Museveni Joins Brigadier Toko Mourners

BY James OdongPRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni yesterday joined Brig. Gad Wilson Toko mourners at his home in Bunga near Kampala, to convey his personal condolences to the bereaved family.Toko was the former vice-chairman of the Military Commission under the short-lived reign of Gen. Tito Lutwa in 1985.Toko died in a car crash on the Kampala-Jinja highway on Sunday morning. Christine Kania, a member of the Constitutional Review Commission, and two others were also killed.Museveni, who arrived at Bunga at 4:05pm in military attire and left 20 minutes after, expressed shock and deep sorrow over the death.“I am very, very sorry about what has happened to Brig. Toko. The late was a prominent Ugandan and it is a pity that he died when he was still young,” he said. Toko was 59.Museveni said the Government would help the bereaved family.Toko is survived by five children and his wife, Reste, who is still admitted in Mulago Hospital in critical condition.Museveni personally handed over an undisclosed amount of condolence money in a brown envelope to Toko’s eldest sister, Mary Andriandu.Museveni, who said he was on his way to Gulu where he is overseeing the UPDF anti-Kony rebel operation, said he would be represented by Vice-President Speciosa Kazibwe at Toko’s burial on Saturday afternoon.Second deputy prime minister and minister for disaster preparedness and refugees Brig. Moses Ali and public service minister Henry Kajura received Museveni at Bunga.Kajura’s ministry looks after former leaders of whom Toko was one.Present also were the East African Legislative Assembly member, Capt. Baker Dudu, Bishop Enock Drati of Madi/West Nile Diocese and Dr. Yoram Ajeani.Meanwhile, Ali, who is also the chairman of the funeral organising committee, has said Toko is to be accorded a State funeral. “He will be given a State funeral with full military honour,” Ali said shortly after Museveni left.The body was yesterday taken from Jinja Hospital to Mulago where it would stay for two days.Tomorrow, the body will be taken to Parliament where it will lie in state for 24 hours during which MPs will pay their last respects.On Thursday, the body will leave Parliament for All Saints Church for a funeral service at 10:00am after which it will be taken home in Bunga.On Friday morning, the body will be flown to Arua where it will lie in state at his residence over night.Burial will take place on Saturday at 2:00pm at St. Emmanuel Cathedral cemetery in Arua town preceded by a service at the same church.Meanwhile, Moses Nampala reports that Chief Justice Benjamin Odoki has described Kania as a dedicated judicial officer.He said death had robbed the nation of a resourceful servant.Odoki said this in a condolence message read by his deputy, Justice Laeticia Kikonyogo, during a requiem mass at St. Fatima Church, Jinja.Constitutional Review Commission chief Prof. Ssempebwa said Kania was due to join other commissioners in Kampala for a trip to Bushenyi.Ends