Dr Asiimwe’s body arrives from Tanzania Thursday
At the time of his death, he served as an honorary senior lecturer at Mbarara University and programme director of the Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST)-Global Health at Massachusetts General Hospital Health Collaborative.
Dr Steve Asiimwe died in Tanzania on September 21, 2026, after his motorcycle was involved in a head-on collision with a truck. (Courtesy photo)
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The remains of Dr Steve Asiimwe, who died in Tanzania on September 21, 2026, after his motorcycle was involved in a head-on collision with a truck, will arrive aboard Uganda Airlines, Thursday, September 24, 2026.
The body will be received by a group of bikers and family members at the airport before being handed over to the funeral home and transported to Mbarara district.
There will be a vigil at the deceased's home in Nkonkonjeru, Mbarara district, on Thursday evening.
On Friday, September 25, 2026, there will be a funeral service at All Saints Church, Mbarara, at 1:00 pm. After the service, the body will be transported to the ancestral home in Kitojo, neighbouring Buseeire Primary School. Later in the evening, there will be a vigil in Kitojo, with words of encouragement from the patrol team service.
On Saturday, September 26, 2026, the burial programme will begin at 11:00 am at the family home in Kitojo, Sheema district.
The partnership brings together institutions including MUST, Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital and international academic partners.
He was also involved with the Kabwohe Clinical Research Centre (KCRC) in Sheema district, where he had been involved in clinical and community-based research, particularly HIV prevention and other public health studies.
His research portfolio had expanded beyond HIV to areas including lung health, air pollution, ageing and HIV, cognitive impairment, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and implementation and public health research.
Uganda's national research registry lists several of his current and recent studies.
He was also listed as a consultant in the Department of Community Health at MUST and had an extensive publication record.
Dr Asiimwe was particularly prominent in western Uganda because of his long-standing involvement in Mbarara's academic, clinical and community health research ecosystem, including MUST and the Kabwohe Clinical Research Centre (KCRC).
KCRC was started by Dr Elioda Tumwesigye and a group of clinical researchers interested in finding ways to prevent HIV infection and dedicated to improving the health of rural people.
Dr Asiimwe had also been involved with the AIDS Information Centre (AIC) Mbarara, where a 2026 AIC notice identifies him as the Mbarara Regional Advisory Committee chairperson.
His warning on road deaths
On June 8, 2026, Dr Asiimwe had spoken about deaths on Uganda's roads.
"As a public health practitioner, it hurts so much when you see preventable deaths. Our roads and drivers have long been deadly. But when it hits close, you just go numb. My young nephew Arnold just lost his life on account of a flimsy matatu driver and the road. Am so sad, mad. Why?"