Entebbe's long-serving finance officer laid to rest

Oct 24, 2015

Fredrick Mutagubya Kaweesi: His bosses and friends alike were proud of him. He was always smart, reliable and a good conflict-resolver.


By Gladys Kalibbala

His bosses and friends alike were proud of him. He was always smart, reliable and good at resolving conflicts. He had held positions that dealt with money for over thirty years but he was at no time implicated in corruption cases – like the many we see in the media today.

News of Fredrick Mutagubya Kaweesi’s death on Monday hit the Entebbe community so hard.

By the time of his passing on, the 57-year-old was the Chief Finance Officer for Entebbe Municipality, where he joined in 2001.

His family said Kaweesi died on Monday at Mulago Hospital in Kampala after suffering a stroke while attending a conference in Kisumu, Kenya last week.

He was rushed back to Uganda, but his condition worsened around Iganga where he was admitted at Iganga Hospital before later being transferred to Mulago.

He never recovered from the stroke.

Doctors said Kaweesi developed blood clots in the brain, coupled with a shoot in his blood pressure.

During his funeral, Entebbe mayor Vincent De Paul Kayanja told mourners that Kaweesi was not only smart in dressing, humble and easy to work with, but also very knowledgeable in many areas.
 

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Mayor Vincent De Paul Kayanja and his wife after laying a wreath on the casket. (Credit: Gladys Kalibbala)


Kayanja said the late had worked with leaders from the ruling party (NRM) for many years which worried him as he came into office from the opposition Democratic Party (DP).

“Thank God he was so accommodative! He contributed so much to Entebbe town, helping it emerge as the cleanest town in the country because of the advice he always gave us.”

Kaweesi was hailed by the Buganda government for the support he had always shown whenever he was called upon to serve.

The Deputy RDC for Entebbe, Rose Kirabira, who asked mourners to clap for the fallen town official as a tribute to his work, urged his children to borrow a leaf from their father. “He has indeed left a legacy, he loved God, worked hard and was always humble,” she said.

After a funeral service inside a filled-to-capacity St Mark’s Namate Church, Entebbe, Kaweesi was laid to rest at his ancestral home in Bweya village near Kajjansi town in Wakiso district.

Led by their brother Isaac Sennyondo, the children appreciated the good education that their father provided to all of them, having all completed university.

Unlike many children who start fighting for wealth immediately after the death of their parents, they told mourners that their father had already prepared for them income-generating projects which they run.

They promised to always consult with friends of their father in case need arises.

They also said that their father had recently held a memorial service for their late mother and had invited home close friends whom he (Kaweesi) had said had always stood by him in all situations. This, the children said, gave them a chance to know their father’s true friends.


Ever-clean white shorts

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Former Entebbe mayor Stephen Kabuye (pictured above) eulogized the fallen town official.

He said: “We played together as children when he was at Namate School and I at Kiwafu Primary School. He has been smart since childhood and although we were young and liked playing football and falling down, his white shorts were always clean.

“He was humble, worked hard and valued friendship so much. When I met him in Kayunga after I had become a Mayor in Entebbe, he explained to me the challenge he had with keeping his family far away from him. He had left his young family by then in Entebbe and would always struggle to come back home over the weekends.

“When an opportunity came in 2001, we took him on at the municipality where he has worked since then.”



Brief profile

 

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Kaweesi was laid to rest at his ancestral home in Bweya village near Kajjansi town in Wakiso district. (Credit: Gladys Kalibbala)

 

  • Born in Entebbe on July 7, 1958 to the late Hannington Kaweesi and Eva Manjeri Bulya who were residents of Banga village in Entebbe Municipality
  • Studied at Chardwick Namate Primary School, Entebbe, Entebbe S.S. for S1 – S4 and Kololo S.S. for S5-S6
  • Later joined Glasgow University (UK), Galilee University (Israel), Nkumba University (MBA), Bradford University and Uganda Management Institute
  • First joined local government as the town treasurer for Bushenyi Town Council, Iganga Town Council and Kayunga Town Council
  • Transferred to Entebbe Municipal Council in 2001 and has been working as the CFO till his death
  • Had roles as a member of many organizations like chairperson Uganda Finance Officer’s Association, Uganda Urban Authority Association, Uganda local government Association, Rotary Club Entebbe, Parish Representative at St Peter’s Church, Kiwafu, Fathers’ Union, Namirembe Diocesan Council for Entebbe, Golf Club Entebbe and many others.

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