UPC demands state funeral for leader

Oct 11, 2005

THE Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) has formally written to the Government over the death of party leader Dr. Apollo Milton Obote.

By Geresom Musamali and Charles Etukuri

THE Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) has formally written to the Government over the death of party leader Dr. Apollo Milton Obote.

The party also wants Obote buried in his home village of Akokoro, Apac district by the middle of next week. The UPC request was in respect of Obote’s will to be buried in Akokoro. Obote, who ruled Uganda twice, and was each time overthrown by the army and fled into exile, died on Tuesday.

“We met this morning to discuss the issue and we thereafter wrote to the Government and delivered the letter to the Minister for the Presidency,” said Hajji Badru Wegulo, the chairman of the UPC Constitutional Steering Commission (CSC).

“We have written to the Government a simple letter requesting them to accord our party leader and former President a state burial and declare a day of national mourning. We are estimating that he will be buried within 10 days but have not yet made a rigid timetable because we have to negotiate with very many other stakeholders,” Wegulo said.

The CSC deputy chairman, Livingstone Okello Okello, said they had also written to the Speaker of Parliament, notifying him of the death of Obote. The party will send three people, one from the CSC and two from the family, to accompany the body back from South Africa.

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