Mbale mourns fallen son

PICTURE: The late, Pascal Muloni Salira.  Photo by Joseph Wanzusi

The former director of the defunct East African Staff College that was based in Nairobi, Pascal Muloni Salira, 75, has been laid to rest at his home in Namunsi village in Mbale district.

The late Muloni who has been one of the prominent entrepreneurs in Bugisu sub-region died of diabetes and hypertension related complications shortly after he was rushed to Mt. Elgon Hospital in Mbale town after he collapsed at his home.

Born on December 12, 1942 in Buginyanya sub-county in present day Bulambuli district, Salira started his formal education at Gozi Primary School before moving to Mbale College and Namilyango College for secondary education.

He later joined Makerere University from where he graduated with a BA in Political science and later went for a Master's degree at Winsconsin University in USA. On return to Uganda he was appointed executive officer in the prime minister's office from 1965 to 1969.

In 1970, he was posted to the Institute of Public Administration (Uganda Management Institute, Nakawa) as a lecturer in management principles and when Idi Amin overthrew the Obote I government in 1971, Salira was appointed senior assistant secretary in the finance ministry and served as personal assistant to finance minister, Emmanuel Wakhweya.

A year later, Salira was seconded to the East African Community as undersecretary being designated as director of the East African Staff College where he served from 1974 until the East African Community (that consisted of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania) collapsed in 1977.

After the removal of the military regime of Idi Amin in 1979, Salira who was doing private consultancy in Nairobi returned to Uganda in 1981 and was immediately tasked by the Obote II government to rehabilitate Uganda cement industry in Tororo where he worked until his resignation in 1989.

At the time of his death, Salira who is survived by seven children and several grandchildren was involved in hotel industry and other businesses in Mbale district.

At a requiem mass presided over the Rev. Fr. Alex Oketch at St.Austin's Catholic Church in Mbale town, speaker after speaker described the late Salira as a social, intelligent and focused person who always struggled and strived to achieve what he set out to do right from his school days where he was a footballer and boxer.

In his homily, Fr. Oketch told mourners who included the Bamasaaba cultural leader Sir. Bob Mushikori that the death of someone is a reminder of how vulnerable life of a human being is on earth.  

In his eulogy the Bamasaaba cultural leader said the late Salira was instrumental in promotion of Lumasaaba language magazine that was called ‘Mulembe' and urged the bereaved family members to maintain and carry on his legacy.