador Wilson Wamimbi Weasa, who died on April 12 at Kiruddu Referral Hospital in Kampala, is of a principled, incorruptible, and strong-willed leader.

When his five-year term of office ended as the first cultural leader (Umukuuka) of Inzu Ya Masaaba in 2015, a group of elders asked former diplomat Wamimbi to amend the institution’s constitution and allow himself serve for more years but he declined.  

Wamimbi, 83, who died from pressure and diabetes, the illnesses that he has been battling for several years told the elders then, that he can never violate a constitution he birthed to unite Bamasaaaba in Uganda and in the diaspora.

“He was an incorruptible and straightforward man. When his term of office was coming to an end, some proposed to amend the constitution but he refused and willingly handed over the seat to Umukuuka 11,” Mr Charles Walimbwa Peke, the prime minister of Inzu Ya Masaaba, said.

Mr Walimbwa added that Wamimbi laid a foundation on which the institution currently thrives.

“In his five-year tenure from 2010 to 2015, he lobbied for return of land at Mutoto Cultural Ground,” he said.

Wamimbi was elected to the position of Umukuuka in 2010 after beating his only opponent, Canon Codovia Wakiro, by 41 votes to 22.

The late is also hailed for setting the institution’s structure composed of organs such as the Culture Council headed by the Chairperson, the General Assembly headed by the Speaker, the Governing Board, led by the Chairperson and the Secretariat headed by the Secretary General.

Mr Walimbwa, who worked with the late when he was chairperson of greater Mbale, said he was a uniting factor that championed reconciliation among warring parties in the sub-region.

When the institution was being bogged down by leadership wrangles that worsened with the death of Bob Mushikori, who was Umukuuka 11, Wamimbi led dialogue as chief mediator between the two rival cultural heads, Mr Mike Mudoma and Mr John Imran Wagabyalire resulting in gazettement of Mr Mudoma as duly elected Umukuuka 111.

According to the constitution for which the architects that included the late Prof Dan Wadada Nabudere, Prof Timothy Wangusa, Justice Japheth George Masika, and Wamimbi, Article 8(4) spelt out terms for any elected leader, including serving for only five years and not seeking re-election thereafter.

Rotational leadership
Leadership in the institution is also rotational among the three families of Mwambu (Sironko and Bulambuli), Mubuuya (Bududa, Manafwa and Namisindwa), and Wanale (Mbale and Babukusu of Kenya).

Wamimbi, fondly known for his impeccable spirit of unity among Bamasaaba, was born on July 1, 1938, from Busano Sub-county on the slopes of Mt Elgon in Mbale District.

The late was eulogised by his sons, including Mr Jeff Geoffrey Tsapwe, as a good father. He will be buried on Saturday, April 20, at his ancestral home in Busano Sub-county.

Mr Eric Mukhwana, who served as Minister of ICT and Corporate Affairs and later elevated to Deputy Prime Minister of Culture, Tourism and Communication during Umukuuka 11 reign, eulogised Wamimbi, who is also his uncle, as a great man who never wished to see Bamasaaba divided.

“When he was LCV chairperson of Mbale District, he kept Bamasaaba as one and totally rejected the proposals to divide Bamasaaba in smaller units,” he said.

The Bamasaaba are a Bantu speaking people living around Mt Elgon both in eastern Uganda and western Kenya. They are commonly known for practicing male circumcision every even year.

The deceased was a seasoned administrator, who served as LCV Chairperson for the greater Mbale District from 1987 to 1998 and later as Uganda’s Ambassador to Canada before he returned.

From Sano Clan of Inda Ya Wanaale, he was elected the first Umukuuka, the topmost honour for the cultural leader.

Earlier, he had served as a marketing officer with Bugisu Cooperative Union (BCU), a farmer cooperative for coffee growers in the sub-region.  He also served as director on the board of Sheraton Hotel from 1992-1994.

Feared and respected in equal measure due to his strict principles, he was elected in 1987 as first LCV chairperson of greater Mbale, which now comprises Bududa, Mbale, Mbale City, Sironko, Bulambuli, Namisindwa and Manafwa.

Mr John Musila, the Bubulo East MP in Namisindwa District, described Wamimbi as a great son of Masaaba land who worked tirelessly to develop Bugisu Sub-region.

Vocal leader
Mr Musila said Wamimbi spoke vehemently against corruption during his reign as the chairman for greater Mbale, the main cause for poor service delivery in the local governments.

“He was a great politician who mentored many of us. We have lost a great man who had the history of Bamasaaba on his figure tips,” Mr Musila, who served as minister of information during Wamimbi’s reign, said.

The former MP for Mbale Municipality and diplomat, Mr Jack Wamai, said Wamimbi was an educationist who encouraged Bamasaaba to take their children to school.

“He was my teacher at Masaaba Secondary School and later became an Ambassador where we worked together,” he said, adding that the late also campaigned for him to become a Member of Parliament for Mbale Municipality in 2016.

Mr Steven Masiga, a research and communication officer of Inzu Ya Masaaba, said as a cultural institution, they have lost a pillar.

“As a cultural institution, we are deeply saddened by his sudden passing. He recently lost his dear wife and was still recovering,” he said, adding that the institution will be in charge of burial arrangements and other related protocols.

Mr Eddy Komoli, the chairperson of Masaba Community Foundation, who is also a grandson of the late Wamimbi, said they have lost an encyclopedia on the cultural rituals of Bamasaaba.

“We have had moments with him and shared a lot for the development of our culture and Bamasaaba. Unfortunately, he is no more,” he said.